Two Rookies, Three Major Champions Advance to Surfside PBA New York Classic Finals

The lauded 2026 PBA Tour’s rookie class grew even stronger on Friday night at ABC Gates Bowl in Rochester, N.Y.

Two more first-year players advanced to the finals of the Surfside PBA New York Classic in Ohio’s Austin Grammar and Utah’s Riley Woodard.

Major champions Patrick Dombrowski, Kris Prather and Chris Via round out the five-player field for Sunday’s championship round.

The stepladder finals will air live Sunday, April 12 at 1 p.m. ET on The CW.

Grammar and Woodard will each have the opportunity to become the third rookie to win a title this season.

Brandon Bonta brought home the season-opening PBA Players Championship title, shooting 300 in the championship match, and Spencer Robarge won last week’s Pilgrim’s PBA Ohio Classic title.

Grammar earned the top seed for the stepladder finals as the highest qualifier to win all of their matches in the elimination match play bracket. 

The 23-year-old qualified fourth for match play and earned a bye through the Round of 24. Grammar defeated another rookie Alex Horton in four games and Japan’s Shota Kawazoe in seven games to reach the finals.

Grammar said he realized he had a chance to be the top seed early in Game 7 against Kawazoe.

“I saw that Darren (Tang) and Via lost,” Woodard said. “If I just win I’m the one seed, I was like, I better lock in, and I've locked in. 

Grammar has experience competing under the bright lights. He bowled on TV in the Junior Gold Championships, Intercollegiate Singles Championships and Intercollegiate Team Championships.

“I think each time I've gotten a little bit better,” Grammar said. “It slowed down a little bit more. I'm really happy to be back. Hopefully I can get over the hump this time and actually win one.”

Dombrowski, who won the Go Bowling U.S. Open earlier this season, earned the No. 2 seed.

The 47-year-old qualified sixth before defeating AJ Johnson and Darren Tang to advance to the finals.

“I've been doing the numbers,” Dombrowski said. “I’m the two seed for the second time this year, going for my second title. A lot of twos going on, so hopefully we can get the second win.”

Woodard’s road to his first career televised finals is almost too farfetched for a movie.

He learned he got into the tournament off the waiting list last Friday night. He was driving from Utah to Idaho for a non-PBA tournament at the time, leading to a whirlwind of a weekend. 

Woodard arrived in Rochester after the practice session with just six bowling balls. Yet he started the tournament with games of 279 and 259.

He ultimately qualified seventh for match play, dispatched Ethan Crouse in five games, then swept Via in the Round of 8.

Woodard said competing on the PBA Tour has always been his dream.

“I decided not to bowl in college, and instead I started bowling (the PBA Regional Tour) and adult tournaments to get experience,” said Woodard, the 2024 PBA Northwest Region Rookie of the Year. “Once I felt that I was pretty competitive at a regional level, I thought the next step was to come out here (on the PBA Tour). I’m trying to make the most of it and make a name for myself.”

Prather, the most accomplished player among the finalists, netted the No. 4 seed for the stepladder finals. 

The six-time champion qualified in 17th place, then defeated Michael Davidson, top qualifier Kyle Troup, and Matt Sanders to make his first show of the season.

“I feel like this year has been an emotional roller coaster,” Prather said. “I've been physically bowling, from the start of the season to right now, the best I ever have. This the most prepared I've been, and it really hasn't amounted to much of anything. The fact that I finally got to match it all up, have a really good week, and make the show feels like a load off my shoulders.”

“The thing that I remind myself of is to believe in myself and to believe that whatever I'm doing is the correct option,” Prather continued. “It doesn't matter if someone in the stands or even if the ball reps don't agree, if I have the confidence in it, then it's going to be the right thing. Today, (my plan was) to throw better shots than my opponent and to will the pins over.”

Prather will need to win four matches on Sunday to bring home his seventh career title.

He has experience climbing a stepladder — he also won the 2020 PBA Tournament of Champions as the No. 4 seed — and said he has plenty of confidence he can do it again.

“If I get out of the first or second match, somebody's going to have to bowl really, really well to have a chance of beating me,” Prather said. “Because once I see what's happening on the lanes and I get comfortable, I don't think that my confidence is going to waver at all.”

Via advanced to his second consecutive championship round, this time as the No. 5 seed. He earned this appearance as the highest-seeded qualifier who lost in the Round of 8.

Via qualified third, defeated Kyle Sherman in the Round of 16 and lost to Woodard in the Round of 8.

“I felt like I bowled really, really well and had absolutely nothing to show for it,” Via said of his match against Woodard. “Riley bowled fantastic. He won a 4-0 sweep and averaged 250 at me, so there is not a whole lot I could have done. But execution wise, I felt like I bowled really, well. If I'm throwing it like I did tonight, I'm going to take my chances against most people.”

The stepladder finals will air live Sunday, April 12 at a special time of 1 p.m. ET on The CW. International viewers can watch live on BowlTV.

Round of 24 Results

No. 17 Kris Prather def. No. 16 Michael Davidson, 4-1
No. 24 Matt Sanders def. No. 9 Richie Teece, 4-0

No. 10 Ethan Crouse def. No. 23 Chris Barnes, 4-1
No. 15 Kyle Sherman def. No. 18 Nate Garcia, 4-0

No. 11 AJ Johnson def. No. 22 CJ Petrin, 4-0
No. 19 Thomas Larsen def. No. 14 Nick Pate, 4-1

No. 20 Alex Horton def. No. 13 BJ Moore, 4-2
No. 21 Shota Kawazoe def. No. 12 Brent Boho, 4-0

Round of 16 Results

No. 17 Kris Prather def. No. 1 Kyle Troup, 4-2
No. 24 Matt Sanders def. No. 8 Tomas Käyhkö, 4-1

No. 2 Chris Via def. No. 15 Kyle Sherman, 4-1
No. 7 Riley Woodard def. No. 10 Ethan Crouse, 4-1

No. 3 Darren Tang def. No. 19 Thomas Larsen, 4-1
No. 6 Patrick Dombrowski def. No. 11 AJ Johnson, 4-1

No. 4 Austin Grammar def. No. 20 Alex Horton, 4-0
No. 21 Shota Kawazoe def. No. 5 Tom Daugherty, 4-3

Round of 8 Results

No. 4 Austin Grammar def. No. 21 Shota Kawazoe, 4-3
No. 6 Patrick Dombrowski def. No. 3 Darren Tang, 4-0
No. 7 Riley Woodard def. No. 2 Chris Via, 4-0
No. 17 Kris Prather def. No. 24 Matt Sanders, 4-1

Via advanced to the stepladder finals as the highest-seeded player to lose in the Round of 8.

Complete standings are available here.

Tournament Schedule

All times Eastern

Sunday, April 12 — The CW
1 p.m. — Surfside PBA New York Classic finals

More information on the Surfside PBA New York Classic is available here.