OWASSO, Okla. – EJ Tackett of Bluffton, Ind., won the FloBowling PBA Bear Open Thursday to become the first three-time winner of the 2018 Go Bowling! PBA Tour season.

In the second tournament of the FloBowling PBA Fall Swing at The Lanes at Coffee Creek, Tackett successfully defended his Bear Open title from 2016 by beating top qualifier Stuart Williams of England, 212-197, in the title match for the 12th win of his career.

Despite an open in the 10th frame, Tackett had struck in the seventh, eighth and ninth frames which gave him enough of a lead to clinch the win. Williams, who was trying for his second career tour title, opened in the seventh frame when he left the 2-4-8-10 split and was unable to close the gap.

“You hate to win a match with an open in the 10th frame,” said Tackett, the 2016 PBA Player of the Year. “I was fortunate that the strikes in the seventh, eighth and ninth gave me enough of a cushion and set me up to be in good position for the win even though it wasn’t pretty at the end.”

As the season’s only three-time winner, Tackett becomes a top contender for PBA Player of the Year honors with just the FloBowling PBA Tulsa Open and U.S. Open left in the season.

“I’m the first to win three but you can’t be sure of anything at this point especially with two big tournaments left,” Tackett said. “I’ve been doing a good job of giving myself the best chances to succeed all year and I’m going to have to continue to do that down the stretch.”

Tackett, the No. 2 qualifier for the finals, advanced to the title match by winning the semifinal against Kris Prather of Plainfield, Ill., winning a one-ball roll-off 9-8 after a 245-245 tie.

Prather was coming off a season’s best third-place finish in the Wolf Open which concluded Tuesday.

Prather, the No. 3 qualifier, beat Wolf Open runner-up Andrew Anderson of Holly, Mich., a two-time winner this season that includes the USBC Masters, 199-194, in the second stepladder match to advance to the semifinal.

In the opening match, Anderson, the No. 4 qualifier, beat No. 5 qualifier one-time tour winner Richie Teece of England, 202-178, to advance to the second match against Prather.

The finals were conducted on PBA’s Bear 39-foot lane condition pattern.

Top 18 Advance to FloBowling Tulsa Open Match Play

After the combined 24-game qualifying totals from the Wolf and Bear events, Prather leads the field of 18 players who advanced to Tulsa Open match play with a 5,476 24-game pinfall total (228 average). All five Bear Open finalists made the cut to match play with Anderson finishing qualifying in second with 5,470, followed by Tackett in third with 5,457 and Williams fourth with 5,419. Teece advanced by finishing in 11^th with 5,223.

Wolf Open winner Anthony Simonsen earned the 18th and final qualifying position with a 5,172 pinfall.

The first of two six-game round robin match play rounds begins Friday at 9 a.m. CT with the second round at 2:30 p.m. The final match play round gets underway Saturday morning 9 a.m. which will determine the top five players for the Tulsa Open stepladder finals at 12:30 p.m.

The 18 players who advanced to match play and the five who advance to the stepladder finals will have the added challenge of bowling on the Bear 39-foot lane condition on the left lane and the Wolf 33-foot lane condition on the right lane in each match.