Top 20 PBA Bowlers 2023: #18 - Packy Hanrahan

Packy Hanrahan finishing his follow-through. Photo Credit: PBA Tour

It is hard not to root for a bowler as fun and exciting as Packy Hanrahan. He has a fantastic nickname, “Pac-Man”, an iconic strike celebration, the “slap out”, and an audience of nearly 100,000 bowling fans on Youtube. One thing Hanrahan is missing however, is a title on the PBA Tour.

Packy is a left-hander that uses the two-handed approach, a technique becoming increasingly more common on the pro tour. His weapon of choice is the highly acclaimed Purple Pearl Urethane from Hammer, which he affectionately refers to as his “Purple Hammy.” 

In the 2022 season, Packy stood tall against some of bowling’s titans. His highest placement of the year was at David Small’s Best of the Best Tournament, falling to another two handed lefty and future Hall of Famer in Jesper Svensson. He also came a respectable 3rd place at the PBA Scorpion Championship at the World Series of Bowling, this time losing to the two-handed king, Jason Belmonte. The final attempt at a title from Packy came in the PBA Playoffs Round of 16, where he met his fate against Triple Crown winner Dom Barrett. 

The narrative surrounding Packy is that he belongs among the big names. The question is, can he defeat them? It is incredibly rare in today’s PBA that a bowler can win a title on the National tour without winning a head to head match against one of bowling’s big names. Will we see Packy slay the dragon this year? Only time will tell.

Perhaps the highlight of last season for Packy was winning the Elias Cup as a member of the Lumberjacks in Portland, Maine. Packy was a huge crowd favourite throughout the event, as not only does he have his big social media presence, but he was a bit of a hometown hero, being initially from the New England region. Packy’s particularly impressive run with the championship team earned him a spot not only in the Strike Derby, but as the Lumberjacks’ representative in the All-Star Clash.

No matter how successful Packy's 2023 season ends up being, one thing is for sure: it will be an entertaining ride. Packy represents “The House”, a group of friends on the tour who produce social media content. Packy has found himself as the lead video creator for their Youtube channel, churning out some of the most interesting content in the bowling videosphere. Some of the best content on the channel includes: bowling with banned balls, professional vs. amateur challenges, bowling on the longest bowling lane in the world, and vlogs of each national tour event.

The stage is set for Packy Hanrahan to have another great season on the tour in 2023. There certainly will be an added pressure to perform, as the 100,000 Youtube viewers will all be rooting for him to get over the hump and achieve his first title. Will the “Pac-Man” be able to slap it out on his way to victory? We shall find out soon.

2022 Stats:

Titles: 0 (0 career)

Highest Finish: 2nd (David Small’s Best of the Best)

Tour Points: 12,392

Earnings: $81,185

Average: 219.31