The 2026 Owen's Craft Mixers PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship had a new look this season, as the top players based on Tour Points got to "draft" their choice of partner, starting with no. 1 EJ Tackett then no. 2 Boog Krol, and so on. Instead of qualifying rounds, the pairs were placed into a seeded bracket based on their top player's standings in Tour Points, making Tackett and his long-time partner Marshall Kent the top seed, Krol and partner Keven Williams the second seed, and so on.
While most players chose to stick with their partners from past years, we did see some knew pairings, including the team of Santtu Tahvanainen and Ethan Fiore that is making a run at the title. Last year's champions would not have an opportunity to repeat, as Jason Belmonte chose not to participate, leaving teammate Bill O'Neill as a free agent, who got scooped up by no. 5 Graham Fach.
Tackett and Kent fell just short of advancing to the semifinals, as Eric Jones and Deo Benard pulled off the upset (4-2) in the quarterfinals to make the show on Sunday.
The young lefties will move on to face brothers Sean Lavery-Spahr and Anthony Lavery-Spahr, who have made a surprising run as the 28th seed. They started with a shocking sweep over Fach and O'Neill and followed with another big upset over Packy Hanrahan and Mitch Hupe. They topped the other surprise quarterfinalists, Nate Garcia and Julian Salinas, to make the show.
Tahvanainen and Fiore knocked off Krol and Williams and then completed their own upset, beating Kyle Troup and Jesper Svensson to claim their spot in the semis. Next, they will face Zach Wilkins and AJ Chapman, who came back from a 3-1 deficit against Tim Foy Jr. and Kevin McCune in the quarterfinals to win the best-of-7 series.
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2026 Owen's Craft Mixers PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship Matchups
Benard/Jones over Lavery-Spahr/Lavery-Spahr (-159)
To say that the Lavery-Spahr brothers' run to the semifinals was unlikely would be an understatement. Last season, Sean finished 46th in Tour Points, earning $33,026.92 along the way. Anthony was 181st and did not cash in any of the six events that he participated in. This year Sean ranks 56th so far, while Anthony has not been competing.
Every Cinderella story comes to an end, and it usually ends before the championship.
No pair still standing has averaged more than Deo Benard and Eric Jones (234.4) throughout the tournament. The only lefties remaining in the field will have that side of the lanes to themselves at lefty-friendly Bayside Bowl.
Tahvanainen/Fiore over Chapman/Wilkins (-139)
Taking both of the favorites goes against my general bowling betting philosophy, as every TV match is closer to a 50/50 bet than the odds indicate. However, Tahvanainen and Fiore stood out to me as one of the pairs to watch from the begging. Both have had successful runs in this tournament with different partners, combining for three top 10 finishes the past 4 years. Teaming up is just what they needed to do to take the next step.
In both of the semifinal matches, if Rivers ends up offering a -9.5 spread option, I'd take the favorites and lay the points for the better payout.
All odds via BetRivers Sportsbook as of April 18th 5:00 pm ET
2026 Owen's Craft Mixers PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship Winner Best Bet
Deo Benard and Eric Jones (+175)
Individually, Benard and Jones are the top two remaining players based on Tour Points, ranking 11th (Jones) and 19th (Benard). Now they are showing that they are also an ideal pair for this event.
In addition to being the only lefties remaining in the field, Benard and Jones are arguably the most versatile players left. Both have shown the unique ability to be able to throw backup balls accurately if the right side of the lane gives them a better look. I doubt that they'll need to do that in this setting, but that versatility gives them an edge.
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2026 Owen's Craft Mixers PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship TV Schedule
All times listed are local (Eastern Time)
Sunday, April 19th
2026 Owen's Craft Mixers PBA Roth/Holman Doubles Championship Finals (LIVE) on The CW: 4:00 p.m.
