In this video I break down the very first PBA Tour telecast of 2026 and give you my honest thoughts on what went down at the Players Championship. The big talking point for me (and Barks) was the decision to bowl qualifying and match play in one center on older lane panels, then move the TV finals to the ITRC with newer panels. You could literally see it in the ball motion—more hook early in the week, and a totally different look on the telecast, especially on the 37' Viper where urethane suddenly became a major factor on the right side. We also get into how that change affects different styles. EJ Tacket had to attack the lane differently than what we saw during the week, and the step-ladder format gives a real advantage to the guy moving through the show and “breaking it down” on that pair. On the lefty side, I talk about how Graeme Faw (best lefty in the world in my opinion) made big ball changes for TV, and how Jesper’s IQ78U look didn’t carry the same—seven pins everywhere. Then we finish with the title match: rookie Brandon Bont vs “King Kong” EJ, where nobody missed the pocket for 24 shots and EJ still fired 300. Unreal bowling.