February 5, 2025 Nolan Hughes

After Graham Fach dealt with a middle finger injury last week, which forced him to remove the finger insert from his bowling balls, he is back to near-100% health and top form.

Fach leads the PBA Owen’s Illinois Classic through two rounds of qualifying with a total pinfall of 2,873 (+473). In the Roth/Holman PBA Doubles Championship, which uses concurrent qualifying scores, Fach and his partner Matt Sanders rank second with a combined score of 5,468 (+668).

"We've been growing together for years now, and have been able to talk a lot," Fach said. "We understand each other's games and love to help each other when we can. It's nice that we're able to be on the same pair and strike."

“We've had years where one's been on, and one's been off,” Sanders said. “We've gone back and forth almost every year. So we're hoping this year we can both be on.”

At first, the only thing “on” for the team was Fach’s check engine light. His car broke down somewhere in Indiana on Monday.

Sanders was willing to skip the practice session to go pick him up. Instead, Fach said he walked to a rental car facility and made it to Vernon Hills on his own accord.

Matt Ogle, Eric Jones, Jason Belmonte, Chris Sloan and Ryan Barnes round out the top six individuals in PBA Owen’s Illinois Classic qualifying through 12 games.

Tomas Käyhkö (+218) ranks 24th, which will be the cut after the final round of qualifying on Wednesday. Käyhkö will have his work cut out for him to stay in the number, sitting just three pins ahead of Sunday’s U.S. Open champion EJ Tackett.

In the Roth/Holman PBA Doubles Championship, a few noteworthy teams find themselves in contention.

Last year’s runners-up, Jason Belmonte and Bill O’Neill, dominated on Tuesday evening to surge from 18th place to the lead. The duo is averaging nearly 230 for their 24 combined games.

On the 42-foot Salvino oil pattern, named for PBA Hall of Famer and founding member Carmen Salvino, who still lives in the Chicago area, Belmonte opted to stay right even as the lanes transitioned.

Fach and Sanders, Hayden Stippich and Anthony Neuer, Matt Ogle and Sean Rash, and Kyle Troup and Jesper Svensson round out the top five doubles teams with one round to go.

Stippich and Neuer, both Pennsylvania-raised left-handers, met bowling match play in Junior Gold as youth players. Neuer said they have wanted to bowl this event together ever since, and this was the first year they were able to do it.

If there was one lesson Stippich, a rookie this season, failed to learn from his college coach Bob Learn Jr. (aka "Mr. 300"), it showed on Tuesday. Stippich had the front-11 strikes twice in his first three games... and missed the head pin on both perfect game attempts.

Both Stippich and Neuer appreciated the humor of the situation.

“I’m sure (Bob’s) proud of you right now,” Neuer joked to Stippich.

Two people who feel genuinely proud are Chris Barnes and Wes Malott. The PBA Hall of Famers are each bowling with their sons.

Chris and Ryan Barnes rank 10th, while Wes and Jordan Malott sit in 17th and just three pins outside the cut number.

The final round of qualifying begins at 11 a.m. (noon Eastern) on Wednesday, followed by PBA Owen’s Illinois Classic elimination match play begins with the Round of 24 at 6 p.m. (7 p.m. ET) 

Elimination match play continues on Thursday, then PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship round robin match play takes center stage on Friday.

Both championship rounds will be held on Saturday.

Full standings for the PBA Owen’s Illinois Classic are available here.

Full standings for the PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship are available here.

Tournament Schedule

Bowlero Vernon Hills | Vernon Hills, IL

All times Central

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.