USBC Open Championships

Now that the prize checks are on their way to the bowlers, it is time to close the doors on the 2006 USBC 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 5-player teams.

After 143 days of nearly non-stop competition, the curtain came down on the 2006 USBC Open Championships on Monday, and the tournament's 103rd installment ended in record fashion. With just one day of competition remaining, former PWBA star Wendy Macpherson of Henderson, Nev., posted an 812 series in singles to become the first woman to win a Regular Division title.

Making just her second Open Championships appearance, former PWBA star Wendy Macpherson of Henderson, Nev., shot 248, 300 and 264 to take the lead in Regular Singles with an 812 series Sunday afternoon. Norm Titus of Columbia, Tenn., previously held the lead with 811. Should she hold on to win, Macpherson would become the first woman to claim a title in the Regular Division.

By the time Stephen Kubis of Houston finally made it to the lanes at the American Bank Center Exhibit Hall on Saturday, he was almost seven hours into a unlucky day and never imagined he'd find his way into the top 10 at the USBC Open Championships. Once they hit the lanes though, their luck changed and they combined to shoot 1,212 to move into a tie for sixth place in Classified Doubles.

Kristal Scott of Wichita, Kan., couldn't have picked a better time for her first career 800 series, as she made history Thursday by becoming the first woman to achieve the feat at the USBC Open Championships. The 25-year-old right-hander posted games of 269, 268 and 279 for an 816 series.

With only a slight adjustment to his approach, Robert Cutsail of Madison, Ga., fired 11 consecutive strikes and came within one pin of the 30th perfect game of the 2006 USBC Open Championships. In the Classified division, Git-Er-Done of Gainesville, Ga., moved into sixth place on Tuesday with games of 923, 884 and 957 for 2,764.

Flirtin' With Disaster of Tallahassee, Fla., nearly made history at the 2006 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships as it tried to become the first team to win back-to-back Classified Team titles. After games of 885, 1,027 and 865 finished in fifth place with 2,777 team total overall.

When Larry Sifton of Lafayette, La., won the Classified Doubles title at the USBC Open Championships in 1999, he figured it would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience and savored every minute of it. At the American Bank Center Exhibit Hall on Saturday, the 66-year-old right-hander almost found his way back to the top of the leaderboard, this time with a different partner.

Bob Goike of Saline, Mich., already owns three titles at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships and has been honored in several bowling halls of fame, but his most important accomplishment is still a work in progress.

Mark Scroggins of Amarillo, Texas, has traveled thousands of miles during the past three weeks, and he finally arrived at the 2006 USBC Open Championships as one of the hottest bowlers in the country. The 42-year-old left-hander recently won the Denny's Professional Bowlers Association Tour Trials.

Just two days after Phil Mickelson's heartbreaking collapse at golf's U.S. Open, Michael Nape of Aurora, Ill., suffered a similar fate at the 2006 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships. Nape had the Regular All-Events lead within his grasp with two frames to go, but ended his run at a title with two consecutive open frames to finish tied for ninth place with 2,156.

Over the past several years, former Professional Bowlers Association star Wayne Webb of Sacramento, Calif., has nearly disappeared into obscurity, but he returned to the spotlight with the recent DVD release of "A League of Ordinary Gentlemen," a documentary about life on the PBA Tour. Webb, who stars in the film along with fellow pros Chris Barnes, Pete Weber and Walter Ray Williams Jr., was in Corpus Christi, Texas, this week for the 2006 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships.

After eight disappointing games at the 2006 USBC Open Championships, Jim Ensminger of North Richland Hills, Texas, figured out that throwing strikes was the quickest way to get through the rest of the tournament. In his final game of singles Saturday, the 57-year-old right-hander strung together 12 consecutive strikes for the 29th perfect game of this year's event and headed for the door.

Shawn Fisher of Albuquerque, N.M., moved into the lead in Classified Singles at the 2006 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships on Saturday. The 22-year-old right-hander struggled with ball reaction during team and doubles, but made one final ball change and posted games of 231, 237 and 216 for 684 in singles to pass Ted Skrzynecki Jr. and Steve Jacoby, who were previously tied for the lead with 679.

With one game to go at the 2006 USBC Open Championships, Andrew Neuer of Milton, Pa., knew he'd have to be nearly perfect to put himself in position to take home the Regular All-Events title. Neuer made the spare and finished with 289 and a 726 singles set. He added 754 in doubles and 703 in team, but fell six pins short of Dave Mitchell, who leads with 2,189.

In 2004, Norm Titus of Columbia, Tenn., watched his doubles partner John Janawicz of Winter Haven, Fla., shoot 858, the highest series ever bowled at the USBC Championships. This year, it was Titus who put on the show as he opened his singles event with games of 299 and 297 before striking on his final four shots to finish with 215 and an 811 series. It was the third 800 of this year's event, but the first in singles.

Kelvin English of Mansfield, Texas, picked the perfect time to roll his first career 300 game, as he put together 12 consecutive strikes at the USBC Championships on Monday. The 43-year-old right-hander opened his doubles event with 180 before firing the 28th perfect game of this year's event at the American Bank Center Exhibit Hall.

Known as the world's largest participatory sporting event, attracting between 60,000 and 80,000 bowlers annually, the USBC Open Championships has gained worldwide appeal and features bowlers from across the globe. This week, San Jose Pro Shop of San Juan, Puerto Rico, made its annual trip to the tournament.

After Bobby Stives of El Paso, Texas threw two strikes and got nine on his final ball of doubles at the 2006 USBC Open Championships on Thursday night, all of the pressure was on his partner, Paul Yoder of Albuquerque, N.M. Needing at least a spare and eight pins to take the lead in Regular Doubles, Yoder got just that.