Erin McCarthy, who captured her first Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour title two weeks ago, seemingly always finds a way to work her way into contention, having made the stepladder finals in two majors.

At the U.S. Women’s Open this week, McCarthy (featured photo) has quietly worked her way up the standings and Thursday night posted a 6-2 record in the opening round of match play to snag the lead. The third seed for last year’s U.S. Women’s Open television show, McCarthy understands she has a long way to go before this year’s finalists are determined.

“We have 24 games of match play, it’s a lot,” said McCarthy, who won the PWBA Louisville Open title in early June. “Although I’m in first, I try not to look at scores. It’s something I’m trying to get better at. It just helps me focus and not get too far ahead of myself.”

Her run to the top started during the final round of qualifying and continued in the cashers’ round Thursday morning. McCarthy leads Sandra Gongora (right) of Mexico in second place by 75 pins.

“I just tried to stay in the moment today,” McCarthy said. “I didn’t bowl very well the first two blocks. The third block was really good so I came into today with a new mindset, trying to build off last night.”

Danielle McEwan (left), who averaged 231 on fresh conditions during qualifying, did the same again during the cashers’ round to move into ninth place. In match play, she then proceeded to win her first seven matches and now sits in third. Tannya Roumimper (below right) of Indonesia is fourth.

“This is exciting, to be able to go head-to-head, and take advantage of bonus pins,” McEwan said. “It’s fun. It makes it much more interesting than bowling for score at the end.”

During the eight-game cashers’ round Thursday morning that determined the 24 players for match play, Shannon O’Keefe (left) built off the momentum of her previous round with a 1,903 block (237.8 average). She finished the block with a 298 game to move into first-place tie with Stefanie Johnson of McKinney, Texas.

“298 is always fun,” O’Keefe said. “It was a really good pair. I think when you get in a groove like that, your whole pair loosens up because everyone is striking.” O’Keefe went 4-4 in match play and slipped to fifth place.

Johnson (above right), who led all three qualifying rounds, lost her first six matches, going 1-7 in match play and dropped to eighth. Four-time defending champion Liz Johnson (left) of Palatine, Illinois, who was in fourth place after the cashers’ round, went 3-5 and fell to 14th.

Shalin Zulkifli (right) of Malaysia was disqualified from the U.S. Women’s Open on Thursday evening. During match play, Zulkifli self-reported she had used a ball in competition which she did not properly mark on her Equipment Registration Card. She will be replaced in the field by Kamilah Dammers-Naddall of Aruba.

Competition at the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open featured three days of eight-game qualifying rounds. After 24 games, the field was cut to the top 36 players for an eight-game cashers’ round. The 32-game pinfall totals determined the 24 bowlers for round-robin match play.

Match play continues Friday with two more rounds (16 total games). The 56-game totals, including 30 bonus pins for each win in match play, will decide the five players for the stepladder finals.

Xtra Frame, the online bowling channel of the Professional Bowlers Association, is live streaming all preliminary rounds of the U.S. Women’s Open, with CBS Sports Network providing live coverage of the stepladder finals on Saturday, June 30 at 5 p.m. (Eastern).

Related Articles

Stefanie Johnson holds U.S. Women’s Open lead after qualifying
Stefanie Johnson retains lead after two rounds at U.S. Women’s Open
Stefanie Johnson grabs lead in opening round of U.S. Women’s Open
USBC Hall of Famer Lucy Sandelin ready for U.S. Women’s Open
Danaka Heekin swaps music trips for shot at PWBA Tour
Liz Johnson seeks record-tying fifth consecutive U.S. Women’s Open title
Jordan Richard wins first career title at PWBA Greater Harrisburg Open
Erin McCarthy wins first career title at PWBA Louisville Open
Josie Barnes wins second career title at 2018 PWBA East Hartford Open
Shannon O’Keefe wins 2018 USBC Queens
Danielle McEwan wins 2018 PWBA Fountain Valley Open
Shannon O’Keefe captures seventh PWBA title in Sonoma County Open
Singapore’s Shayna Ng wins first career PWBA title at Las Vegas Open
2018 PWBA Tour Schedule & Champions

2018 U.S. Women’s Open – Standings after Match Play Round 1

Players with position, hometown and 40-game total, including bonus pins (30 for each win, 15 for a tie); n-non PWBA member

Complete Standings

1, Erin McCarthy, Omaha, Neb., 6-2-0, 9,025. 2, Sandra Gongora, Mexico, 5-3-0, 8,950. 3, Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y., 7-1-0, 8,928. 4, Tannya Roumimper, Indonesia, 5-3-0, 8,857. 5, Shannon O’Keefe, O’Fallon, Ill., 4-4-0, 8,831. 6, Missy Parkin, Laguna Hills, Calif., 5-3-0, 8,777.

