February 3, 2025 Nolan Hughes

The PBA Owen’s Illinois Classic, as well as the PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship, are set to begin Tuesday, Feb. 4 at Bowlero Vernon Hills in Vernon Hills, Ill.

Qualifying gets underway at noon Eastern (11 a.m. local/Central) time on Tuesday.

All qualifying and match play rounds will be livestreamed on BowlTV.

Individual Storylines

EJ Tackett, coming off a sensational effort to win the U.S. Open presented by Go Bowling, looks to win his 25th career title. Tackett, who leads the tour in points through two events, would move into a tie with Brian Voss for 11th all time with a win.

Graham Fach won the season opener before earning a ninth-place finish last week. The Canadian-born lefty ranks second in points and is off to what could be a career-best season.

Andrew Anderson and Jakob Butturff earned the top seed in the season’s first two events, respectively, but both players came up short in the title match.

The highly anticipated Rookie of the Year race has lived up to expectations so far. Cam Crowe leads all first-year players in points, ranking 10th overall, and this week will be competing close to his home of Orland Park, Ill.

Ryan Barnes isn’t far behind, ranking 14th overall in points. Hayden Stippich kept pace with the two decorated youngsters in Delaware, but he struggled in last week’s U.S. Open.

Doubles Teams to Watch

Kris Prather and Andrew Anderson have to be considered among the favorites this week. Not only are they the event’s defending champions, but Anderson led the U.S. Open nearly wire to wire while Prather finished seventh.

Other former PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship include Sean Rash and Matt Ogle, Jason Belmonte and Bill O’Neill, Jesper Svensson and Kyle Troup, Packy Hanrahan and Mitch Hupé, and EJ Tackett and Marshall Kent.

Brothers-in-law Matt Russo and Nick Pate will team up, as will Brad Miller and Kyle Sherman.

The saga of Chris and Ryan Barnes has been a prevailing storyline this season, but they won’t be the only father-son duo sharing the lanes this week. Wes Malott and his son Jordan are also competing together.

The Barnes bested the Malotts during the PBA King of the Lanes: Royal Family Edition in 2022.

Format

All players will bowl 18 games of qualifying on the 42-foot Carmen Salvino oil pattern beginning on Tuesday morning. Qualifying games will count towards both the PBA Owen’s Illinois Classic and PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship.

The top 24 individuals will advance to PBA Owen’s Illinois Classic elimination match play, which will begin Wednesday evening. The four winners in the Round of 8 will advance to the stepladder finals, as will the highest-seeded loser in that round.

The PBA Owen’s Illinois Classic stepladder finals will air live on FS1 at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. local time) on Saturday, Feb. 8.

In the PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship, the top 16 doubles teams will advance to round robin match play, which will be held on Friday, Feb. 7. Sixteen games of baker match play will determine the five teams advancing to the championship round.

The PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship stepladder finals will be taped Saturday, Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. local/Central time and air Sunday, March 2 at 1 p.m. Eastern.

Tournament Schedule

Bowlero Vernon Hills | Vernon Hills, IL

All times Central

Tuesday, Feb. 4 | BowlTV
11 a.m. — Qualifying Round 1 (six games)
6 p.m. — Qualifying Round 2 (six games)

Wednesday, Feb. 5 | BowlTV
11 a.m. — Qualifying Round 3 (six games)

Top 24 individuals advance to PBA Owen’s Illinois Classic elimination match play
Top 16 doubles teams advance to PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship round robin match play

6 p.m. — Elimination Match Play - Round of 24 (best-of-seven games)

Thursday, Feb. 6 | BowlTV
11 a.m. — Elimination Match Play - Round of 16 (best-of-seven games)
6 p.m. — Elimination Match Play - Round of 8 (best-of-seven games)

Friday, Feb. 7 | BowlTV
11 a.m. — Round Robin Match Play (eight games)
6 p.m. — Round Robin Match Play (eight games)

Saturday, Feb. 8 | FS1
3 p.m. — PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship stepladder finals (taped) 
7 p.m. — PBA Owen’s Illinois Classic stepladder finals (live)

More information on the PBA Owen’s Illinois Classic is available here.
More information on the PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship is available here.