USBC Communications
RENO, Nev. – A special family moment unfolded Sunday at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships as Grant and David Szynal of Isanti, Minn., combined to take the lead in Standard Doubles at the 2026 event.
The father-son team posted a total of 1,318 at the National Bowling Stadium, with David firing a 676 series (209, 244, 223) and Grant adding 642 (211, 229, 202).
The lead in Standard Doubles previously belonged to Wisconsin’s Bryan Polinski and Robert Nowaczyk and Texas’ Tommy Tran and Duc Tran with 1,282.
For David, a 20-time participant at the tournament, the accomplishment carried extra meaning.
“Being able to do this with my son is probably one of my proudest moments,” David said. “I’ve been coming here for years, but this is completely different. To share this experience with him, it’s special.”
Grant, competing in just his second USBC Open Championships, described the moment in simple terms.
“Unreal,” Grant said. “To come out and bowl that well on this stage means a lot. And to do it with my dad, someone I’ve looked up to my whole life, makes it even better.”
The duo found themselves in contention early, approaching the 900 mark after two games and realizing they had a legitimate opportunity to make a run at the lead.
“Going into the third game, we knew we had a chance if we could just put together a couple solid games,” David said. “By the fifth frame, I knew we had a really good shot at it.”
Despite recognizing the opportunity, David focused on keeping his son grounded throughout the set.
“I didn’t want to say too much,” David said. “I just told him to go out, throw good shots and have fun. I’ve been in that moment before, so I knew how important it was to stay focused.”
Grant credited a change in approach for helping him deliver one of the best performances of his young career.
“I slowed everything down,” Grant said. “I took a couple deep breaths before each shot and really focused on execution. It worked out. This is definitely the best I’ve bowled.”
David also delivered a clutch moment late in the set, converting a difficult split in the final frame to help secure the team’s position at the top.
“I threw one of my worst shots and left a 4-10, but I was able to pick it up,” David said. “That was a big moment.”
As the final scores were posted and their names appeared atop the leaderboard, the realization of what they had accomplished began to set in.
“It just feels real,” David said. “You see your name up there, and you know what you just did. It’s something you don’t forget.”
The duo was supported by a large group of teammates and friends who made the trip to Reno, adding to the atmosphere of the moment.
“We’ve got a big group that comes out every year,” David said. “They all knew what was going on, and it just made it even more fun.”
While the father and son now will head home with the lead, they understand the challenge ahead as the tournament continues through the summer.
“There’s still a lot of the tournament left,” David said. “We put up a good number, but we know anything can happen.”
If their score holds, however, the moment would be even more meaningful.
“To win it together would be incredible,” David said. “That’s something we’d carry with us forever.”
For Grant, the possibility of earning a title so early in his bowling career adds additional excitement.
“I just started bowling a couple years ago,” Grant said. “To have something like this happen already would be pretty amazing. It’s only up from here. This is something we’ll never forget.”
Standard Doubles features pairs with combined entering averages of 321-362.
300s KEEP ON COMING
Will Mateffy of Elko New Market, Minnesota, etched his name in the record book at the Open Championships last week, becoming the fourth competitor to connect for two 300s in one tournament appearance.
The 30-year-old right-hander went 12 for 12 during his second game of team Friday at the National Bowling Stadium, and he found perfection again Saturday to close doubles.
He finished with a 685 series in team and 677 in doubles. Mateffy posted 653 in singles to finish his 10th appearance at the USBC Open Championships with 2,015 – his highest all-events score.
Kyle McCrackin of Wichita, Kan., was the first to roll two 300s in a single appearance at the tournament (2002 in doubles and singles). Ron Bahr of Topeka, Kan., rolled games of 237, 300 and 300 to win Regular Singles with 837 in 2003, and David Ferguson of Austin, Texas, posted a pair of perfect games in 2006 (doubles, singles).
Just a couple hours after his 300 in doubles Saturday, Mateffy returned to the NBS for a squad at the Bowlers Journal Championships and nearly added a third 300 and 800 series to his trip to The Biggest Little City in the World.
He started his first game with nine strikes before leaving a 10-pin on the way to 278, and he added games of 248 and 256 to finish with 782.
In addition, after several close calls in past trips Open, Chris Drewes of Wichita, Kan., was able to secure perfection Sunday.
The 41-year-old right-hander rolled 12 strikes during his second game of singles at the National Bowling Stadium. He finished with games of 214, 300 and 226 for a 740 series. He connected for the 15th perfect game of the 2026 event.
The performance helped charge a tremendous run toward the top score in Team All-Events for Drewes and his teammates on Gasthaus Motel Green. They settled into third place with 10,089 after averaging more than 243 in singles (3,654 total for the team’s 15 games of singles).
Drewes added 671 in doubles and 602 team to finish his 18th appearance at the USBC Open Championships with a 2,013 total, and he was joined on Gasthaus Motel Green by Aaron Turner (2,052), Jonathan Schalow (2,049), Jesse Buss (2,047) and Chad Svendsen (1,928).
In singles, three of the teammates now sit in the top 30 for the Regular Division. Schalow is sixth with 773, while Turner is tied for ninth with 760. Drewes’ 740 has him in 26th place. Buss added 693, and Svendsen had 688.
The group had had 3,373 in doubles and 3,062 in team competition.
Armstrong Printing 1 of Naperville, Ill., leads Team All-Events at the 2026 Open Championships with 10,169.
Drewes has a runner-up finish in Regular Doubles from the 2014 Open Championships with Devin Bidwell and placed third in Regular Team in 2012.
The Open Championships is celebrating its 122nd edition in 2026 and making its 15th trip to Reno, Nevada. The 2026 event is scheduled to feature more than 55,000 bowlers and 11,000 five-player teams competing across 128 consecutive days at the National Bowling Stadium.