Graham Fach Masters Weber 45 to Win 2026 PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic
Graham Fach turned a demanding week on the Weber 45 pattern into a statement victory, winning the 2026 PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic at Bowlero St. Peters for his third career PBA Tour title and a $30,000 payday. The Canadian left‑hander climbed from outside the top eight in qualifying to the No. 2 TV seed, then dominated Championship Sunday with a urethane clinic worthy of the tournament’s legendary namesake, Pete Weber.
Tough format, tougher pattern
The Pete Weber Classic used an 18‑game qualifying format on the 45‑foot Weber 45 / Dick Weber pattern, a medium‑long, tightly blended sport shot that punished errant speed and over‑aggressive angles. Bowlers rolled three 6‑game blocks, with the top 24 advancing to best‑of‑7 match play; the top 8 after qualifying earned valuable byes into the Round of 16.
- The event featured a $200,000 prize fund, with 1 in 3 players cashing and 32 making the money list, and wrapped with a nationally televised stepladder finals show on The CW. For a tour still early in the 2026 season, this Missouri stop instantly felt like a tone‑setter.
PTQ grind and early leaders
The week began with a PTQ that gave non‑exempt and regional players a path into the main field. Zeke Bayt led with 1,624 for 7 games (232 average, +224), joined by Trey Brand, Terrance Rock, Petey Vergos, and others who cleared the roughly +160–+170 mark needed to feel safe advancing.
Once the full field hit the Weber 45 pattern, Jason Belmonte quickly rose to the top. After 18 games, Belmonte led qualifying with 4,291 (238 average), followed by Zach Wilkins (4,228) and early pace‑setter Patrick Dombrowski (4,162).
The top of the board after qualifying looked like this:
- Belmonte – 4,291
- Wilkins – 4,228
- Dombrowski – 4,162
- Justin Knowles – 4,131 (4th)
- Matt Russo – 4,117 (5th)
- Cameron Crowe – 4,113 (6th)
- Packy Hanrahan – 4,089 (7th)
- Anthony Neuer – 4,078 (8th, last bye)
Knowles and Russo put themselves in position for a TV run, while Fach quietly sat 10th, lurking just outside the bye line. One of the most impressive storylines was Anthony Neuer, who surged from 81st after the first block all the way to 8th by the end of qualifying.
Match play: Fach heats up
Match play shifted to best‑of‑7 brackets, with the four bracket winners plus the highest‑seeded losing player in the Round of 8 advancing to the stepladder.
From the early rounds:
- In the Round of 24, Hayden Stippich (17) eliminated Richie Teece (16) 4–2, while Austin Grammar (24) edged Ryan Barnes (9) in a 4–3 upset.
- Tom Smallwood outlasted Santtu Tahvanainen 4–3 in another tight set.
- Fach, seeded 10th, swept Eric Jones (23) 4–0, flashing the control that would define his week.
As the field narrowed through the Round of 16 and Round of 8, Fach compiled a 12–2 match‑play record on the Weber pattern and locked up the No. 2 TV seed for a second straight week. Joining him on Championship Sunday were Knowles, Thomas Larsen, Russo, and Stippich.
Final stepladder seeds:
- Knowles
- Fach
- Larsen
- Russo
- Stippich
Lane play and equipment on the show
The Weber 45 pattern on TV played just as demanding as it had all week: tight fronts, defined friction, and enough blend to punish indecision. Players are split between urethane control and very smooth, rounder reactive shapes.
Fach is committed to Hammer Black Urethane all show, playing a floaty, forward‑roll line that kept him constantly in the pocket and minimized over‑under downlane.
Larsen worked with 900 Global Venomance and Storm Ion Max, chasing a touch more tumble and midlane stability as the show developed.
Knowles relied on a combo of Roto Grip Transformer and Storm !Q Tour A.I., trying to round out the lane and get a cleaner, continuous move through the pins.
Match 1: Russo over Stippich
The stepladder opened with a lefty duel between Matt Russo and Hayden Stippich.
Russo settled in first, controlling the track area and filling frames, while Stippich needed a few shots to find his look. After the commercial break, Stippich put together a three‑bagger to keep pressure on, but a costly 3‑7 split in the ninth frame ended his comeback hopes.
Russo stayed clean and closed the door, winning 238–203 and moving on to face Larsen.
Match 2: Larsen’s fast start
In Match 2, Thomas Larsen stepped up and immediately seized control against Russo.
Larsen opened with front‑five strikes, using the Venomance/Ion Max combination to perfectly blend the wet‑dry downlane. Russo tried to answer by chasing a touch more angle, and did string some strikes after the break, but a bad break around the eighth frame stalled any chance of a late run.
Larsen advanced with a 246–191 win, setting up a compelling lefty‑vs‑righty semifinal with Fach.
Semifinal: Fach’s near‑perfect statement
The semifinal turned into the defining performance of the show. Facing Larsen, Graham Fach delivered a near‑flawless game on Hammer Black Urethane.
Fach started with front‑six and flirted with a televised 300 until a stone 9 in the ninth frame ended the perfecto bid. Larsen, chasing a look that could keep up, simply never found enough room to catch him.
Final score: Fach 268 – Larsen 235, sending the Canadian into the title match with all the momentum in the building.
Championship: Fach closes out Knowles
The title match pitted top seed Justin Knowles against a locked‑in Graham Fach.
Fach once again struck early and often, applying immediate scoreboard pressure while staying completely committed to his urethane game plan. Knowles did find the pocket using the Transformer and !Q Tour A.I., but a couple of flat corners and tentative shots kept him from matching Fach’s strike pace.
Fach wins by multiple strikes, with the score of 269–239, sealing his third career PBA title in commanding fashion. In a fitting finish, Pete Weber himself signed Fach’s trophy at laneside, adding a touch of “Who do you think you are?” history to the moment.