By BILL SNIER
COLUMBUS — Graham Fach felt in control of both his equipment and the lanes.
For the 33-year-old Urbana left-hander and Canada native, that always is a good thing.
Fach averaged 254 over eight match-play games Sunday at HP Lanes to become the eighth different winner in Ohio Masters history with a 502-486 win over Andrew Carpenter.
It also marked the first time that a left-hander has finished on top in the 8-year-old event.
“I’ve been hearing about that for years … so you know what the storyline will be,” said Fach, who earned $2,100 with his third win of the summer. “Of course I’m happy to do it … it’s cool.”
This win is in addition to a pair of summer Professional Bowlers Association Central Region wins in Lorain and Heath on top of claiming his second PBA Tour title in Delaware on his way to berths in the PBA Playoffs and PBA Tour Finals. It all adds up to a solid first eight months of 2025.
After finishing as the No. 10 seed following the eight-game qualifying round Saturday while averaging 230.6, Fach felt in control Sunday.
“I kind of got to control my own transition as opposed to following the others,” Fach said. “Once I’m locked in on a pair, I typically can follow it pretty well. That’s all it was.”
Fach shot at least 500 in three of his match wins and 494 in the other to average 254 over eight games Sunday.
“I was able to get ahead early and put pressure on my opponents,” Fach said. “But a few of them stuttered at the start and I didn’t have to push at the end.
“All of them were different in their own ways, which is what is pretty great about this event. You have guys you may not recognize come out and throw great shots against you and you have guys that you know by reputation that may stutter a bit down the stretch. But they never quit early and had a good second game to put pressure on me. The Ohio bowling community is pretty strong and its good to see it thrive in events like that.”
SEMIFINALS BATTLES
Fach earned his spot in the finals with a 513-444 win over No, 3 seed Nolan White, a 29-year-old Franklin two-handed righty. White stopped Massillon right-hander Scott Vandegrift 502-392 in his opening match before stopping left-hander James Pack 452-412 to reach the semis.
But things changed for White on the semifinal pair.
“The ball I had been throwing all weekend (Storm Absolute Power) was burning up so I had to do something different and I had to move zones,” White said. “It just never saw the right shape, and you’re not going to beat Graham if you don’t have that.”
White went with an Ebonite Game Breaker 5 Pearl.
“It was good, but not good enough,” said White, who had the front six strikes in Game 2 but fell short. “I just saw the same picture I saw Saturday, stayed in the moment and threw good shots. It worked out.”
Carpenter, a 23-year-old two-handed Fairfield lefty — who just converted to a two-handed delivery a year ago — faced another two-handed lefty in 19-year-old Maumee resident and Lourdes University sophomore Reese Kramer in the other semifinal.
Carpenter, who averaged 249.5 over his four matches including a 517-351 win over 2018 champion Zeke Bayt, earned the 502-430 victory to reach his first major tourney title match.
“I had a really good look all day and my execution felt like it came real easy,” said Kramer, an Anthony Wayne High School graduate. “But that pair was a little tighter so strikes didn’t come as easy and my body got a little tight.
“It was the tiny little things that went wrong and I missed a couple of spares.”
Kramer was making his first Masters appearance after a friend, Brenden Staton, told him about the event.
“Saturday, I just took it one shot at a time and just let the scores come to me instead of going to get them,” said Kramer, who was the No. 5 seed after averaging 236.75.
A week after finishing 164th and averaging just 207.6 on a house oil pattern at the Akron Open, Carpenter was bowling for a title.
LIFE CHANGES
Carpenter bowled for about four years one-handed before converting a year ago to his two-handed delivery with the help of his younger brother, Ian.
But there was a time span between the two events.
“I went into foster care and stopped bowling. My upbringing was little odd,” said Carpenter, who works as a diesel mechanic after graduating from Reading High School early. “I got involved in the wrong things and (my parents) had enough of me and put me in foster care.
“But now, I have a great relationship with them and my brother still lives with them. We’re very close and I don’t do anything without him. I really think it kick-started my life.”
He won his opening match with 493 against No. 9 seed Evan Genz, before stopping Bayt and Kramer with 500 sets.
“I threw the (Storm) Pitch Black all day and put 500 (grit) on it and then 1,000 on top of it. It never gave me a bad look,” Carpenter said. “I had a couple of 6-8s (splits), but everything else tripped.
“I brought one bag with me with three urethane balls. I decided to go with the Pitch Black after practice because it gave me a good look.”
TITLE MATCH
Carpenter threw seven strikes in Game 1, but also left three 10-pin spares. His problem was that Fach, after leaving a 7-pin spare in the first frame, ran off eight straight strikes for a 269-218 win.
