2025 USBC Masters: Bill O’Neill & Justin Knowles Advance to Finals

Justin Knowles and Bill O'Neill | Picture source: Professional Bowlers Association

Bill O'Neill and Justin Knowles earned their spots in tomorrow's Championship Round of the 2025 USBC Masters. O'Neill defeated Graham Fach 217-207, while Knowles took down Dominic Barrett 290-216. Both advancers will face each other tomorrow in the first match of the stepladder finals.

In the first televised Elimination Bracket finals match on the 44-foot hourglass pattern, soon-to-be Hall of Famer Bill O'Neill faced Bailey Mavrick. O'Neill reached the Preliminary Finals after an impressive run—finishing first in qualification, defeating last year’s champion DeeRonn Booker, but then falling to Graham Fach, which sent him to the Elimination Bracket. There, he secured three victories, including a crucial win over EJ Tackett, to earn his spot in the Preliminary Finals.

Mavrick also suffered an early loss in the second game of the Winners Bracket, loosing to Nathan Stubler. However, he bounced back with three consecutive wins in the Elimination Bracket to secure his place in the Preliminary Finals.

On televised finals, both bowlers made early mistakes—O’Neill missed a 3-6-10 spare, while Mavrick committed a foul, an uncommon sight on TV. But the real shock came in the seventh frame when Mavrick missed right, causing the ball to hit only the 6-pin, knocking down just two pins. He later admitted it was the first time in his life he had ever done that.

Despite the missteps, both bowlers were perfect through the eighth and ninth frames. In the 10th, O’Neill delivered a strike followed by a nine-count, leaving an open window for Mavrick. He needed two strikes and two pins to clinch the win but failed to execute, allowing O’Neill to escape with a narrow 211-209 victory.

In the second match, England's Dominic Barrett faced Nathan Stubler. Barrett’s road to the final stages of this major event was nothing short of spectacular. After losing his first match in the Winners Bracket, the 10-time PBA Tour title winner fought back with six victories in the Elimination Bracket, defeating top opponents like Jason Belmonte, Kyle Sherman, and Rasmus Edvall. Meanwhile, Stubler secured three wins in the Winners Bracket before losing to Gary Haines. He then rebounded with a victory over Brandon Bohn to earn his spot on the TV stage.

Barrett started strong with three consecutive strikes, while Stubler struggled to find the right part of the lane to execute effectively, forcing him to settle for spares. This gave Barrett an early 20-pin lead heading into the commercial break. After the break, Stubler continued to have trouble, particularly on the right lane, but stayed in the match by consistently converting spares. However, a costly 3-7-9 split sealed his fate, allowing Barrett to cruise to a convincing 215-193 victory.

In the third match of the night, with a spot in tomorrow’s Stepladder Finals on the line, Bill O’Neill took on Graham Fach—the first Canadian to win a PBA Tour title back in 2016. Fach had been just one pin away from an automatic spot in the finals but fell short against Gary Haines.

O’Neill opted to start with a Hammer Black Widow Mania, playing slightly inside, while Fach chose the Hammer Purple Pearl Urethane—a ball not permitted on the PBA Tour but allowed in USBC events. Both bowlers alternated between strikes and spares, but neither could string together consecutive strikes to build a significant lead.

Heading into the foundation frame, only a single pin separated them. Fach converted a spare, while O’Neill responded with a strike, giving himself a chance to shut out Fach by striking and following with a nine-spare in the 10th. On his first shot, he missed right but caught a fortunate Brooklyn strike. On the second, he knocked down nine pins but surprisingly missed the 10-pin—a spare he had converted flawlessly throughout the week. This left an opening for Fach to strike out and force a tie. Fach nailed the first strike but failed to execute on the second attempt, allowing O’Neill to advance to tomorrow’s championship round with a 217-207 victory.

In the fourth and final match of the night, Dominic Barrett faced Justin Knowles. The Michigan native finished 14th in qualification and secured four consecutive wins in the Winners Bracket, including a key victory over EJ Tackett. However, a loss to Anthony Simonsen forced him into the Elimination Bracket Finals.

Barrett missed right in the second frame, leaving a 2-10 split that he failed to convert. Meanwhile, Knowles went on a roll, stringing together five consecutive strikes from the second through the sixth frame, building an early 54-pin lead. After the break, Barrett responded with back-to-back strikes, but Knowles remained in control, adding a double of his own. Barrett eventually found a playable line and strung together four consecutive strikes, but it was too late—Knowles was locked in. Even though he finished with an open frame, he comfortably secured the win, 255-199.

The 2025 USBC Masters Finals will air tomorrow at noon (Michigan local time) on FOX. International viewers can watch the finals on BowlTV.

2025 USBC Masters Preliminary Finals Scores:

• Match 1: Bill O'Neill - Bailey Mavrick, 258-203

• Match 2: Dominic Barrett - Nathan Stubler, 182-234

• Match 3: Bill O'Neill - Graham Fach, 217-207

• Match 4: Dominic Barrett - Justin Knowles, 255-199