LEXINGTON — When Graham Fach showed up Saturday morning for the five-game qualifying round of the BowlerX Ohio Masters, he got a surprise.
Bowling balls that have not been released to the general public could not be used during the event, including several brands of Brunswick and Storm balls — and Fach had some of those balls with him.
“I think the rule is very fair, but when I checked the rules yesterday, there was nothing posted about it,” said Fach, who finished second at last week’s Ohio Open. “It left me with two reactive resin options for the event.
“I was a little upset because they posted it less than 24 hours before the event, but it’s also on me because I didn’t double check. I was told it was the same rule for previous years. Luckily, I didn’t need the other balls.”
Fach, using a Purple Hammer for all five games, finished with 1,270 total pinfall to lead 53 survivors from the 106-player field into the second five-game round at Lex Lanes.
Fach, a 30-year-old Urbana left-hander who owns five Professional Bowlers Association regional titles this season, didn’t have a game under 232 and added 278 in the finale to maintain his hold on the qualifying lead.
“The pins just keep falling. I mean the confidence is high, the swing’s loose and I’m throwing good shots,” Fach said. “I’m just able to bring it in to each and every event, each frame I bowl, and it keeps working.”
PBA pro Zeke Bayt, the 2019 Ohio Masters champion, stands second with 1,171, followed by Willowick’s Dean Vargo and Michael Davidson (tied at 1,160), and Cory Tilley (1,152).
The cut to the top 53 came at 1,023, with Brian Amis gaining the final spot. Ty McKinney and Jimmy Laird failed to advance by 11 pins each (1,012). Pinfall carried over to the second round.
Tim Voytko, the 2022 John Klonowski Memorial champion at Eastbury, came out strong during the first three games with 747, including a 299, to hold the lead. But he stumbled the next two games with a 148 in Game 5 to fall to 33rd overall (1,083).
“I questioned myself made some bad ball changes,” the 42-year-old Lakewood right-hander said. “I fell off the face of the earth for one game.
“I just made some bad decisions. I was the only one playing right up 10 (board) and I had a lot of room … no one was out there.”
But when the transition hit in Game 3, Voytko began to have problems.
“I had to get way left, and I’m not good at getting left,” said Voytko, who used the RotoGrip Hustle PBA and the Storm Hy Road. “I’m just going to go back to the PBR tonight and play up 10 again.”
Fach also saw changes during the transition phase.
“You go to the end pair (31-32) and to the low end and they played differently. Some pairs, the right lane was hooking more and on some pairs, the left lane was,” Fach said. “You just have to figure it out, and once you do, you have to take advantage so you don’t get surprised and split.”
For Fach, his game plan Saturday night was just more of the same.
“Just keep doing what I’m doing, say loose, stay relaxed, and throw good shots,” Fach said. “Tomorrow, I’m going to go home and get a couple of more balls and leave the ones I can’t throw at home.”
But Fach has no problem with the ball rule; just the timing.
“It’s a very good rule,” Fach added. “I’m just disappointed it happened the way that it did.
NOTEBOOK
OIL PATTERN: The Ohio Masters 2019 pattern, which is 41-foot with a 5:1 ratio was used for the event. There was a re-oil between the day and night shifts.
OTHER EQUIPMENT RULES: Other balls that could not be used were the Storm Spectre and Purple Hammer 6 and 7 series, banned last season by the United States Bowling Congress (USBC).
RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT: The tourney was open to all adult bowlers who are sanctioned and live in an Ohio USBC association area. It also was open to bowlers who have bowled a minimum of nine games in an Ohio sanctioned association during the 2021-22 season. No youth bowlers were permitted.
PAST CHAMPIONS: Tournament hosts Jeff Fehr (2020) and Charles Easton (2019) are among the past champions along with Brandon Novak (2021) and Zeke Bayt (2018). … Easton, Fehr, Todd McGill and Paul Brown served as co-hosts, with Dawn Altimore-Eckenrode serving as tournament director with assistance from Kim Ellis-Hogue.
MISSING CUT: Easton, the 2019 champ, and Fehr (2020) missed the cut. This is the first time the tourney has been held at Lex Lanes. Previous sites were at HP Lanes in Columbus (twice), AMF Riviera Lanes in Akron and at Colerain Bowl in Cincinnati. The site is yet to be determined for 2023, according to Altimore-Eckenrode.
STILL ALIVE: Novak joins Bayt as the ex-champs in the field. Jim Brown was the cut number for the top 24 at 1,097. Also, Canton’s Scott Vandegrift, who finished second a year ago, made the cut.
WHAT’S NEXT: After Saturday night’s second round, the field will be cut to the top 24 for two-game elimination matches Sunday by seed until a champion is determined.
SPECIAL JERSEYS: High blocks of first and second rounds receive special BowlerHQ, powered by TMT, jerseys, along with players who shoot 300 and the overall tournament champion, with one per player.
NOTEBOOK: Kyle Condrick had the lone 300 of the qualifying round i Game 3. That came after he shot 205-187 for the first two games. Voytko had 299 in Game 1. … Jordan Richard (12th, 1,122) and Uniontown’s Rocio Restrepo (19th, 1,106) were the lone women among the top 24, and the only two remaining in the field.
