Austin Grammar, a 2020 graduate of Western Brown High School, won his first professional bowling championship April 12 in Rochester, N.Y.
Grammar won the New York Classic on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour. Grammar, 23, defeated Kris Prather in the championship match, which was broadcast live on the CW Network for his first TV appearance.
Grammar nearly achieved a rarity on TV, bowling a near-perfect 299 to win. He left only the 2-pin on his final shot after the match had been clinched. Prather, 34, is one of the top veterans on the tour with six titles including two major championships.
The Hamersville, Ohio native had his parents in the center plus a coach.
“I feel pretty good,” he said on the TV broadcast. “I was happy to be here and trust my guys in the back. My support system has been great. I was just trying to stay slow and take every shot one shot at a time. Not get too in front of myself and make sure I made the best shot every time I could.”
In the tournament, Grammar averaged 231 in 22 games of qualifying, advancing to a match-play bracket where he won two best-of-seven contests to advance to the TV finals. He averaged 238 in 11 games in that round, earning the top seed for the televised finals, where he only had to win one match for the title.
At Western Brown, he was three-time player of the year in the Southern Buckeye Athletic & Academic Conference-American Division. The school’s official X account has been promoting his victory.
In his junior year at Western Brown (2019), Grammar shot a 711 in the district tournament to finish eighth, but fell three pins short of qualifying for state. His senior year, he averaged 231.
He attended college at Webber International University in Florida, which is a top bowling program. He helped the team win the ITC national title in 2024.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Western Brown grad Austin Grammar wins first pro bowling title
Reporting by James Weber, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
