By NOLAN HUGHES
PBA Communications
DOVER, Del. — Packy Hanrahan and Mitch Hupé dominated the first round of qualifying at the Roth/Holman PBA Doubles Championship presented by Bally’s Dover Casino Resort.
The former Wichita State Shocker teammates shot 3,027 (+627) for their 12 combined games, averaging over 252 on the 38-foot Holman pattern.
“The best doubles teams have a good mixture between really good chemistry and talent,” Hanrahan said. “We’ve been bowling together for so long that it’s easy to help him make a move, or have him help me make a move just because I’ve watched his ball go down the lane so many times.”
Hanrahan led all individual players, firing 1,577 (+377) for his six-games at Mid County Lanes & Entertainment Center in Middletown, Del.
The duo, who started bowling doubles tournaments while attending Wichita State University, both said they believe that a right-lefty tandem is the optimal strategy for a doubles tournament.
Dom Barrett and Anthony Simonsen, boasting a combined eight major titles, sit in second overall at +499, while the 2021 champions Andrew Anderson and Kris Prather sit in third.
The defending champions, EJ Tackett and Marshall Kent, led B-squad with a 2,844 (+444) total and sit in fourth place overall. Tackett finished two pins behind Hanrahan, containing his sensational season.
Matt Zweig’s 300 helped power him and Jakob Butturff to fifth overall.
Matt Ogle finished eighth among individual players, firing games of 299 and 300, to lift him and Sean Rash to sixth place. Rash, who has battled a back injury all season, joked that Ogle is the one with the sore back today.
“We just get along,” Rash said. “We feed off each other really well. We know our games pretty well and can make suggestions. It’s not one of those things where we get defensive. We know the other knows they’re talking about.”
After Wednesday’s six games per player on the 42-foot Roth pattern, the field will be cut to the top 12 teams. Sam Cooley and Andres Gomez hold the 12th position at +390.
B-squad will begin competition at 11 a.m. Wednesday, while A-squad returns to the lanes at 4:30 p.m.
See complete scoring here: