By BILL SNIER
PARMA HEIGHTS — Jillian Martin admittedly began Wednesday’s qualifying for the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Cleveland Open “a little tentative this morning.”
In fact, the 21-year-old Stow right-hander started her day with games of 169 and 159 before being able to recover over her final four to sit 47th in the 81-player field in the first of three events during PWBA Tour Championship Week at Yorktown Lanes.
But after averaging just 190.1 during a round where just 30 players averaged 200 or better, the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open champion knew she needed a mindset adjustment.
“Sometimes, when you are coming out here after a break, I have to remind myself that you’re going to be out here … that you are good enough to compete out here,” said Martin, a Team USA member who now holds four overall PWBA titles in her young career.
“I think it’s something we all go through sometimes. I came out a little tentative, but the last four games I can’t complain. I was even on a pattern that was pretty demanding, especially early. I knew that I was going to get into something (on the evening shift) that was going to get into what I do best. I just allowed myself to be comfortable and just execute what I’d been working on the last few weeks.”
Martin went on to shoot 1,398 during the final six-game qualifying block — a 233 average — to vault up to ninth and make the cut for Thursday’s 12-game match-play rounds.
Singapore’s New Hui Fen, a two-time winner at Yorktown a year ago during the PWBA Summer Series, leads the field with 2,688 total pinfall after standing second during the morning shift. The right-handed New, the defending PWBA Player of the Year, is making a bid for her second straight award while holding a narrow lead in the points race and posting five championship-round appearances with one title.
“I found a shape that worked and kept it really in front of me,” New told http://www.pwba.com. “I think I was the only one who was able to play on the outside, so I just stuck with it until it went away for me in the last two games. Then I started watching people and realized I needed to be further left and found something that allowed me to play that shape.”
Familiarity and past success at Yorktown Lanes also have been benefits for New.
“It’s really based on the history I have in this building,” New said. “I’ve made notes on the lanes here so I can rely on them.”
Colombia’s Maria Jose Bohr, who led the morning shift, stands second entering match play with 2,609. The remainder of the top five include Singapore’s Shayna Ng (2,603); right-hander Jordan Snodgrass (2,598), who set a PWBA 12-game scoring record a year ago at Yorktown while making two stepladder finals in three 2025 Summer Series events; and rookie Morgan Kramer (2,556), who also made a big surge after shooting the day’s lone 300 in Game 3 of the evening shift.
The first six games of match play on the PWBA Cleveland Open oil pattern begin at 9 a.m. Thursday, with pinfall carrying over. Players receive 30 bonus pins for a win and 15 for a tie plus their pinfalls. The final six games of match play on the burn begin at 2 p.m. before the cut is made for the 6:30 p.m. stepladder finals, which will air live on BowlTV.
GETTING COMFORTABLE
Martin, a senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the school’s 2026 Female Student Athlete of the Year, has been working on some release and timing issues since capturing her second major June 16 in Indianapolis.
“There were some things that I did during the U.S. Open on the TV show that didn’t go the way I wanted them to … some errant shots. I needed to clean up those things that caused those issues,” said Martin, who has bowled limited stops this season due to school commitments.
But moving from the fresh oil to the burn on the second shift helped Martin get comfortable with the difficult oil pattern.
“As time went on, the lanes opened up for me. I do really well when I can move inside and I am able to get the ball to shape the correct way through the pins,” said Martin, who moved to five-step and three-step approaches during the evening block while standing in front of the ball return on the right lane of each pair after Game 2. “I can just feed my confidence because I’m kind of used to that.
“I feel like, ‘OK, I’m somewhere where I’m comfortable. I know how to make the shots from here, I’ve done it a million times and I’ve got it.’ It’s knowing that I am able to get more consistent ball reaction inside.”
She also went to a symmetrical pearl ball — the Storm IQ Sapphire. “I pretty much stayed with it the whole time,” Martin said. “I had a little bit of hook to the right and I was able to find that hold that I needed.”
