In a sport decided by single pins, Jillian Martin claimed a prize no one had held in over a decade. The 22-year-old beat Germany's Birgit Noreiks 247-221 to win the PWBA Tour Championship in Parma Heights, Ohio. With the victory she finished the Triple Crown, the first bowler to do so since the tour's 2015 relaunch.
Youngest ever for the Triple Crown
At 22 years and 24 days old, Martin became the youngest bowler in history to complete the Triple Crown. She also became the youngest to win three career majors. Both records were once held by Hall of Famers Wendy Macpherson and Aleta Sill.
One late messenger decided it all
The final came down to the tenth frame. Martin needed two strikes and a nine-count to shut Noreiks out. She threw a strike in the ninth before a messenger pin swept the 10 pin late to save her in the tenth. She then converted a single spare to clinch the title and the $30,000 top prize.
Noreiks, who edged Lauren Russo 226-221 to reach the final, finished with 221 and took home $15,000. The total prize fund for the event was $112,100.
Martin had been on this path since she became the youngest Tour winner at 17. "To hear those names and to know that I've now done this incredible feat before even they did, I'm honestly shocked standing here," she told reporters after the match.
A four-time All-American at Nebraska, Martin was the only bowler to win twice during the 2026 National Tour season. The win stretched her stepladder finals streak to 10 straight match victories. A new name has been carved into the record books, its ink barely dry.
