By JUSTIN HAUSER and AARON SMITH
USBC Communications
LAS VEGAS – The members of Trip 4 Pro Shop of St. Clair Shores, Michigan, were steady across the board Thursday at the 2024 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships to cruise to the lead in Regular Team with a 3,363 total.
The team posted games of 1,126, 1,117 and 1,120 at the South Point Bowling Plaza to take over the top spot by 143 pins. Storm Products Inc. 1 of Alva, Florida, had held the lead with 3,220 since March 15.
Through the first six weeks of the 2024 USBC Open Championships, only 17 team games of 1,100 or higher have been rolled, and now, Trip 4 Pro Shop owns three of those performances.
The team effort was led by former Team USA member Perry Crowell IV with a 743 series. He was joined by Blake Earnest (695), Anthony Dodge (671), JJ Mastny (640) and Kolby Crowell (614).
The group bowled together for the first time at last year’s Open Championships in Reno, Nev., with Perry Crowell IV and Mastny taking the lead in Regular Doubles and Earnest following with the first 300 game of the 2023 event in singles.
Crowell and Mastny ultimately finished in eighth place with 1,362, while Earnest’s perfect game helped him place 17th in Regular Singles with 739.
It marked the third straight appearance in the top 10 at the Open Championships for Crowell. He placed ninth in Regular All-Events in both 2021 (2,166) and 2022 (2,197) and paired with Mastny to finish third in Regular Doubles in 2021 (1,453).
The group already has found the spotlight on the oil pattern being used for doubles and singles thanks to several successful days at the Bowlers Journal Championships, which is being contested at the South Point Bowling Center.
On Wednesday, Mastny rolled a 300 game at the side tournament on the way to a 711 series, and earlier on Thursday, Earnest tied for the lead in Open Singles with an 801 series, which featured games of 279, 243 and 279.
Earnest tied Sam Cantrell of Roseville, Calif., who had rolled his 801 just minutes before at the Bowling Center.
The number Trip 4 Pro Shop will be chasing for Team All-Events belongs to Bowlers Headquarters of Muskego, Wis.. They took the lead March 12 with 9,915.
OTHER CHANGES
In addition Friday, there were two other lead changes, a pair of 800s and the first 300 of the 2024 event.
Former Team USA member Shawn Evans and Nicholas Fisher of Palm Bay, Fla., took over the top spot in Regular Doubles with a 1,531 total.
Evans fired games of 299, 259 and 246 for an 804 series, and Fisher added scores of 260, 199 and 268 for 727.
Fisher, a 19-year-old right-hander making his first appearance at the USBC Open Championships, struck on his first delivery in the 10th frame of Game 3, and Evans, a 46-year-old right-hander, matched with a strike of his own to secure the lead and 800 series.
Jonathan Heimann of Troy, Ill., and Tim Heimann of St. Louis had led Regular Doubles with 1,515.
As competition transitioned to the 9:30 p.m. Pacific squad, Curtis Woods Jr. of Santa Rosa, Calif., recorded the first perfect game of the 2024 event during his second game of doubles.
After starting with 268, Woods collected his second 300 at the Open Championships to become just the 40th player to post multiple perfect games on the tournament lanes. His first came at the 2019 event in doubles competition, which also was held at the South Point Bowling Plaza.
Woods, a 50-year-old right-hander, finished with 178 for a 746 series and paired with Robbie Parr of Windsor, Calif., for a 1,324 total.
Joe Barket of Morro Bay, Calif., was up next, competing on the same pair of lanes as Woods.
Barket, a 63-year-old right-hander, switched up his footwork at the end of doubles and worked his way into rhythm with games of 279, 279 and 248 to take the lead in Regular Singles with an 806 series.
He delivered a strike on his first ball of the 10th frame of Game 3 and left the 10 pin on his second shot to secure the 800 and spot at the top of the standings.
Kevin McCune of Munster, Ind., previously led Regular Singles with 801.
The 2024 Open Championships got underway Feb. 23 and will run through July 29 at the South Point Bowling Plaza. The tournament is scheduled to feature more than 11,000 teams and 55,000 bowlers making their way to compete in Las Vegas.