By BILL SNIER
FAIRLAWN — Until this season, Patrick Dombrowski’s only appearances in the PBA Tournament of Champions were through his second Regional Players Invitational win and in pre-tournament qualifiers (PTQ).
That all changed March 8 at Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis when the 47-year-old Parma right-hander and 11-time regional champion earned his first PBA Tour title during the U.S. Open — also a major title.
Dombrowski, one of six first-time winners on the PBA Tour this season (including all three majors), made a second telecast just two weeks ago and finished third in Rochester, N.Y. He stands third on the PBA points list, 6,000 points behind leader EJ Tackett.
The PBA opened the opportunity to regional champions to qualify for the TOC field in 2012, and Dombrowski has participated in PTQ events several times, making the cut to match play twice previously.
But after failing to advance the last two years, he was able to bypass that part of the event.
“It feels good,” said Dombrowski, who sits 11th overall after the opening round of the 2026 event with 1,381 total pinfall, 100 pins behind leader Mitch Hupe.
“There’s really not any pressure … I didn’t have to worry about the PTQ this time.”
Dombrowski decided to go full time on the PBA Tour two years ago after losing his position at an accounting firm. A strong showing during he USBC Masters that season persuaded him to continue.
“I was in my 40s and I was throwing it pretty good a couple of weeks before the Masters. So I made the show and decided to try the World Series,” Dombrowski said. “That didn’t go too well, but I was financially stable enough to come back out.
“This year, because of financial reasons, I was thinking about not doing it. But a few people convinced me to try it for another year — and I’m glad I did. I’ve been practicing my butt off and it’s paying off.”
While he still was working, Dombrowski used to try to squeeze in practice sessions between going into the office or working at home.
“If I was working from home, I’d leave a little early and practice. If I went into the office, it depended on when I could get away,” Dombrowski said. “I tried to get there before leagues started, but with traffic and everything, it was kind of rough sometimes.”
That has all changed with one major win. But the three-step process continues.
“I just try to take it one tournament at a time. My mind is focused on cashing in every event … that’s the first step,” Dombrowski said. “The second step is making match play. The third step is making the show. It’s the same process with every tournament.”
And that includes this week at AMF Riviera Lanes.
“Doing this have given me more time to practice and I’m learning more, getting a few tips from people who are noticing things,” Dombrowski said. “This is night and day (from regional play), going against the best bowlers in the world on a weekly basis. But I do miss those guaranteed paychecks every week.
“I just have to stick to the process and keep throwing shots. My goal is making another show and get another win. Everything else will take care of itself.”
WILKINS SOARS UP LEADERBOARD
Zach Wilkins, a 33-year-old two-handed Canadian right-hander now living in Kansas City, Mo., came into this week coming off the high of being a first-time PBA Tour champion last week during the Roth-Holman Doubles in Portland, Maine, with partner AJ Chapman.
He sits second in the standings after Round 1 with 1,450, 31 pins behind Hupe (1,481), another Canadian right-hander.
“There were just a lot of emotions coming into today … becoming a brand new champion and then to surround yourself with legends of the game and up and coming legends,” said Wilkins, a two-time MEGA doubles champion with Fero Williams in Columbus. “It’s a pretty cool experience. It’s a tourney I’ve wanted to get into for so long.”
So much in fact that Wilkins dedicated himself to bowling the regional tour last year with hopes of winning a title so he would qualify for the PTQ for the Tournament of Champions. Little did he know it would not become necessary after last week.
“Little did I know what would happen … that I was going to be able to bypass the PTQ,” Wilkins said. “That’s just a huge thing to be able to solidify your place in the TOC forever.”
After that first title, did Wilkins have any goals coming into the week?
“Just to keep my feet under me. Riding that high, it would be easy to let those emotions get to your physical game or your timing,” Wilkins said. “It was just a question of sticking to my process and my routine and let all the other noise kind of fizzle out.
“I know it was a good block, but I’ve also learned out here that no score is ever safe. Just trust my process, keep my head down and go to work.”
NOTEBOOK
COHAGAN HAS BETTER START: After finishing 57th overall a year ago in his first TOC appearance, PTQ qualifier Casey Cohagan of Jefferson sits 21st after Round 1 with 1,330. “It could have been worse the way things started,” said the 29-year-old right-hander who had 186 in Game 2. “I had a little bit of feel issues and I was not clearing the ball the best. But last year I shot myself in the left foot, the right foot and any other foot if I had one. If I had to do it again, I would have used urethane for Game 1 and part of Game 2 only. I had stuff that was either too shiny or too surfaced and I needed something in between. And I would remember to let the ball go, it would help.”
OTHER SCORES: Tackett, who had 213 and 167 among his first three games, had 279 in Game 4 and finished with 228 to get to 18th place at 1,338. … Tim Foy Jr., who qualified second out of the PTQ on Tuesday, is fifth with 1,401. … Kris Prather, who teamed with Brad Angelo to finish second in the PBA-PBA50 Doubles at Clutch Lanes on Sunday, is sixth with 1,400. … PTQ winner Michael Davison is 23rd with 1,325. … Defending champion Jesper Svensson sits 63rd with 1,190. … Ryan Shafer is the top senior player in the field, sitting 26th with 1,310. … There are 72 players in the field.
NOTES: Deo Bernard, a 22-year-old two-handed left-hander normally, was throwing righty backup shots on a couple of his pairs during the opening round. … The 2026 TOC also marks the 40th and 50th anniversaries of Marshall Holman’s two TOC titles. Holman was honored in a ceremony prior to the pro-am on Tuesday night. … The 10th tournament of the 2026 PBA Tour marks the final PBA Championship Sunday on The CW of the season. … This is the 61st overall TOC, with AMF Riviera Lanes hosting the event 37 times overall. It ran here from 1965 through 1994 before returning in 2018. … Tackett is looking for his second TOC win, but first at AMF Riviera. A second TOC to go along with two U.S. Open titles and four PBA World Championships would make him the second player in PBA history to win the PBA Triple Crown twice. Pete Weber is the only bowler to achieve that feat. … Although Tackett leads the points race, through nine events this season, there have been no repeat winners. Of the 10 winners (including last week’s doubles), six have been first-time champions — including rookies Brandon Bonta, Spencer Robarge and Austin Grammar. It also includes first-time winners in the three majors (Bonta, Boog Krol and Dombrowski).
See complete standings here:
https://www.leaguepals.com/league-info?id=69320bcc8ba2fdb0125045fe