Action underway at 2024 USBC Open Championships in Las Vegas
February 24, 2024
LAS VEGAS – The 2024 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships kicked off Friday at the South Point Bowling Plaza, with 44 teams taking part in the first squad of the tournament’s 120th edition.
The 2024 event will run across 158 days to July 29, with the tournament taking a small hiatus from Feb. 27 – March 1 to welcome the Special Olympics National Unified Tournament to the 60-lane venue.
The tournament’s official opening ceremony, featuring local and bowling dignitaries, will take place Saturday, March 2.
The 2024 USBC Open Championships is expecting to welcome more than 11,000 five-player teams to Las Vegas, the most at the event since 2012. The tournament is making its seventh appearance in Las Vegas and fifth trip to the Bowling Plaza.
The top score on the opening squad belonged to the members of St. Croix Pro Shop 1 of River Falls, Wisconsin, with 2,802 to pace the way in Regular Team.
St. Croix Pro Shop 1 (from left): Matt Johnson, Vincent Thomley, Austin Jahnke, Caiden Bruns and Tony Miller
The team fired games of 944, 946 and 912 to get to the top spot. Caiden Bruns led the effort with a 654 series and was joined Friday by Vincent Thomley (587 series), Austin Jahnke (549), Tony Miller (541) and Matt Johnson (471).
MT Chiropractic of Hardin, Montana, posted the top score in Standard Team with games of 835, 917 and 926 for a 2,678 total.
Cameron Clark led MT Chiropractic with a 607 set and was followed by Steve Fergerson (565), Joelle Link (524), Andrew Wagner (512) and Charles Fergerson (470).
The members of K Den of Mililani, Hawaii, set the early pace in Classified Team with a 2,275 total. The team had games of 745, 760 and 770.
Sherwood Nunotani had a 521 series to lead K Den and was joined by Robert Chinen (483), Vergilio Repollo (480), Alethia Donathan (409) and Germaine Yabes (382).
The Open Championships features three average-based divisions in team, doubles, singles and all-events competition.
During the first week of the 2024 event, Professional Bowlers Association and USBC Hall of Famer Glenn Allison of Corona, California, is expected to break the tournament’s participation record with his 72nd appearance.
He currently shares the record with Bill Doehrman, Joe Norris and Sylvester Thiel at 71 years. Doehrman and Norris are members of the USBC Hall of Fame.
Allison, a four-time champion at the Open Championships, will bowl his team event Sunday at 2 p.m. Pacific, and he’s scheduled to be back on the lanes Monday at 2 p.m. Pacific for his doubles and singles set.
In addition to the participation record, Allison also is in pursuit of the all-time pinfall record at the Open Championships. He enters the 2024 event in third place on the list at 122,954 pins.
The 93-year-old right-hander needs 817 pins to move into second place on the list ahead of Norris (123,770 pins) and 1,134 pins to take over the top spot from USBC Hall of Famer Bill Lillard Sr. (124,087).
Along with Allison, 24 bowlers are scheduled to join the 50-Year Club at the 2024 Open Championships. Four competitors (Robert Brissette, Dale Diamond, Wayne Hutchinson and John Kerpan) are expected to make their 60th tournament appearance, and two bowlers (Kerpan and Frankie May) are planning to reach 100,000 pins in 2024.
The 77th Bowlers Journal Championships also is taking place at the South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa and got underway Thursday at the 64-lane South Point Bowling Center.
Competition at the Bowlers Journal Championships will run through July 28.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.
The 2024 event will run across 158 days to July 29, with the tournament taking a small hiatus from Feb. 27 – March 1 to welcome the Special Olympics National Unified Tournament to the 60-lane venue.
The tournament’s official opening ceremony, featuring local and bowling dignitaries, will take place Saturday, March 2.
The 2024 USBC Open Championships is expecting to welcome more than 11,000 five-player teams to Las Vegas, the most at the event since 2012. The tournament is making its seventh appearance in Las Vegas and fifth trip to the Bowling Plaza.
The top score on the opening squad belonged to the members of St. Croix Pro Shop 1 of River Falls, Wisconsin, with 2,802 to pace the way in Regular Team.
St. Croix Pro Shop 1 (from left): Matt Johnson, Vincent Thomley, Austin Jahnke, Caiden Bruns and Tony Miller
The team fired games of 944, 946 and 912 to get to the top spot. Caiden Bruns led the effort with a 654 series and was joined Friday by Vincent Thomley (587 series), Austin Jahnke (549), Tony Miller (541) and Matt Johnson (471).
MT Chiropractic of Hardin, Montana, posted the top score in Standard Team with games of 835, 917 and 926 for a 2,678 total.
Cameron Clark led MT Chiropractic with a 607 set and was followed by Steve Fergerson (565), Joelle Link (524), Andrew Wagner (512) and Charles Fergerson (470).
The members of K Den of Mililani, Hawaii, set the early pace in Classified Team with a 2,275 total. The team had games of 745, 760 and 770.
Sherwood Nunotani had a 521 series to lead K Den and was joined by Robert Chinen (483), Vergilio Repollo (480), Alethia Donathan (409) and Germaine Yabes (382).
The Open Championships features three average-based divisions in team, doubles, singles and all-events competition.
- Regular Division – 876 and above in team, 351 and above in doubles, 176 and above in singles and all-events
- Standard Division – 776-875 in team, 311-350 in doubles, 156-175 in singles and all-events
- Classified Division – 775 and below in team, 310 and below in doubles, 155 and below in singles and all-events
During the first week of the 2024 event, Professional Bowlers Association and USBC Hall of Famer Glenn Allison of Corona, California, is expected to break the tournament’s participation record with his 72nd appearance.
He currently shares the record with Bill Doehrman, Joe Norris and Sylvester Thiel at 71 years. Doehrman and Norris are members of the USBC Hall of Fame.
Allison, a four-time champion at the Open Championships, will bowl his team event Sunday at 2 p.m. Pacific, and he’s scheduled to be back on the lanes Monday at 2 p.m. Pacific for his doubles and singles set.
In addition to the participation record, Allison also is in pursuit of the all-time pinfall record at the Open Championships. He enters the 2024 event in third place on the list at 122,954 pins.
The 93-year-old right-hander needs 817 pins to move into second place on the list ahead of Norris (123,770 pins) and 1,134 pins to take over the top spot from USBC Hall of Famer Bill Lillard Sr. (124,087).
Along with Allison, 24 bowlers are scheduled to join the 50-Year Club at the 2024 Open Championships. Four competitors (Robert Brissette, Dale Diamond, Wayne Hutchinson and John Kerpan) are expected to make their 60th tournament appearance, and two bowlers (Kerpan and Frankie May) are planning to reach 100,000 pins in 2024.
The 77th Bowlers Journal Championships also is taking place at the South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa and got underway Thursday at the 64-lane South Point Bowling Center.
Competition at the Bowlers Journal Championships will run through July 28.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.