USBC Open Championships

From his collegiate bowling days to his recent success in the Professional Bowlers Association, Shane Keefauver of Canton, Ill., has conquered a variety of lane conditions. Now the 30-year-old left-hander can add the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships to his list of successes as he sits atop the Regular All-Events standings. Keefauver needed two strikes in his final frame of singles to move into the top spot and cleared the pin deck three times to finish with 755 and a 2,171 all-events total.

As doubles partners, David Barker (left) and Jeff Carter (right) of Springfield, Ill., didn't turn any heads at the 2006 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, but once singles began, the pair put on a strike clinic. Barker fired a 793 series with games of 247, 300 and 246 to take the lead in Regular Singles. The 38-year-old right-hander edged out Tom Hess of Urbandale, Iowa, who previously held the lead with 792.

Kirby Lomax of Gainesville, Ga., shot 641 in doubles, 620 in singles and 600 in team for 1,861 all-events and passed John Millet Jr. of Greenland, N.H., who previously held the lead with 1,851. "I consider this tournament to be the pinnacle event of bowling, so bowling well here is a pretty incredible feeling," said Lomax, who made his 10th Open Championships appearance. 

 After helping their respective teams into the top five at the 2006 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships on Wednesday, Ryan Lever of New Berlin, Wis., and Chad Maas of Brookfield, Wis., joined forces and found similar success in doubles Thursday at the American Bank Center Exhibit Hall. Maas led the way with a 708 set, while Lever added 704 and a 1,412 total to move the pair into fourth place in Regular Doubles.

With just the right mix of talent, strategy and experience, companion teams Red Carpet Waukesha of Waukesha, Wis. (pictured), and Linds Limited of Milwaukee, moved into third and fifth place respectively at the 2006 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships. The two teams already have won a combined total of 12 eagles (the trophy given to tournament champions) since 1982, with four belonging to Gary Daroszewski of Franklin, Wis.

Even though former Major League Baseball pitcher John Burkett of Southlake, Texas, has retired from professional baseball, he was still throwing strikes this week at the 2006 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships. "Initially I was just coming out here to have a good time," Burkett said. "But deep down I'm a competitor and I'm confident in my ability, so I felt like I could bowl well." The 41-year-old right-hander shot 721 in the team event, 753 in singles and added 608 in doubles for 2,082 all-events, putting him in a tie for 20th place in Regular All-Events.

Using the momentum from its move into fourth place in Regular Team on Sunday night, MoRich Ball Company of Milwaukee returned for doubles and singles Monday and took over the top spot in Team All-Events at the 2006 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships. The group finished with 9,893 to slip past Montgomery Industries Inc. of Braintree, Mass., which previously held the lead with 9,851.

In 1997, Paul Zuehlke of Oshkosh, Wis., teamed up with Rob Stueber to win the Regular Doubles title. On Sunday night at the 2006 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, Zuehlke had a new partner, but nearly turned in a repeat performance. This time, Zuehlke joined forces with Jon Schure of Ripon, Wis., to move into second place in Regular Doubles with 1,461 at the American Bank Center Exhibit Hall.

On the way to the Regular Doubles lead Saturday night, Pat McGainey Jr. of Baltimore rolled the second 800-series of the 2006 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships. The 27-year-old tractor mechanic posted games of 278, 289 and 237 for 804 and teamed up with Brian Bennett of Lewes, Del., to grab the top spot with 1,496. David Ferguson (pictured) of Austin, Texas, became just the third bowler in the 103-year history of the tournament to throw two perfect games in the same year.

Rob Schuh of Neenah, Wis., (left) became the first bowler to post a 700-series in all three events in this year's USBC Open Championships, shooting 727 in singles, 719 in team and 715 in doubles to take the lead in Regular All-Events with 2,161 Saturday. John Millet Jr. of Greenland, N.H. moved into the top spot in Classified All-Events with 1,851.

Two weeks ago, Ronnie Russell (right) of Indianapolis emerged as the top seed after 27 games of qualifying at the Denny's World Championship, the third Major on the Professional Bowlers Association schedule. On Thursday night, the 26-year-old right-hander teamed up with Eric Aquila of Indianapolis to move into third place in Regular Doubles with 1,388.

USBC Hall of Famer Ernie Schlegel, a member of the 1970 Classic Team champions and 1996 Masters winner, shot 765 in doubles Thursday and teamed up with Bob Porter to move into fifth place in Regular Doubles with 1,382. Troy Karnes (right) opened his third game in Classified Doubles with 11 consecutives strikes before leaving a solid 10-pin to finish with 299.

Last month, former Team USA member Jennifer Petrick of Canton, Ohio, made history when she became the first woman to roll a perfect game in a Denny's Professional Bowlers Association Tour event. This week, the 24-year-old right-hander was looking to find the same success at the 2006 USBC Open Championships. She was nearly perfect again, tossing nine consecutive strikes to start the second game of team Monday at the American Bank Center Exhibit Hall.

One of bowling's most elite clubs welcomed a new member Sunday night as United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer Don Ellis of Sugar Land, Texas, eclipsed 100,000 career pins at the USBC Open Championships. Ellis, 77, entered the American Bank Center Exhibit Hall needing just 432 pins to reach the milestone. With his wife watching from the stands as she has for the last 20 years, he threw a double midway through the third game of his team event to become the 10th member of the club.

Gail Myers Jr., of Monroe, Wis., earned an eagle last year as part of the Team All-Events champions and this weekend he and his teammates were looking to make it two-in-a-row. After shooting 3,254 to crack the top 10 in Regular Team on Friday night, Smith Barney 1 of Madison, Wis., returned Saturday for doubles and singles with its sights set on the top spot in Team All-Events, but fell two pins short with 9,849.

Stephen Hardy of Manchester, N.H., who claimed the 2002 Regular All Events crown (left, archive picture) with a tournament-record 2,279, helped Montgomery Industries Inc. of Braintree, Mass., into the top spot in Team All-Events on Saturday. Curt Rasnic of Fairborn, Ohio, missed the top spot in Regular All Events by one pin. Joseph Pirani (right) of Huntsville, Ala., posted the 12th perfect game of the 2006 Open Championships.

Jeff Richgels of Oregon, Wis., has been a defending champion at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships twice before, but he's hoping this time the outcome will be a lot different. Richgels, part of the Regular Doubles and Team All-Events champions at the 2005 event in Baton Rouge, La., will be at the American Bank Center Exhibit Hall on Friday and Saturday looking to add to his collection of Open Championships hardware.

Steve Steinpreis of Plymouth, Wis., found the perfect way to celebrate his 25th trip to the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships (formerly the American Bowling Congress Championships Tournament). The 49-year-old right-hander complemented one tournament milestone with another as he posted the 10th perfect game of the 2006 Open Championships on Tuesday night at the American Bank Center Exhibit Hall.

It has been 14 years since Bob Youker Jr. of Minoa, N.Y., tied for a share of the 1992 Regular Singles title at the American Bowling Congress Championships Tournament (now the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships) in Corpus Christi, Texas. Although he describes the win as a lifetime ago, the 37-year-old Youker still gets butterflies when he walks down the tournament's center aisle and again when he sees the orange eagle on the scoreboard next to his name, signifying his place in the record books.

In 1942, just before the American Bowling Congress Championships Tournament (now the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships) went on hiatus due to World War II, Stanley Moskal of Saginaw, Mich., won the all-events title. His son Chuck, only five years old at the time, had no idea he would still be representing his family at the 2006 USBC Open Championships.