Tom Hess Wins Title No. 14 at PBA50 Akron Classic
Fairlawn, Ohio – At a loss for words! It wasn’t the way he wanted to win it, but Tom Hess defeated Michael Clark Jr. 235-216 on Tuesday at the 2026 PBA50 Akron Classic.
“That is incredible. My third title this year. Fourteen in six years,” Hess said. “You have got to put yourself in the position to be there. You can’t let two frames give away what great bowling it was to get here. I bowled some really tight matches to get here. Today was my day.”
Clark Jr. was making his national PBA50 Tour debut as the top seed after defeating Brad Angelo and Mika Koivuniemi in bracket match play. The right-hander from Ohio had Hess start the match on the left lane, which seemed to be the most challenging for all players. Hess struck.
Clark’s first stepladder finals shot was a light strike and he came back clapping. He then picked up a 10-pin. Hess struck and covered the 3-6. Clark comfortably rolled three straight strikes and made a 10-pin in the sixth.
Hess struck in the fourth frame before failing to cover the 2-8 combo in the fifth. He did bounce back with a strike and a Brooklyn strike in the seventh. Clark struck in the seventh before pulling his next shot high leaving only the 3-pin in the eighth, which he did make.
Hess threw another Brooklyn strike in the eighth then rolled a flush fourth strike-in-a-row while holding his right hand straight up. Clark, who chose to finish the match first, had struck four straight strikes on the right lane before his next attempt went wide right resulting in the 7-8 split, which he couldn’t make. He took a rerack, struck, re-racked again and struck before acing his final shot for 216.
Needing only a mark for the win on his good lane, Hess’s delivery was high as the 4-9 stood, before the 9-pin fell and the 4-pin was slowly knocked over for another strike. Hess stood at the foul line in shock, got nine and made the spare for 235.
“I just didn’t want it to 4-9. Nine was enough, make your spare. It was a little bit of hold your breath when the 4 and the 9 were standing,” Hess said of his original reaction. “I did not expect them both to fall. I thought it was a pretty good shot.”
This was Hess’s 14th career PBA50 title. Since joining the tour, he has come out firing winning the 2021 PBA50 Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year. In just his sixth season, he is only two wins behind all-time title holder Walter Ray Williams Jr. with 16.
Just days after battling his way back in multiple matches to win a regional title, Hess delivered again. As the No. 9 seed going into bracket match play, he defeated John Burkett, Bill Watson then John Janawicz to earn the No. 2 seed in the stepladder finals. Before he got to the title match, he faced Tom Daugherty, the same player he beat days earlier at the Gary Schlucter Memorial Central/Midwest Classic.
This match gave fans a look at the top two point leaders this season leading the way for Player of the Year. Daugherty began with a spare and three straight strikes. Hess rolled three strikes-in-a-row, made a spare and added four more strikes through eight frames. Daugherty made three single-pin spares before an open frame in the ninth. Hess went on to close out the match 247-203.
“I made a bunch of really good shots in the match against Tom. My plan was to be heavy on the headpin because of the strategy that Tom used to throw urethane,” Hess said. “I knew if I was light in the pocket, it was most likely going to 10-pin. I tripped a couple of 4's against Tom.”
The opening match featured qualifying leader John Janawicz against Daugherty. Janawicz started with double, spare then a strike through five frames, yet Daugherty came out firing. After rolling a 300 in his final bracket match to advance to the stepladder over Amleto Monacell, Daugherty had the front nine before leaving a 10-pin for an open and score of 267. Janawicz went on to finish with 182.
In match two, Daugherty faced 14-time PBA50 champion Pete Weber. Daugherty began the match with a spare followed by four straight strikes. Weber struck on his first shot and converted three consecutive single pins before another strike in the fifth. Daugherty’s string ended as he made three straight spares, doubled and got a spare for 234. Weber opened in the sixth and struck two out of his final five shots for 185.
Up next, Hess looks to defend his title at the Bud Moore PBA50 Players Championship, which begins on Saturday in Woodbridge, Virginia. The finals for this special tournament are held on the private lanes inside tournament sponsor Bill Moore’s home. This is one of two final major titles available before the end of the season.
“I am ready to get back to Virginia, a place that I have had a lot of success. I have made the finals in Bill’s basement three times,” Hess said. “I want to get back out onto that pair of lanes.”
PBA50 Akron Classic Final Standings:
- Tom Hess $7,500
- Michael Clark Jr. $4,000
- Tom Daugherty $3,200
- Pete Weber $2,500
- John Janawicz $2,000
MATCH SCORES:
Match 1: Daugherty def. Janawicz 267-182
Match 2: Daugherty def. Weber 234-185
Match 3: Hess def. Daugherty 247-203
Championship match: Hess def. Clark Jr. 235-216
Final standings - 2026 Akron Classic