7, Clara Guerrero, Colombia, 5-3-0, 8,759. 8, Stefanie Johnson, McKinney, Texas, 1-7-0, 8,758. 9, Siti Safiyah, Malaysia, 5-3-0, 8,724. 10, Thashaina Seraus (n), Aruba, 4-4-0, 8,700. 11, Shannon Sellens (n), Copiague, N.Y., 4-3-1, 8,695. 12, Jen Higgins, Westerville, Ohio, 5-3-0, 8,673.

13, Jordan Richard, Tipton, Mich., 3-5-0, 8,664. 14, Liz Johnson, Palatine, Ill., 3-5-0, 8,649. 15, Shannon Pluhowsky, Dayton, Ohio, 4-4-0, 8,647. 16, Liz Kuhlkin, Schenectady, N.Y., 6-2-0, 8,634. 17, Daria Kovalova, Ukraine, 6-2-0, 8,631. 18, Juliana Franco (n), Colombia, 3-5-0, 8,614.

19, Giselle Poss, Nashville, Tenn., 4-4-0, 8,547. 20, Sin Li Jane, Malaysia, 4-4-0, 8,536. 21, Urara Himeji, Japan, 2-6-0, 8,469. 22, Jodi Woessner, Oregon, Ohio, 2-5-1, 8,381. 23, Brandi Branka, Fairview Heights, Ill., 1-7-0, 8,367. 24, Shalin Zulkifli, Malaysia, DQ.

2018 U.S. Women’s Open – Standings after Cashers’ Round

Players with position, hometown and 32-game total; top 24 advance to match play; n-non PWBA member

Complete Standings

1, (tie) Shannon O’Keefe, O’Fallon, Ill., and Stefanie Johnson, McKinney, Texas, 7,057. 3, Sandra Gongora, Mexico, 6,944. 4, Liz Johnson, Palatine, Ill., 6,920. 5, Erin McCarthy, Omaha, Neb., 6,916. 6, Tannya Roumimper, Indonesia, 6,900.

7, Clara Guerrero, Colombia, 6,894. 8, Juliana Franco (n), Colombia, 6,892. 9, Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y., 6,847. 10, Missy Parkin, Laguna Hills, Calif., 6,842. 11, Thashaina Seraus(n), Aruba, 6,840. 12, Jordan Richard, Tipton, Mich., 6,836.

13, Jen Higgins, Westerville, Ohio, 6,820. 14, Shalin Zulkifli, Malaysia, 6,777. 15, Shannon Sellens (n), Copiague, N.Y., 6,772. 16, Jodi Woessner, Oregon, Ohio, 6,760. 17, Urara Himeji, Japan, 6,756. 18, Shannon Pluhowsky, Dayton, Ohio, 6,750.

19, Brandi Branka, Fairview Heights, Ill., 6,746. 20, Liz Kuhlkin, Schenectady, N.Y., 6,742. 21, Giselle Poss, Nashville, Tenn., 6,740. 22, Siti Safiyah, Malaysia, 6,738. 23, Daria Kovalova, Ukraine, 6,733. 24, Sin Li Jane, Malaysia, 6,688.

Missed Cut:
25, Kamilah Dammers-Naddall, Aruba, 6,684, $2,200. 26, (tie) Daria Pajak, Poland, and Diana Zavjalova, Latvia, 6,666, $2,075. 28, Rocio Restrepo, Louisville, Ohio, 6,665, $2,000. 29, Jennifer Russo, Monmouth Junction, N.J., 6,656, $1,975. 30, Stephanie Schwartz, Racine, Wis., 6,636, $1,950.

31, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 6,632, $1,925. 32, Lindsay Boomershine, Perry, Utah, 6,624, $1,900. 33, Verity Crawley, England, 6,556, $1,875. 34, Nina Flack, Sweden, 6,542, $1,850. 35, Elysia Current, Ephrata, Pa., 6,530, $1,825. 36, Ashly Galante, Palm Harbor, Fla., 6,432, $1,800.