After 22 games of qualifying and three rounds of best-of-7 match play, we ended up with a mix of past champions and fresh faces in the stepladder final of the Surfside PBA New York Classic.
Scores were noticeably lower than the previous two weeks, as even PBA Tour Points leaders like EJ Tackett, Anthony Simonsen and Graham Fach failed to average 220 on the challenging 38-foot Bear oil pattern and missed the cut to the 44-man Advancer's Round. In fact, only two of the top 25 in Tour Points advanced to match play, and it turned out that both of them earned spots in the stepladder final with Chris Via as the fifth seed and Patrick Dombrowski as the second seed.
Kris Prather made his first show of the season and will take on Via in the first match with the winner advancing to face relative unknown rookie Riley Woodard. Woodard qualified seventh and then went 8-1 in match play, including sweeping Via, to earn the third seed on Sunday.
Another rookie, Austin Grammar earned the top seed and will only need to win one game to claim his first title. In what may be the best PBA rookie class ever, Woodard and Grammar are looking to become the third rookie to win a title this season.
All season long, I analyze every win, spread, total and futures bet available on the BetRivers Sportsbook app and identify my favorite bets for the stepladder finals.
If you don't have access to BetRivers Sportsbook, keep an eye on PrizePicks, where bowling picks have been posted sporadically all season long and where new users who play $5 get $50 in lineups instantly.
2026 Surfside PBA New York Classic Matchups
Chris Via -9.5 (+100) over Kris Prather
Last week, I picked Via (+130) to upset reigning Player of the Year EJ Tackett in the opening match of the stepladder final. He came through with a 290 game and the victory. With no real edge in the odds here, I'll go back to Via based on his superior performance throughout the week and the season so far.
Chris Via currently ranks 12th in PBA Tour Points and 11th in earnings. This week he qualified second to earn a first round bye in match play but slipped to the fifth seed when he lost in the round of 8. This will be his third show of the season, and in the previous two shows he had scores of 290 and 246 to win his first matches. (He would go on to lose each of his second matches with scores of 218 and 211.)
Meanwhile, Kris Prather is 36th in PBA Tour Points. His previous best finish this season was 11th place last week. After qualifying 17th this week, he earned the fourth seed by advancing through match play, including knocking out top qualifier Kyle Troup.
Only three stepladder matches have ended in less than a double-digit margin (all in championship matches), so I'll lay the points to get the better payout.
Kris Prather vs. Chris Via under 450.5 total (-117)
Compared to the past couple of weeks, scoring was way down this week, as the 38-foot Bear oil pattern challenged the 132-player field. In qualifying, both Prather and Via had just as many games below 230 as they had above 230 and both dipped as low as 150s at their worst.
Full disclosure: I tend to lean to the under across all sports to counter the large public sentiment that "life's too short to bet the under." In this case, I justify my lean with the expectation that one player or the other is going to fall short of 220, and it won't be easy for the other to make up the difference.
All odds via BetRivers Sportsbook as of April 11th 9:00 pm ET
2026 Surfside PBA New York Classic Winner Best Bet
Riley Woodard (+1000)
This is one of those situations where the odds are just too good to pass on. The baseline for the third seed's odds is about +700. If a big-name star is in that position, the number might drop down as low as +450. For others, we've seen it closer to +800. At +1000, you have to place at least a pizza-money bet on it.
A win for Woodard would be a great ending to a wild week. The event was sold out, and he was sitting on the waiting list. Then he got the call. He caught a last-minute flight in from Salt Lake City and missed the practice session but certainly has made the most of the opportunity.
Patrick Dombrowski (+200)
For the first time all season, I'm investing in two players to win. Obviously, I'll be guaranteeing an addition to the "loss" column, but this is about making money, after all. While I love the value that we're getting with Woodard, Dombrowski is my favorite to actually win. Like Woodard, he had a dominant run through match play, going 8-1, and prior to that, he was sixth in qualifying. In his one previous TV appearance this season, he took home the U.S. Open title. His experience should give him an edge over the rookies.
For more picks be sure to follow @RotowireBowling and @TheSpatula300 on X.
2026 Surfside PBA New York Classic TV Schedule
All times listed are local (Eastern Time)
Sunday, April 12th
Surfside PBA New York Classic Finals (LIVE) on The CW: 1:00 p.m.
