USBC Open Championships

Mark Hugo of Windsor Locks, Conn., is one of only 15 bowlers to own multiple 300 games at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, and he nearly became the first to accomplish the feat a third time Sunday at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev. The 39-year-old right-hander started his final game of doubles with nine-consecutive strikes before back-to-back nine counts left him with 278.

After 13 consecutive trips to the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships from 1989 until 2001, Ryan Rollins of Chelsea, Mich., welcomed his son Ryan Jr. into the world and bowling immediately took a back seat. Now that his son is older, he is able to make more time for bowling and celebrated his return to the USBC Open Championships this year with a 300 game at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev.

Dave Mitchell of Farmington, Minn., returned to the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships as a champion for the first time in his career, but refused to let that recognition change his goals. After some fanfare and a solo march down Center Aisle, the defending Regular All-Events champion got his title defense off to a promising start. 

Taking the Regular Team lead at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships just wasn't enough for Browning Pontiac of Cincinnati, so the team returned to the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., on Thursday and grabbed the top spot in Team All-Events too. The fivesome finished with a 45-game total of 10,071, an average of 223.8.

More than a century of history wasn't enough to stop Browning Pontiac of Cincinnati from trying to become the first Regular Division team to repeat as champion at the USBC Open Championships. Browning Pontiac raced back to the top of the leaderboard with 1,085, 1,094 and 1,179 for a 3,358 total Wednesday at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev.

When Pat Nolan of Vancouver, Wash., rolled the 11th perfect game of the 2007 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships on Tuesday night, he proved that experience and a solid mental game are just as important as skills and practice on the lanes.

It may seem hard to believe, but the 2007 USBC Open Championships reaches the halfway point of its 135-day run this week at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev. This year's tournament will be the third-largest in 104 years of USBC Open Championships competition with 16,235 teams (more than 81,000 players).

Last year in Corpus Christi, Texas, former Professional Women's Bowling Association star Wendy Macpherson made history when she became the first woman to win a Regular Division title at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships. On Sunday night, the 39-year-old right-hander stepped onto the lanes at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., looking to become the first bowler in 104 years of USBC Open Championships competition to win back-to-back singles titles.

Making his milestone appearance among family and friends, James Knoll of Fairfield Glade, Tenn., became the 92nd bowler to join the exclusive 50-year club at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships. Knoll made his first tournament appearance at the 1953 event in Chicago at the age of 16.

Last year, former Professional Women's Bowling Association star Wendy Macpherson of Henderson, Nev., made history when she became the first woman to win a Regular Division title at the USBC Open Championships. Macpherson is the first of a handful of Regular Division champions who will try to defend their titles in the coming week at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev.

There's no place like home for Todd Thompson of Reno, Nev., who just missed a spot in the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships record books when he came within one pin of becoming the first bowler to shoot two perfect games at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev.

Surrounded by family, Rodney Baird of Meadville, Pa., joined an elite group of bowlers Tuesday when he made his 50th march down Center Aisle at the USBC Open Championships. The 79-year-old right-hander made his first USBC Open Championships appearance at the 1955 event in Fort Wayne, Ind., and has missed only three years along the way to becoming the 91st bowler in tournament history to reach the prestigious 50-year plateau.

For Steve Wilson of Mesa, Ariz., 11 out of 12 strikes just wasn't good enough, so after a 279 in doubles at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships on Sunday, he was able to improve upon the near-perfect performance with a 300 game during singles. Wilson's perfect game was the 10th of this year's Open Championships and came between games of 203 and 235 for a 738 effort.

As a technician and tournament coordinator for Kegel, the official lane maintenance provider for USBC, John Janawicz spends a lot of time traveling to different bowling events to help set the lane conditions. Despite all of his travels, the USBC Open Championship record holder has committed himself to practicing as much as possible to stay sharp for his own bowling endeavors.The strategy proved to be successful at the Team USA Trials, and panned out again at this year's Open Championships.

After posting the highest individual series in team this year and helping Red Carpet Lanes into second place in Regular Team at the USBC Open Championships, David Beres of Waukesha, Wis., took the top spot in Regular All-Events. He finished with 656 and added 725 in singles for a 2,164 total. Mike Shady of Fairview, Pa., previously held the lead with 2,126.

Equipped with experience, talent and the highest of expectations, Red Carpet Lanes of Waukesha, Wis., closed in on the Regular Team lead at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships on Wednesday night. The group posted games of 1,092, 1,101 and 1,094 for a 3,287 total, but settled into second place behind Forgey Sports Medicine of Vancouver, Wash., which leads with 3,308.

With only a handful of honor scores recorded through nearly two months of competition at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, no one could have been prepared for the barrage of strikes at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., on Tuesday. All bowling on the same squad, two bowlers rolled perfect games, while a third fell just short and settled for 299.

In recent years, MoRich Enterprises of Ocala, Fla., has found a home toward the top of the standings at the USBC Open Championships, and this year will be no different after the group moved into fourth place in Regular Team at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev. Forgey Sports Medicine 1 of Vancouver, Wash., leads with 3,308.

After posting just 978 in its opening game at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., Forgey Sports Medicine 1 of Vancouver, Wash., rebounded with a 1,231 second-game effort, which is the highest team game at this year's event. The team closed out with 1,099 for a 3,308 total to take the Regular Team lead at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships on Saturday.

On most mornings, Lenny Boogaard of Osakis, Minn., can be found tending to his hundreds of acres of farmland or hauling the products they yield to locations across Minnesota. On Saturday, however, he was at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., corralling pins at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships.