USBC Open Championships: Checks in the mail

Now that the prize checks are on their way to the bowlers, it is time to close the doors on the 2006 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, which was held in Corpus Christi, Texas.

The event began its 103rd installment on Feb. 11 and ran nearly non-stop for 143 consecutive days before concluding on July 3. As the world's largest participatory sporting event, the Open Championships attracted 12,606 teams to Corpus Christi, which hosted the event for the first time in 1992 and featured 8,557 teams.

This time around, more than 63,000 bowlers made up the second largest field outside of the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., and competed for more than $4.5 million in prize money.

In all, 17 bowlers found their way into the winner's circle for the first time and six champions made a return appearance. But there's more to the Open Championships than just the leaderboards and prize money.

The 2006 event featured 31 perfect games, 16 299s and six 298 games. Five bowlers posted an 800 series, including Kristal Scott of Wichita, Kan., who became the first woman to accomplish the feat at the Open Championships when she shot 816 in late June. And just days later, former Professional Women's Bowling Association star Wendy Macpherson of Henderson, Nev., shot 812 in singles and became the first woman to claim a Regular Division title.

During the tournament's run, competitors knocked down 94,503,474 pins for an average of 172.9 over 546,992 games. Bowlers in the Regular Division averaged 177.4, while Classified bowlers posted a 157.8 mark. The spare percentage for the event was 54.9, and 501 clean sets were recorded.

"We are excited about the continued success of the Open Championships and proud of the show we are able to put on each year," USBC Chief Tournament Officer Roseann Kuhn said. "We had some big scores and exciting moments this year, and Corpus Christi was a wonderful host city. The bowlers had a great time, and now we are focused on another successful trip to Reno in 2007."

There already are 11,500 teams registered for the 2007 event, and spots are filling quickly. The tournament is scheduled to begin on Feb. 17, and the last date for team squads will be June 30, unless extended.


Use the left menu bar to view the Final Standings or click here: Regular Team

Regular Team

Regular Doubles

Regular Singles

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Classified Team

Classified Doubles

Classified Singles

Classified All Events