Star-Studded Finals Set in Pilgrim's PBA Ohio Classic

The finals are set in the Pilgrim's PBA Ohio Classic, airing Sunday, April 5 at 4 p.m. ET on The CW at Columbus Square Bowling Palace in Ohio.

Ryan Barnes earned the top seed by virtue of his historic performance, averaging more than 253 for his 36 games on the 47-foot Dragon oil pattern. The reigning PBA Rookie of the Year is one game away from his first career PBA Tour title.

“It’s a lot easier to win from the No. 1 seed,” Barnes said. “It's not easy to go week to week where only one guy wins, so (a win) would be pretty special. I really want that first one.”

Packy Hanrahan, a fan favorite on The House Bowling channel, secured the No. 2 seed. The two-handed lefty seeks to win his third career and first televised title.

Hanrahan averaged more than 248 for his 36 games. He said his mindset allowed him to thrive in the high-scoring environment.

“I think the more that you try to strike, the less that it actually happens,” Hanrahan said. “I’ve been having fun and enjoying the process. Sometimes you're going to shoot 230 and sometimes you're going to shoot 270. When the scoring pace is this high, sometimes the pressure of shooting those big scores can creep in. But I never really felt this week, which was nice, and I think the mindset has a lot to do with it.”

Rookie Spencer Robarge advanced to his second show of the season, after finishing fifth in the season-opening PBA Players Championship. A former teammate of Barnes’ at Wichita State University, Robarge is also looking to win his first PBA Tour title.

“I think the biggest thing is the fact that I didn’t get a whole lot going after the Players Championship show,” Robarge said. I didn't cash in St. Louis. I didn't cash in the U.S. Open. I didn't cash in Decatur, and I didn't cash in Fort Wayne. I think there may have been a little bit of complacency after the first show. I think I needed a little bit of a fire under my butt. I was fortunate to win my first PBA Regional Tour title and then had a really good week last week (in the Masters). I was hoping to try to keep that momentum going into this week, and here we are.”

Columbus native Chris Via earned the fourth seed for the stepladder finals. Via lives less than 30 minutes from Columbus Square Bowling Palace and figures to be the crowd favorite on Sunday.

“I wanted to perform well because I knew I was going to have a lot of people here cheering me on,” Via said. “I felt a little extra pressure coming into the week, that was probably not needed because they're here to support me through the good and the bad. But I wanted to make sure I put on a good effort and put on a good show. Thankfully, we’ve still got a fighting chance.”

Via won his U.S. Open title during COVID-19, when fans were not allowed. His second title came last season in the Storm PBA/PWBA Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles, a non-televised title event.

A win on Sunday in front of his hometown crowd would be “almost indescribable,” he said.

Via's opponent in the opening match will be EJ Tackett, the three-time reigning PBA Player of the Year. Tackett advanced to his fifth finals in seven title events, firing games of 289 and 280 the final two games of the tournament to surge into fifth.

“Winning always helps, but I've always had that self belief. I've always believed that, like Jason Belmonte has said, if the math maths, then I believe I can get there. Until the math doesn't math anymore, I feel like I have a chance. I knew I was down a lot those last couple games, and I knew I needed to strike. I was fortunate enough to throw some good shots and throw some questionable ones that actually ended up striking. I threw a lot of shots early in that block that were really good but didn't strike. I guess maybe things all came together at the right time. But without a positive outlook and making good shots, that stuff doesn't happen.”

Tackett finished second in last week’s USBC Masters, where a win would have completed the Grand Slam. He lost to Boog Krol by one pin in the title match. Tackett left a 10-pin on the shot that would have clinched the win.

Less than 48 hours later, Tackett led the Pilgrim’s PBA Ohio Classic through two rounds of qualifying before ultimately earning the fifth seed.

“In my opinion, if you let the previous week affect what you're doing this week, you're giving up an opportunity to win a championship,” Tackett said. “I've been out here for a while and you figure out that you only get so many chances. You never know when your last one is going to be. You have to bowl and not let any of the stuff that happened, whether it was good or bad, and try to give yourself another chance to win a championship. I was able to put a couple special games together and give myself that chance again.”

The first player to finish outside the cut to the show was Graham Fach, a Canadian native who moved to the Columbus area for college more than a decade ago. He finished 13 pins behind Tackett.

Two-handed lefties Hayden Stippich and Matt Russo each finished with 60 pins of Tackett, while François Lavoie — who set the PBA Tour six-game scoring record with 1,691 during qualifying — finished 69 pins out of the show.

The Pilgrim’s PBA Ohio Classic finals will air live Sunday, April 5 at 4 p.m. ET on The CW.

All qualifying rounds were livestreamed on BowlTV.

The PBA USA vs. The World event, marking the debut of the PBA on CBS and Paramount+, will air Saturday, April 4 at 2 p.m. ET.

Final Qualifying Standings | 36 Games

1. Ryan Barnes, 9,139 pinfall, 253.86 average
2. Packy Hanrahan, 8,948, 248.56
3. Spencer Robarge, 8,841, 245.58
4. Chris Via, 8,817, 244.92
5. EJ Tackett, 8,813, 244.81
6. Graham Fach, 8,800, 244.44
7. Hayden Stippich, 8,767, 243.53
8. Matt Russo, 8,759, 243.31
9. François Lavoie, 8,744, 242.89
10. Kyle Sherman 8,732, 242.56
11. Kris Prather, 8,712, 242.00
12. Cam Crowe, 8,701, 241.69
13. Richie Teece, 8,653, 240.36
14. Jeff Mann, 8,653, 240.36
15. Darren Tang, 8,592, 238.67
16. Zach Wilkins, 8,471, 235.31

Complete standings are available here.

Tournament Schedule

All times Eastern

Saturday, April 4 — CBS and Paramount+
2 p.m. — PBA USA vs. The World

Sunday, April 5 — The CW
4 p.m. — Pilgrim’s PBA Ohio Classic finals

More information on the Pilgrim’s PBA Ohio Classic is available here.