Austin Grammar Claims First PBA Title with Near-Perfect 299 at Surfside New York Classic. The 2026 Surfside PBA New York Classic at ABC Gates Bowl in Rochester, N.Y., showcased elite shot-making on the challenging 38-foot Bear oil pattern, culminating in rookie Austin Grammar's dramatic $30,000 victory.
Qualifying Standouts
Qualifying across multiple squads and an advanced round cut to the top 24 for elimination match play, with the top 8 earning Round of 24 byes. Kyle Troup dominated with a +850 lead.
| RANK | BOWLER | HOMETOWN | PINS | AVG |
| 1 | Kyle Troup | Taylorsville, N.C. | 5250 | 238.64 |
| 2 | Chris Via | Springfield, Ohio | 5142 | 233.73 |
| 3 | Darren Tang | Las Vegas, NV | 5106 | 232.09 |
| 4 | Austin Grammar | Hamersville, OH | 5089 | 231.32 |
| 5 | Tom Daughterty | Riverview, Fla. | 5060 | 230.00 |
Elimination Match Play
Kris Prather (17th qualifier) upset top seed Troup 4-2 and advanced as No. 4 seed; Chris Via reached the stepladder as the highest Round of 8 loser.
Round of 8 Results:
- Austin Grammar def. Shota Kawazoe, 4-3
- Patrick Dombrowski def. Darren Tang, 4-0
- Riley Woodard def. Chris Via, 4-0
- Kris Prather def. Matt Sanders, 4-1
Stepladder Seeds:
- Austin Grammar,
- Patrick Dombrowski,
- Riley Woodard,
- Kris Prather,
- Chris Via.
Stepladder Finals Breakdown
Live on The CW (April 12), Prather needed four wins for title #7 but faced Grammar's brilliance.
Match 1: Prather def. Via (194-171)
Via left three 10-pins early (urethane IQ Tour 78U), switched reactive but missed three 2-10 splits. Prather (IQ Tour A.I. reactive) converted a 4-10 split and won on Via's 10th-frame open.
Match 2: Prather def. Woodard (235-191)
Woodard led briefly; Prather answered with back-to-back strikes (frames 4-5), turkey, and a 34-pin lead after Woodard's ninth-frame miss and splits.
Match 3: Prather def. Dombrowski (244-156)
Dombrowski struck post-break but trailed early; Prather stayed clean through the ninth.
Championship: Grammar def. Prather (299-234)
No. 1 seed Grammar (23, OH rookie) shot urethane (right lane)/reactive (left lane) for a near-perfect 299—one pin shy of 300. Prather led early, but Grammar's strike barrage sealed his first career win as the season's third rookie champion.
Final Payouts
| PLACE | BOWLER | EARNINGS |
| 1 | Austin Grammar | $30,000 |
| 2 | Kris Prather | $18,000 |
| 3 | Patrick Dombrowski | $13,000 |
| 4 | Riley Woodard | $10,000 |
| 5 | Chris Via | $9,000 |