“I’d like to give back those 10-pins. If I make a 2-and-1 move (two with feet, one with eyes) and throw it harder to kick something out, it might have been different,” Carpenter said. “I did that the last game and kicked everything out.”
Trailing by 51 pins, Carpenter started Game 2 with five strikes before leaving 7-pin and 10-pin spares in frames six and seven. But Fach, using a Purple Hammer, struck on five of his first six shots to keep pace and never fall far enough behind.
“I went with whatever gave me the best look to the pocket to keep the pressure on my opponent,” said Fach, who used some reactive resin with urethane. “The title pair (on fresh oil) was similar to the first pair, but we had 15 minutes of practice on that one, but only three balls on each lane for the final match.”
Carpenter threw the last five strikes for 268, but Fach added a double after 7- and 10-pin spares for 233 and the win.
Carpenter felt his look was a little worse Saturday despite his solid day.
“I think I hit the pocket 90 percent of the time, but even when I hit high, it would carry,” said Carpenter, who has a sponsor and is looking to bowl more major tournaments along with possible PBA regional play. “But that bye was really important. That way I didn’t have to come in early and put my game face on. I need more practice at that.”
Fach took some time off in the summer, which was something new for the Canadian.
“It was great to spend time with the family, but it was a rude awakening. I probably could have been a little sharper for the regionals (at Minster, Delphos and Coldwater),” Fach said. “But they sharpened me up for this one.”
Next, it’s on to Korea for an event in September.
“It will be my first time and I hear it’s a lot of fun,” Fach said. “I’m excited.”
A way to finish off a successful 2025.
NOTEBOOK: The top eight qualifiers from Saturday’s eight-game round received first-round byes Sunday. … Steve Sturgell, the No. 17 seed, bowled despite a painful injury to his right foot, his nonsliding foot. He lost in his opening match to No. 16 Zeke Bayt. … Elliott Gordon, the lone youth bowler to make the cut, kept a photo of his brother, Miles, with him the entire event. Miles, a solid player in his own right, has been dealing with heart issues, according to his father, Matt. Gordon fell in the second round to Kramer in another battle of two-handed lefties 480-457. Expect to see Gordon enter more adult events that permit youth during his down time from basketball. … Evan Genz shot the third 300 of the tournament during the opening round of match play, but fell in the second round to Carpenter … The tournament committee has yet to make a decision on a site or dates for the 2026 event. … Massillon’s Vandegrift fell in the second round along with Wooster’s Tony Carson and Cuyahoga Falls’ Bryce Oliver. … After bowling on fresh oil, the 41-foot 2018 Masters pattern, during the first matches, the players bowled on the burn the remainder of the event except for the title match. Lanes 13 and 14 were oiled early, but not used until the final match. .. Bayt and Vargo had opportunities to become the first two-time champions of the event after making the cut. Vargo fell to Gordon 441-436 in the opening round and Bayt lost to Carpenter in the semifinals. … Top-seeded Michael Tang, who averaged 245.5 Saturday, fell in his opening match to Bayt 491-475. .. Our thanks to committee members Dawn Altimore-Eckenrode and Paul Brown for their help with this report. … The tourney had an original field of 98 players.
OHIO MASTERS
(Sunday, at HP Lanes, Columbus)
Opening round match play
(Two-game matches by seed, losers each receive $250)
18 Tony Carson d. 15 Chad Roberts 425-354; 16 Zeke Bayt d. 17 Steven Sturgell 438-361; 19 Scott Vandegrift d. 14 Jack Willerton 386-381; 12 Elliott Gordon d. 21 Dean Vargo 441-436; 9 Evan Genz d. 24 Dan Higgins 534-374; 13 Dylan Mishak d. 20 Jacob Willard 345-343; 22 James Pack d. 11 Casey Cohagen 368-339; 10 Graham Fach d. 23 Rick Delserone Jr. 543-428
Second-round matches
(Two-game matches; losers each receive $375)
Mishak d. 4 Bryce Oliver 445-405; 2 Eric Hamilton d. Carson 454-403; Pack d. 6 Tyler Ring 435-394; 3 Nolan White d. Vandegrift 505-392; 8 Andrew Carpenter d. Genz 493-397; Fach d. 7 Michael Williams II 523-457; Bayt d. 1 Michael Tang 491-475; 5 Reece Kramer d. Gordon 480-457
Quarterfinals
(Two-game matches; losers each receive $550)
Fach d. Hamilton 494-403; White d. Pack 452-412; Kramer d. Mishak 526-438; Carpenter d. Bayt 517-351
Semifinals
(Two-game matches; losers each receive $750)
Fach d. White 513-444; Carpenter d. Kramer 502-430
Championship
(Two-game matches; winner receives $2,100; loser receives $1,400)
Fach d. Carpenter 502-486