2007

After nearly two months of waiting to see if their 1,544 record total would hold up, first-time participant Jonathan Masur of West Orange, N.J., and Jeffrey Butler of Garfield, N.J., now are officially the Regular Doubles champions at the 2007 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships. The event concluded its 135-day run Sunday at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev. The pair toppled the four-year-old doubles record of 1,540 set by Derek Sapp of Keokuk, Iowa, (857) and Sean Rash of Anchorage, Alaska, (683) in 2003.

As a compliment to 104 years of tradition, the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships prides itself on showcasing the latest technologies available to the bowling industry, and there are a few changes in store for the tournament in the coming years. The 2008 event at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, N.M., will mark the return of a special side tournament that will be conducted on a 12-lane setup adjacent to the 48 lane installation being used for the USBC Open Championships.

The United States Bowling Congress Open Championships is built on 104 years of history and tradition and exemplifies integrity and competition, while providing its participants with a unique and enjoyable experience. Challenging lane conditions always have been a staple at the USBC Open Championships and have added to the prestige that comes with beating out more than 60,000 competitors for a title on the tournament lanes.

Although the environment at the USBC Open Championships is unlike anything else in the sport, it still wasn't enough to rattle Josh Malanoski of Whitaker, Pa., who rolled a 300 game on the tournament lanes Sunday. After finishing doubles with 147, his lowest game of the tournament, the 25-year-old right-hander switched lanes for singles and immediately moved left on the approach. The decision proved to be a good one, as he opened singles with 12 consecutive strikes for the 27th perfect game of this year's event.

Many bowlers enjoy successful careers at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, but never experience the pressure of perfection or being on the verge of a title on the tournament lanes. Chuck Vogt of Chesapeake, Va., had the opportunity to experience both in only his third tournament appearance. The 31-year-old right-hander opened his singles set with 10 consecutive strikes before a 4-pin ended his run at perfection and left him with a 288 start at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., on Friday night.

Led by two-time U.S. Amateur champion Bill Hoffman of Columbus, Ohio, who rolled the 600th perfect game in tournament history on the way to an 801 series, Team USA of Chicago made a run at the top of the leaderboard at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships on Tuesday night. The star-studded group posted games of 1,097, 1,077 and 1,168 and moved into fifth place in Regular Team with a 3,342 total.

Last year, Samuel Murray of Toccoa, Ga., watched his doubles partner and longtime friend, Kirby Lomax of Gainesville, Ga., take home the Classified All-Events title at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, and he must have picked up a few tricks because he now is the one leading the same category at this year's event. 

Most teams at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships post their final scores after two consecutive days of competition, but Bowlingfordumdums.com of Milwaukee waited almost six weeks to make its move into third place in Team All-Events with a 9,978 total. Team All-Events includes nine-game totals for all five team members.

Glen Olson of Boulder City, Nev., added to his legacy at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships when he made his 50th tournament appearance Sunday at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev. The 80-year-old right-hander became the 93rd bowler in USBC Open Championships history to reach the golden milestone and is among elite company as one of only eight bowlers in 104 years of tournament competition with 50 or more years of participation and multiple titles on the championship lanes.

With a record doubles score already posted at the 2007 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, Bobby Stives of El Paso, Texas, and Paul Yoder of Albuquerque, N.M., knew they would have an uphill battle if they were going to defend their Regular Doubles title. Yoder finished doubles with 619 and Stives added 583 for a 1,202 total, so there won't be a second title for the pair.

Propelled by the highest series by a Classified bowler at this year's United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, the father and son tandem of Frank Smyle of Reeder, N.D., and Jesse Smyle of Bowman, N.D., moved into the top spot in Classified Doubles on Wednesday. Jesse led the pair with 698 series and Frank added 589 for a 1,287 total.

With a combination of luck, experience and a key adjustment, Waymon Young of Keller, Texas, rolled the 22nd perfect game of the 2007 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships on Sunday. After moving to a deeper line late in his first game of singles, the 59-year-old right-hander struck on 19 of his next 20 shots and finished with games of 175, 300 and 168 for 643, his second-highest singles set in 14 trips to the USBC Open Championships.

In the months leading up to their appearances at this year's 2007 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, Paul Enright of Henderson, Nev., was forced to rearrange his team's roster on more than one occasion, but none was more difficult than when he learned his close friend and teammate, Joel Reyes, a 32-year-old left-hander from Chula Vista, Calif., had suffered a heart attack and passed away just a two weeks before he was scheduled to make his seventh USBC Open Championships appearance.

Mike Moore of Greensboro, N.C., considers himself a goal-oriented person both on and off the lanes, and the 30-year-old right-hander achieved a major goal Sunday when he rolled a perfect game at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships. After opening his seventh USBC Open Championships appearance with a 200 game, Moore rattled off 15 consecutive strikes, which included the 21st perfect game of this year's event at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev.

Howard Jones Jr. of Damascus, Md., wasn't sure what to expect for his first trip to the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, but he got more than he could've hoped for when he teamed up with Anthonius Magturo of Derwood, Md., to move into the Classified Doubles lead Wednesday. The pair combined for 1,235 at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., and slipped past Brett Pfeifer and Larry Harvanko of Minneapolis, who previously held the lead with 1,232.

During the past few seasons, Mark London of Palatine, Ill., has been a regular on the USBC Sport Bowling national average list, and this weekend he used that experience to find success at the USBC Open Championships. Using everything he's learned on the lanes, the 44-year-old right-hander got off to a promising start at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., with games of 233, 279 and 278 for a 790 series in team and added 682 in doubles and 676 in singles for a 2,148 all-events total.

With a little bit of luck on his side, Jim Shara of Endicott, N.Y., moved into the top spot in Classified All-Events at the USBC Open Championships on Thursday. On the way to the top of the leaderboard, the 37-year-old right-hander opened his 2007 campaign with 567 in team, but steadily improved with 616 in doubles and 654 in Singles at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev.Shara needed every pin along the way, as his 1,837 all-events total was just one pin better than previous leader, Larry Harvanko of Minneapolis.

With 63 tournament appearances, Les Berry of Wooster, Ohio, entered the year as the active leader in tournament participation at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships and added another successful trip to his record this week. The 91-year-old right-hander still has a long road ahead of him as he tries to catch late USBC Hall of Famers Bill Doehrman of Fort Wayne, Ind., and Joe Norris of San Diego, who each competed in 71 tournaments, but Berry has no plans to stop competing anytime soon.

Although everything seemed to go wrong for Ansara Restaurant Group 1 of Detroit on the way to the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships this week, nearly everything went right on the lanes at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev. With help from five-time Professional Bowlers Association titlist Harry Sullins of Chesterfield, Mich., the team overcame a little jet lag and moved into third place in Regular Team with games of 1,068, 1,093 and 1,191 for a 3,352 total Saturday. Barney's 1 of Rogersville, Mo., leads with 3,368.

During his 22-year career at the USBC Open Championships, David Cirigliano of Phoenix has enjoyed a handful of top 20 finishes, with a number of those successes coming at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev. On Saturday, the 41-year-old right-hander continued his prosperity in Reno and added his name to the tournament record books as the second bowler to own two 300 games at the one-of-a-kind Stadium, which first opened its doors in 1995. It was the 19th perfect game of this year's event, and 103rd in five trips to the Stadium.