04/08/2026
In spite of the high scores shot recently on Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), Your Legend Eugene McCune still holds many scoring records read this breakdown from Jeff Richgels.
Upon further review, Ryan Barnes did not break the record for high average in a PBA Tour title event
JEFF RICHGELS | Posted: Tuesday, April 7, 2026 11:00 am
Upon further review, Ryan Barnes did not break the record for high average in a PBA Tour title event
Eugene McCune's win in the 2010 PBA Cheetah Championship included arguably the most famous block in PBA Tour history. Photo by PBA.
Who really holds the PBA Tour record for highest average in a PBA Tour title event?
After the 2026 Pilgrim’s PBA Ohio Classic that ended Sunday, the consensus was that it was Ryan Barnes.
After the 36 games of competition that set the stepladder finals, Barnes totaled 9,139 for 36 games, a 253.86 average, as I detailed in this story.
Adding in the 228 he rolled in losing the title match to Spencer Robarge, Barnes totaled 9,367 for 37 games, a 253.16 average.
There is no 36-game record in the PBA Tour records that were last updated in March 2020, but currently are under reconstruction/updating with the able assistance of bowling historian Eric Hartman.
In the 42-game format that predominated for decades, Mike Aulby held the record pinfall (no bonus pins) of 10,544 in Peoria in 1995, a 251.04 average. (PBA records list it as 251.28, which seems to be a math error.)
Aulby lost that title match to Dave D’Entremont 203-190, giving him 10,734 total pins for 43 games, a 249.62 average.
There are no records listed for average with stepladder games, and Hartman said in a message exchange that “I've taken the scoring records to generally not include the stepladder, although stepladder games have always been factored into the season average.”
Hartman added that the 1959-98 standings that were scanned from media guides only had the average up until the stepladder, while the post-1998 generally do factor it in.
As it turns out, the records were not Aulby’s before Barnes’ barrage — they belonged to the man who authored arguably the most block in PBA Tour history. (Credit to long-time PBA playeer Pat Nolan for bringing this to my attention, so I could consult with Hartman for this story.)
And they still do, even though they weren’t listed in the PBA Tour records that were last updated in March 2020.
In the 2010 PBA Cheetah Championship, Eugene McCune fireballed games of 300, 253, 275, 279, 279, 279, 236, 300 and 267 in match play to total 2,468, a stunning average of 274.22, crushing by 101 pins the prior record of 2,367 set by Walter Ray Williams Jr. in Tucson, Arizona, in 2004.
That is listed in the PBA Tour records that were last updated in March 2020.
McCune had totaled 2,874 for 12 games of qualifying, according to Bowling Digital.
That gave McCune 5,342 for 21 games, a 254.38 average that was higher than both Barnes and Aulby heading into the stepladder finals.
McCune then beat Norm Duke 238-237 in the title match, giving him 5,580 for 22 games, a 253.63 average that again topped both Barnes and Aulby.
Here are the archived standings of the 2010 Cheetah Championship.
However, while McCune’s 9-game record is listed in the records, his tournament totals for 21 or 22 games are not listed.
That’s an oversight that I assume Hartman will help correct as he has been working to cover all PBA Tour formats as he helps reconstruct and update the records.
What should be considered the full tournament record?
Is 21 (or 22) games enough? Is 36 (or 37) enough? Or must it be 42 (or 43)?
I don’t think it matters, and when the records are fully updated I will do what I did with Barnes and report them by number of games and let people judge for themselves.
For what it’s worth, some of the listed records that are not for complete tournaments include:
The 18-game block record is 4,696, a 260.88 average, by Norm Duke in Peoria in 1994.
The 24-game block record is 6,109, a 254.54 average, by Pete Weber in Las Vegas in 1996.
The 26-game block record is 6,783, a 260.88 average by Aulby in Peoria in 1995.
The 34-game block record is 8,740, a 257.05 average by Aulby in Peoria in 1995.
11thframe.com
