The 2026 PBA Tour season continues to highlight a new generation of players, as another rookie is now one win away from a title.
Austin Grammar leads the stepladder finals at the PBA New York Classic and has a chance to join Brandon Bonta and Spencer Robarge, who both captured titles in their rookie seasons.
Grammar earned the top seed for Sunday’s finals after qualifying in fourth place, securing a direct spot in the Round of 16. From there, he defeated Alex Horton 4-0 and Shota Kawazoe 4-3 to reach the top position.
Patrick Dombrowski, the 2026 U.S. Open champion, secured the second seed with wins over AJ Johnson 4-1 and Darren Tang 4-0.
Another rookie, Riley Woodard, claimed the third seed. He entered match play in seventh place and advanced by defeating Ethan Crouse 4-1 before sweeping Chris Via 4-0 in the Round of 8.
Kris Prather secured the fourth seed after starting match play in 17th position. He moved through the bracket with wins over top qualifier Kyle Troup 4-2, and Matt Sanders 4-1.
Despite his loss in the Round of 8, Chris Via secured the fifth seed as the highest-seeded player eliminated at that stage.
The PBA New York Classic finals will be broadcast live on Sunday, April 12 at 1 p.m. ET on The CW.