BIG GAME FOR ROOKIE
Kramer, a 26-year-old Alabama two-handed righty, never bowled competitively in high school or college. Instead, she played softball at Spring Hill (Ala.) College until injuring her kneecap her senior year that forced her into a leg brace for 12 weeks.
After that, she attended a clinic given by PBA Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr. at her home center.
“He watched what I did and told me that I had the ability to bowl on Tour … that I was a good bowler,” said Kramer, who never started throwing with two hands until she turned 18. “It was literally the first time I had picked up a ball in three months. I decided I just had to commit to it. It was pretty cool to hear that.”
Kramer also struggled during the morning shift, sitting 43rd after the first six games with a 144 her final game. But with the help of the 300, she shot 1,399 in the evening to move up to seventh and make only her second cut (the first came in Columbus).
“I honestly didn’t even realize I could shoot 300,” said Kramer, whose 12th shot was a crossover strike. “I didn’t let myself think about it until about the eighth frame. I was like, ‘Oh, wow, OK, I’ve got a chance to get there.’ I then got one out with a Brooklyn, and I was like, ‘OK, I got away with something.’ I just tried to be calm for the 10th frame, keep doing what I was doing and keep it in front of me.”
After struggling during the U.S. Open following her showing in Columbus, Kramer knew some changes were needed in her game.
“I learned that I really need to slow my ball speed down,” Kramer said. “I got it down today by about a mile an hour slower, just trying to get the ball to read the midlane a little bit more and have some better pin action. I normally leave a lot of 10 pins, and I only left maybe two today. I already feel like my ball is through the pocket better.
“Honestly, I learned that I definitely belong out here. I knew that I had the ability to do it. I just really needed to get out here and just prove to myself, and I feel like I did. I’m very proud of myself.”
It’s also something that Martin always has in the back of her mind. This week, for one of the few times in her young career, she is close to home with fans cheering her every shot.
“There’s really not any more pressure. But, it’s funny. It’s nice to sleep in my own bed, but having to drive 45 minutes in the morning and at night really is the only disadvantage,” Martin said.
“A few guys from my dad’s old bowling and golf leagues were here and it was nice being able to put on a little show for them. It was really fun embracing that energy. I was happy to have it and grateful for the opportunity.
“I’m out here having fun and that’s 110 percent the main goal. I can’t control what my opponent does. I just have to make good shots and we’ll see what develops.”
NOTEBOOK
RESTREPO-HOSTETLER MAKES CUT: Columbia native and Kent resident Rocio Resstrepo-Hostetler, who crossed with Martin during qualifying, shot 30 pins higher on the evening shift to stand eighth going into match play with 2,546. She has been battling health issues and illness coming into the week, but said she was “OK” following the night shift.
CUT LINE: Carlene Beyer earned the final match-play position in 12th place with 2,517 after shooting 202 her final game. Kayla Sommer missed the cut by 13 pins after shooting 157 her final game. Also missing out ere Diana Zavjalova (2,493) and Verity Crawley (2,484), who was returning following six weeks off due to a leg injury. … Danielle Urbano earned the final cash spot in 27th place with 2,419. Also among the cashers is 52-year-old Hall of Famer Liz Johnson, the lone senior player in the field, who finished 17th overall with 2,473. Vandalia’s Megan Duff missed a cash spot by just three pins after shooting 165 her final game.
MAKING BIG SURGE: Making the biggest run of the evening shift was 28-year-old Milton, Pa., right-hander Alexis Runk, who finished the night block with a high series of 1,432 — an average of 238.6. She started the block with 268 and 278 and had just one game under 200 (193). This came after having just one 200 during the morning block and averaging 187.5 to stand 54th. She is sixth overall heading into match play. She still is looking for her first PWBA title.
COMING UP: The second event of PWBA Tour Championship Week begins at 10 a.m. Friday with qualifying for the Pepsi Open. That event will include two six-game qualifying rounds, the other starting at 5 p.m., before the field is cut to the top 16 for bracket match play beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday. For ticket information, go to: http://yorktownlanes.com/