Ranking Round 3
Hayden Stippich maintained his lead at the PBA Tour Trials after the third round of competition Wednesday afternoon at Bowlero Randall Road.
The ambidextrous left-hander leads the 90-player field with a total pinfall count of 4,288 (+688) in 18 of 48 matches.
Brandon Runk, also a left-hander from Quaker State, is in second place at +658. Andrew Hall, Tim Foy Jr. and Pete Vergos round out the top five.
Runk shot 300 on the 35-foot oil pattern on Tuesday and had another perfect game today on the 41-foot pattern. He said capitalizing on a good pair is very important given the tournament’s fast scoring pace.
“I’m trying to get as big a lead as I can,” Runk said. “Anything I can do to get that lead, especially where I’m standing from 12th base. That’s my goal especially in those first two patterns, going into the 44- and 47-foot patterns where the lefties probably don’t have it as good as the righties. Of course, this is all just theory — you don’t know how the lanes are going to play out until you’re bowling — but the way things usually go, you don’t want to take the risk of needing games on the longer patterns when you don’t know, especially as a lefty, if it’s going to be there.”
Runk, who finished 44th in points on the 2022 PBA Tour, finished 54th and 86th respectively the last two seasons. He said he has been working with a mental coach, Jamie Kulaga, to better stay in the moment.
“I’ve always had a tendency to chase points that don’t exist. You can’t do that out here, so I really focused on filling one frame and then moving on to the next,” Runk said.
Runk’s brother-in-law Anthony Neuer is in sixth place, followed by Tim Cagle II, Chase Nadeau, Frank Snodgrass, Dean Vargo, Brad Miller and Nathan Bohr, who is in twelfth place at +512.
The top 12 players after Friday’s competition will receive exempt status for the 2025 PBA Tour, which includes priority access to all 2025 PBA Tour events and eligibility for the PBA Elite League Draft.
Foy, Cagle, Ryan Barnes and Nathan Ruest-Lajoie also had perfect games in the third round.
Cagle would technically be classified as an ambidextrous right-hander, but nothing about his game conforms to conventional definitions. Instead of a typical release — two-handed or one-handed — Cagle pushes the ball forward with his chest or hips, depending on how he plays the lanes on a given day.
“All my life I’ve been told to train normally with both hands,” Cagle said. “I started around the same time Jason Belmonte became popular, and people told me I had to do what Belmo does because Belmo is obviously great. But I don’t know what it is, I couldn’t do it. My body wouldn’t let me. So I just stuck with my method, the whole time.”
“It’s been my dream since I was a kid to be on tour,” Cagle added. “The way I throw the ball wouldn’t be ideal for the PBA Tour, but I want to prove everyone wrong. That’s what I’m here for.”
The fourth round of the PBA Tour Trials begins Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. Central Time (7:00 p.m. Eastern Time), again at Bowlero Randall Road.
All rounds of the PBA Tour Trials will be streamed live on BowlTV.
For more information about the PBA Tour Trials, click here Here.
Leaders of the 3rd round
- Hayden Stippich, 4,288 (+688)
- Brandon Runk, 4,258 (+658)
- Andrew Hall, 4,250 (+650)
- Tim Foy Jr., 4,249 (+649)
- Pete Vergos, 4,240 (+640)
- Anthony Neuer, 4,239 (+639)
- Tim Cagle II, 4,205 (+605)
- Chase Nadeau, 4,180 (+580)
- Frank Snodgrass, 4,150 (+550)
- Dean Vargo, 4,142 (+542)
- Brad Miller, 4,126 (+526)
- Nathan Bohr, 4,112 (+512)
PBA Tour Trials Schedule
All times are listed in Central.
Monday, August 19 – Tournament Qualification
Results
Tuesday, August 20 — Bowlero Woodridge
11am – Qualifying Round 1 (six games; 35′ PBA pattern)
18:00 – Qualifying Round 2 (six games; 35′ PBA pattern)
Wednesday, August 21 – Bowlero Randall Road
11am – Qualifying Round 1 (six games; 41′ PBA pattern)
18:00 – Qualifying Round 2 (six games; 41′ PBA pattern)
Thursday, August 22 – Bowlero Mount Prospect
11am – Qualifying Round 1 (six games; 44′ PBA pattern)
6:00 p.m. – Qualifying Round 2 (six games; 44 PBA patterns)
Friday, August 23 – Bowlero Deer Park
11am – Qualifying Round 1 (six games; 47 PBA patterns)
6:00 p.m. – Qualifying Round 2 (six games; 47 PBA patterns)
The top 12 players qualify for the 2025 PBA Tour exemption status
