Graham Fach Skates to Third Career Title in PBA Pete Weber Classic

No player has started the 2026 PBA Tour powered by Go Bowling season better than Graham Fach — the only player to reach the championship round of the season’s first two title events.

On Sunday afternoon, Fach dominated the championship round to win the PBA Pete Weber Classic title at Bowlero St. Peters near St. Louis, Mo..

Fach defeated top seed Justin Knowles 258-196 in the title match, claiming the third title of his career and the $30,000 top prize.

“I’m feeling so many emotions right now, especially relief now that it's over,” Fach said. “These telecasts get very stressful. It’s a joy to lift this trophy at the end.”

“I'm extremely grateful, because there's so much work that goes into these tournaments,” Fach continued. “You get to lift the trophy at the end of (a tournament), but these are won so much earlier. It takes years of hard work and practice with the right support group to even be in position to compete for these trophies. So without all the help that I've gotten, I would not be here.”

After 18 games of qualifying on the 45-foot Dick Weber oil pattern, Fach advanced to match play as the No. 10 seed.

Fach averaged more than 280 during his Round of 24 sweep of Eric Jones, shooting games of 259, 300, 277 and 290. He later defeated Packy Hanrahan and Tom Smallwood to earn the No. 2 seed for the stepladder finals.

The powerful left-hander only averaged 263 on Sunday afternoon — on the same pair of lanes in which his match against Jones took place — but that proved to be more than enough to bring home the title.

“It means that not only can I do well when the cameras are off,” Fach said of his stellar recent performances, “but now when the cameras are on and the fans are cheering, I'm just as confident. Those are when the really important matches happen, and those are when you really have to do your best.”

In the opening match of the stepladder finals, Matt Russo defeated Hayden Stippich, 238-203.

Stippich was unable to replicate Brandon Bonta’s historic TV debut from a week ago, while Russo rode the momentum of his local fanbase. Russo and his wife, Lauren, coach the Maryville University women’s bowling team and live just a 15-minute drive from St. Peters.

In the second match, Russo ran into the championship round’s lone righty, Thomas Larsen. Russo, forced to navigate more transition to the oil pattern than left-handers are used to, could not keep up with Larsen.

The Danish star’s reward for his efforts was a date with the scorching hot Canadian, the only player who made each of the season’s first two championship rounds.

Fach picked up right where he left off against Eric Jones on Thursday night and flirted with a perfect game until he left a stone-9 pin in the ninth frame.

Justin Knowles, the top seed, tried to use his practice shots ahead of the title match to force Fach out of his comfort zone. He threw a strong ball on top of Fach’s line, hoping to deplete the oil Fach had been using to his advantage.

Knowles’ plan worked… for one frame. Then Fach fired five strikes in a row and eight of the next nine to run away with the title.

“I'm learning that with the commitment and belief that I have in myself at my best, that I'm better than I thought I could have been,” Fach said. “Knowing that means that I can be better than that. I'm always looking for the next step in my game, whatever that looks like.”

Nearly nine years passed between Fach’s first title in 2016 and his second in the 2025 season-opener. Thirteen months later, Pete Weber personally handed him the third title of his career.

Fach joins Anthony Simonsen and EJ Tackett as the only winners of the PBA Pete Weber Classic.

“There is no shortage of talent in those two names,” Fach said. “We're in an era of the greats. Those two are certainly great, and to have my name associated with theirs means I must be doing something right.”

The 2026 season continues this week with the Go Bowling U.S. Open, the second major of the season. Qualifying begins on Tuesday, leading to the finals on Sunday, March 8 at 4 p.m. ET on The CW.

More information on the 2026 PBA Pete Weber Classic is available here.

Championship Round Matches

Match One: No. 5 Matt Russo def. No. 4 Hayden Stippich, 238-203
Match Two: No. 3 Thomas Larsen def. No. 5 Matt Russo, 246-191
Match Three: No. 2 Graham Fach def. No. 3 Thomas Larsen, 268-235
Championship: No. 2 Graham Fach def. No. 1 Justin Knowles, 258-196

Final Standings

1. Graham Fach, $30,000
2. Justin Knowles, $18,000
3. Thomas Larsen, $13,000
4. Matt Russo, $10,000
5. Hayden Stippich, $9,000

Complete standings are available here.