Sixteen players remain in contention for the 2026 PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic title after a dramatic day of match play at Bowlero St. Peters in St. Louis, Missouri. Jason Belmonte, a 32-time PBA Tour champion, secured the top seed for the stepladder finals with a commanding total pinfall of 4,291, 691 pins above par, over 18 games.
Belmonte, competing in the Pete Weber Missouri Classic for the first time after being sidelined by family obligations the past two seasons, averaged over 238 on the 45-foot Dick Weber oil pattern. Zach Wilkins and Patrick Dombrowski claimed the second and third seeds, respectively, positioning themselves for a strong run through the remaining rounds.
Joining them in the top eight, and earning a bye through the Round of 24, are left-handers Justin Knowles, Matt Russo, Cameron Crowe, Packy Hanrahan, and Anthony Neuer. The remaining sixteen players began best-of-seven-games match play on Thursday evening.
Defending champion EJ Tackett, who secured his 25th career PBA Tour title at this event last year, advanced with a decisive 4-0 sweep of Dom Barrett, a rematch of the 2025 title match. Other players progressing to the next stage included Thomas Larsen, Hayden Stippich, Tom Smallwood, AJ Chapman, Brandon Runk, and Austin Grammar.
Graham Fach delivered a standout performance, electrifying the crowd with games of 300, 277, and 290 to defeat Eric Jones 4-0. “You’re trying to keep your head clear, as if you start thinking of the moment, it’s easy to get derailed fast,” Fach said, reflecting on his mental approach during the match. “Fortunately or unfortunately, Eric didn’t let me get derailed fast. He was right there the entire match. I was fortunate to be on the right finish of some strikes and fortunate to get ahead.” Fach, who recently finished third at the PBA Players Championship, indicated this performance may be his best in match play to date.
The remaining 16 players will resume match play at 12 p.m. ET on Friday, with winners advancing to another round at 7 p.m. ET. The top four players from these matches will proceed to Sunday’s stepladder finals, joined by the highest-seeded loser from the Round of 8 as the No. 5 seed. Belmonte is currently one match victory away from securing his spot on the show.
The championship round is scheduled for Sunday, March 1, at 4 p.m. ET.
Match Play Results
Round of 24
- No. 17 Hayden Stippich def. No. 16 Richie Teece, 4-2
- No. 24 Austin Grammar def. No. 9 Ryan Barnes, 4-3
- No. 18 Tom Smallwood def. No. 15 Santtu Tahvanainen, 4-3
- No. 10 Graham Fach def. No. 23 Eric Jones, 4-0
- No. 20 AJ Chapman def. No. 13 Kris Prather, 4-1
- No. 21 Brandon Runk def. No. 12 Matt Sanders, 4-1
- No. 14 EJ Tackett def. No. 19 Dom Barrett, 4-0
- No. 11 Thomas Larsen def. No. 22 TJ Rock, 4-3
Round of 16
- No. 1 Jason Belmonte vs. No. 17 Hayden Stippich
- No. 8 Anthony Neuer vs. No. 24 Austin Grammar
- No. 2 Zach Wilkins vs. No. 18 Tom Smallwood
- No. 7 Packy Hanrahan vs. No. 10 Graham Fach
- No. 4 Justin Knowles vs. No. 20 AJ Chapman
- No. 5 Matt Russo vs. No. 21 Brandon Runk
- No. 3 Patrick Dombrowski vs. No. 14 EJ Tackett
- No. 6 Cameron Crowe vs. No. 11 Thomas Larsen
Complete scores are available online.
PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic Schedule
All times Eastern
Friday, Feb. 27 — BowlTV
- 12 p.m. — Elimination Match Play – Round of 16 (best of 7 games)
- 7 p.m. — Elimination Match Play – Round of 8 (best of 7 games)
Saturday, Feb. 28 — BowlTV
- 8:30 p.m. — PBA Junior National Championship Finals
Sunday, March 1 — The CW
- 4 p.m. — PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic stepladder finals
