USBC Communications
LAS VEGAS: With just over a week to go in the 2024 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships at South Point Bowling Plaza, several new leaders have emerged.
Here is the rundown:
WONG TOPS CLASSIFIED SINGLES
Stephen Wong of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is used to watching his daughters throw strikes across some of the sport’s biggest stages, but he joined in on the fun Friday during his appearance by taking the lead in Classified Singles.
After a 163 game to start his singles set, the 69-year-old right-hander made a ball change and rolled scores of 229 and 245 to get to the top spot by four pins with a 637 series at the South Point Bowling Plaza.
Jason Sarno of Erie, Colo., had held the lead since May 21 with 633.
Wong’s final game started with five strikes, before a nine count and spare in the sixth frame. He connected for three more strikes to set up his final frame.
Needing eight pins on his first delivery in the 10th to secure the top spot, Wong got the necessary count, leaving the 3-6. Although he chopped the spare attempt to close the set, the 16 strikes delivered in Games 2 and 3 were enough to place his name at the top of the standings.
“It feels great, but I wasn’t expecting it at all given how I had been bowling this week,” said Wong, who had 441 in doubles and 430 in team for a 1,508 all-events total. “The pins were cooperating. I used a ball I didn’t think I needed to use. All of the other balls were hooking too much, so I tried it and the pins started falling.
“I wasn’t bowling well and feeling a little bit discouraged, but after this, it’s all different now.”
Wong’s family ties to the sport include his daughters – Felicia Wong and Samantha How. Both daughters are Intercollegiate Team Championships winners at Wichita State University and have represented Canada as members of both the adult and junior teams during their career.
Felicia also competes on the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour and made her first stepladder appearance in May at the USBC Queens, finishing in fifth place.
Her run at The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley in Green Bay, Wis., made for a busy day of travel for Stephen and his wife, Elizabeth, but they made sure to make the TV finals on CBS Sports Network.
Felicia and Elizabeth joined Stephen on the lanes Thursday and Friday at the Bowling Plaza, while Samantha competed at the 2024 Open Championships in June.
“We were watching (Felicia at the Queens) on BowlTV, and when she made the stepladder, my wife was scurrying to book the flight to be there,” Wong said. “We managed to book the flight and flew out that morning. We arrived in the afternoon to watch the show and watch her bowl on TV, and then flew back home the next day. It was quite the travel day, but worth it for sure.”
While Wong has only made four appearances at the Open Championships, he knows the significance of leaving the event with the lead.
He didn’t necessarily come in with any expectations but had a goal in mind.
“I wasn’t expecting anything like this at all,” Wong said. “The pins just started falling. I was hoping to get to 200 for one of my games – that was my goal. I hit it in one game, and then another.
“Hopefully I can stay there, and if I’m not first, I hope to still be among the top. We’ll see how the pins fall for the other bowlers who bowl in the final 10 days or so.”
Classified Singles features bowlers with entering averages of 155 and below.
GARCIA TOPS STANDARD ALL-EVENTS
LAS VEGAS – In the Standard Division, Matt Garcia of Long Beach, Calif., took over the lead for all-events with his score of 2,003 on Friday. It’s not the only spot Garcia saw his name by the end of the trip.
He also moved into second in Standard Doubles with his brother, Darren Garcia, with a combined total of 1,292 and took over second in Standard Singles with 743.
Westerville’s Jeffrey Robinson, a former Jackson Township resident and coach and now coach at Ohio Northern University, led Standard All-Events with 1,957. The father-and-son team of Gary and Shane Goldermann hold the top spot in Standard Doubles with 1,319, and Michael Humphrys of Milwaukie, Ore., leads Standard Singles with 745.
In his team event Thursday, Garcia’s scores consisted of 152, 203 and 187, making for a 542 set.
In doubles, he had scores of 232, 210 and 276 for a set of 718. Darren added steady games of 191, 191 and 192 for a 574 series to help them into second place.
“My body was more relaxed, so I was just throwing the ball and making sure I hit the head pin,” said Garcia, who made his second appearance at the USBC Open Championships.
For singles, Garcia put up scores of 287, which included the first 10 strikes, 200 and 256.
He could have tied Humphrys’ score for a share of the singles lead with three strikes in the 10th frame of Game 3, but the 39-year-old right-hander left a 2-8 on his fill ball after recording a pair of strikes.
“I came in here with a goal of just bowling 190s and having fun with my brother,” Garcia said. “We signed up at the last second – maybe three weeks ago. We were not expecting to come this year.”
When asked what he thought about the end of the tournament being so close and possibly taking home an Eagle for his performance, Garcia said, “That would be such a great feeling.”
Standard Singles and All-Events features bowlers with entering averages of 156-175. Standard Doubles includes pairs with combined entering averages of 311-350.
GRAVES GOES FOR 810 IN DOUBLES
The members of the BowlU contingent put together another strong showing, highlighted by an 810 series by Derek Graves during a run at the lead in Regular Doubles on Thursday.
Graves, of Spring Grove, Va., fired games of 263, 268 and 279 to record the ninth 800 of the 2024 event, which included strikes on his final nine deliveries in Game 3. He had started doubles with nine strikes, too, and finished the set with strikes on 30 of his 34 shots.
He paired with Adam Jozwiak of Akron, N.Y., to take over second place in Regular Doubles with a 1,528 total. Jozwiak had games of 269, 223 and 226 for a 718 series.
Shawn Evans and Nicholas Fisher of Palm Bay, Fla., lead Regular Doubles with 1,531.
The pair had the chance to take the lead heading into their final frame, with both players needing doubles. Graves connected for the first hit, but Jozwiak left the 4-7 on his first delivery. Jozwiak converted the spare and rolled a strike on his fill ball.
Graves, a 38-year-old right-hander making his 11th tournament appearance, added 704 in singles and 624 in team to finish the year with a 2,138 all-events total. He currently sits in 25th place for Regular All-Events.
Watch the video below to hear more about Graves’ background in bowling, joining the BowlU group and his experience this week at the Open Championships.
BowlU placed two additional competitors in the top 25 of Regular All-Events, and the group once again made an impact on the standings at the event.
Thomas Sorce of Blasdell, N.Y., had the top overall score with 2,146, and 2017 Regular All-Events champion Brad Angelo of Lockport, N.Y., finished with 2,143.
BowlU #1 worked its way into a tie for fifth place in Team All-Events with a 10,032 total at the Bowling Plaza. The group also is tied for 15th place in Regular Team with 3,236.
Sorce led the way for BowlU #1 and was joined by 2021 Team All-Events champions Kevin Bienko (2,030) and Andrew Herbert (1,979), along with Jacob Klein (1,978) and Timothy Gruendler (1,899).
BowlU #2 took over 13th in Team All-Events with 9,901 and moved into the top 50 in Regular Team with 3,144.
Angelo and Graves were joined by Jozwiak (2,000), Charles Jagodzinski (1,898) and Joshua Nowak (1,722).
Derek Magno, a 2019 Team All-Events champion from Cicero, N.Y., leads Regular All-Events at the 2024 Open Championships with a 2,255 total. Higgy’s Aquarium of Lewis Center, Ohio, holds the top spot in Team All-Events with 10,226, and Before the 1st Frame #4 of Huntersville, N.C., leads Regular Team with 3,373.
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.