By AARON SMITH
USBC Communications
LAS VEGAS – England’s Stu Williams moved into the top three in Regular Doubles, Regular Singles and Regular All-Events at the 2024 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships on Friday, which included a 300 game and 805 series in singles competition.
The two-time Professional Bowlers Association Tour champion started his day at the South Point Bowling Plaza with games of 266, 268 and 247 for a 781 series in doubles, and he paired with David Bartlett of Bloomington, Illinois, to take over third place in Regular Doubles with a 1,476 total.
Bartlett added games of 254, 245 and 196 for a 695 series.
Shawn Evans and Nicholas Fisher of Palm Bay, Fla., lead Regular Doubles with 1,531.
Williams, who now resides in Pflugerville, Texas, continued the momentum into singles, starting with 288 before connecting for the 13th perfect game of the 2024 USBC Open Championships in Game 2.
The 42-year-old right-hander remained in contention for the lead in Regular Singles and Regular All-Events as he prepared for his final frame, but a 6 pin on his first delivery in the 10th put the top spot in each event out of reach.
Williams converted the single pin and rolled a strike on his fill ball to finish with 217 for an 805 series, and he had 659 during his team competition Thursday to post an all-events tally of 2,245. The 805 and 2,245 moves Williams into second place in each event.
Joe Barket of Morro Bay, Calif., leads Regular Singles with 806, and 2019 Team All-Events champion Derek Magno of Cicero, N.Y., holds the top spot in Regular All-Events with 2,255.
The performance also helped Fran’s Pro Shop/Maple Lanes of Waterloo, Iowa, into the top 10 of Team All-Events with a 9,712 total. The team sits in ninth place, with Maximum Potential Pro Shop of Rome, N.Y., leading with 10,032.
Williams was joined on the lanes this year at South Point by Bartlett (1,984), Jason Peterson (1,887), Troy Fuller (1,865) and 2018 Regular Doubles champion Richard Eighme (1,731).
Across his six games on Friday, Williams compiled a total pinfall of 1,586 for a 264.3 average in minors.
CANADIAN HITS 300
Every debut at the Championships has a story behind it, and for Taylor Maxner of St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, his tale for his trip to Las Vegas now has a little history tied to it.
The 32-year-old right-hander took a little longer to get comfortable during his first six games at the South Point Bowling Plaza on Friday and Saturday, but he was able to let his natural ability loose to start his singles set on the way to a perfect performance.
Maxner rolled the 14th 300 game of the 2024 USBC Open Championships, and he added games of 256 and 195 to conclude his tournament debut with a 751 series in singles competition.
The effort places Maxner in the top 25 in Regular Singles at the 2024 event, and he added sets of 584 in team and 535 in doubles for an all-events score of 1,870.
A new job allowed for a window of time for Maxner to make his tournament debut, and he knew he’d be in for a challenge with the tougher lane conditions associated with the Open Championships and a new venue at the Bowling Plaza.
He came in with certain expectations for himself, but the hardest part for him through a couple of sessions at the Bowlers Journal Championships and team and doubles competition at the Open Championships was getting loose.
As he made his way to singles competition, he finally was able to start executing like the way he planned.
“I wasn’t even seeing anything different (going into singles),” Maxner said. “I just kept telling myself to ‘loosen up, loosen up, loosen up.’ And, I finally loosened up. I did have a game plan and tried to wall it up for myself, and I guess it kind of worked, but I just finally loosened up.”
As the strikes started to add up in Game 1, the nerves did start to creep in for the final frame, but Maxner was able to put all three shots in the pocket.
“I was nervous, and I was shaking,” Maxner said. “All I was trying to do was throw it well. I thought the first two that hit light were pretty good, but I tugged the last one and got a little lucky.”
After a couple of early spares in Game 2, he delivered another stretch of seven consecutive strikes to put an 800 series and the lead in play, but a 10 pin in the sixth frame ended the run for each number.
“I knew I had a shot, and I probably should have switched balls but I didn’t think I was throwing the ball well enough. I was kind of scared to do that, and I do regret that,” Maxner said.
Although he’ll have to wait for his next shot at 800 on the tournament lanes, Maxner couldn’t help but enjoy the moment alongside his teammates and friends.
He’s also part of the tournament’s long and storied history with his perfect game, and he appreciates taking that back home.
“It was fun hearing them cheer and all that,” Maxner said. “They get on me, but it’s all good.
“I’m not really sure how it feels, and I haven’t processed it yet. I was just happy to throw it well for once. I’m going to keep trying to come to the tournament, and we’ll see if it works out.”
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.