By DONOVAN GRUBAUGH
USBC Communications
LINCOLN, Neb. – What started with 108 of the world’s best female bowlers has now been cut to 36 following Round 3 of qualifying at the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open, contested at Sun Valley Lanes.
Leading the way with an 18-game total of 5,003 is Missy Parkin of San Clemente, Calif., followed by Malaysia’s Gillian Lim (4,944), second-round leader Stefanie Johnson of McKinney, Texas (4,930), Crystal Elliott of Palm Bay, Fla. (4,924), and Julia Bond of Aurora, Ill. (4,921), for positions two through five.
Maryssa Carey of Hobart, Ind., was sixth with 4,918, last week’s PWBA winner Jordan Snodgrass of Adrian, Mich., and Lauren Russo of O’Fallon, Mo, in a tie for seventh at 4,873, Singapore’s New Hui Fen, a two-time winner during the PWBA Summer Series, ninth at 4,867 and Kayla Pashina of Otsego, Minn., 10th with 4,848. The final person advancing to the fourth qualifying round was Stow’s Jillian Martin, with 4,646, making it by 11 pins over 37th place.
Colombia’s Rocio Restrepo, now living in Kent, also made the cut, finishing 13th with 4,818.
A number of competitors were jockeying to make the cut, with Kerry Smith of Lititz, Pa., and Jaelle Hamman of Jarrell, Texas, among those that fought their way into the final qualifying round tomorrow morning.
This is Smith’s second straight year making to the fourth qualifying round at the U.S. Women’s Open. She is carrying the momentum from last week’s Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour stop in Waterloo, Iowa, where she made the stepladder finals and finished in fifth.
“(The momentum) definitely helps because this event is the hardest one of the season,” said Smith, who is going into the final qualifying round in 25th place after starting Saturday in 56th. “If you have a bad game, you just have to remind yourself that it doesn’t take you out of the tournament.”
It’s still early to think about making a run to the major title, but Smith acknowledged what that feeling might be like if she were to come out on top at the conclusion of the event.
“It would be awesome because it’s a major, but we have to make the first cut and then come up with a new gameplan for the new pattern, maybe some new equipment as well,” said Smith. “One step at a time, make the first cut and go from there.”
For Hamman, a three-time Junior Team USA member from 2022 to 2024, this is her first time making the cut at the U.S. Women’s Open in two tries and it was a last-minute decision for her to bowl in the first place.
“I was fortunate enough that being on Junior Team USA (last year) allowed me to go straight into the main field,” said Hamman. “It was something that I thought I should take advantage of since it was my last year on the team, so I decided to pull the trigger on that.”
That trigger pull paid off for the 22-year-old right-hander, who grinded out games all week to put herself in position at 31st place, using what she has learned over the years on Junior Team USA to advance in Lincoln.
“I think (Junior Team USA coach Kelly Kulick) said it best to us in that the best bowlers are the ones that are most aware,” Hamman said. “I was looking around to see what other people were doing, what was working and what wasn’t, and really taking advantage of that.”
After making the cut in her last two events, Tallmadge’s Kirsten Moore finished 93rd this week.
Smith, Hamman and the other 34 competitors return to Sun Valley Lanes at 11 a.m. Sunday for a final eight-game qualifying block, cutting to the top 24 for the beginning of round-robin match play at 6 p.m. The final two rounds of match play begin at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday, where the top five advance to Tuesday’s live TV stepladder finals at 7 p.m. Eastern on CBS Sports Network.
All rounds of competition leading up to the stepladder finals will be streamed live on BowlTV.