LAS VEGAS - Even as he was taking the lead in Regular All-Events at the 2017 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, Brad Angelo of Lockport, New York, maintained his teaching mindset and kept his focus on the overall success of his two-team group, rather than on his own performance at the South Point Bowling Plaza.

The 47-year-old right-hander entered the final game of his 2017 USBC Open Championships campaign needing 177 pins to claim the top spot in the standings, but he didn't know exactly how close he was.

He got there with a ninth-frame strike and raised the bar with a 230 finale, capping off a 735 singles series and 2,176 all-events total, which included 723 in team and 718 in doubles. He was clean in 87 of his 90 frames as he passed Jacob Boresch of Kenosha, Wisconsin, who previously held the lead with 2,122, rolled on March 4.

"I knew I was bowling well, but I honestly had no idea what I needed and just wanted to keep throwing good shots and adding to it," said Angelo, who made his 23rd appearance on the championship lanes. "Coming down the stretch, I told the guys we should stay focused and bowl like it was the first game. Some other guys had good scores going, so I wanted everyone to keep working, rather than making it all about me."

Angelo quickly attributed his personal success to the hard work and dedication of the two teams, which have gotten together regularly in recent months at Lockport's Brad Angelo Lanes to practice on different oil patterns and work on strategy, shapes, angles and selecting what bowling balls each team member would bring to Las Vegas.

Their efforts paid off Friday night with sets of 3,143 and 3,086 for BowlU 1 and BowlU 2, respectively, and that momentum carried over to doubles and singles Saturday night.

Angelo and Andrew Herbert of Eden, New York, highlighted the doubles event with a 1,428 total, which is third in Regular Doubles. Herbert, who made his second Open Championships appearance this year, contributed a 710 series and went on to finish with a 2,017 all-events total, besting his 2016 debut by 170 pins.

Angelo's group consists of some young bowlers he has been helping and working with using the BowlU methodology he teaches around the country and has taught around the world. BowlU essentially breaks down the sport into five unique elements and helps bowlers work them into their own games and goals.

The 2016 Open Championships in Reno, Nevada, marked Angelo's return to the tournament after more than a decade on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour. He found quick success, starting with an Open Doubles title at the Bowlers Journal Championships presented by USBC with Sean Riccardi of St. Petersburg, Florida.

On the main championship lanes, Angelo's first attempt to put a team together led to a 21st-place finish in Regular Team and prompted the addition of a second team for 2017.

Even while competing on the biggest stage in bowling, Angelo used his personal experience in the sport and the heat of the moment Saturday to continue helping and shaping the younger bowlers in the group. Among the more experienced players was PBA standout and 2013 Regular All-Events champion John Szczerbinski of North Tonawanda, New York.

"Last year was our first attempt to put a team together, and it went well, so we added some young bowlers who have been going to our bowling camps, and everything we do is based on BowlU theories," said Angelo, a two-time Team USA member who owns two PBA Tour titles. "There's no way the scores I put up could've been possible without the other nine guys and the non-stop sharing of information as we tried to stay on top of the transition."

The overall goal for Angelo and his teammates was a run at Team All-Events, and they were the headliners on a high-scoring squad that saw four teams move into the top 12 in the Team All-Events standings.

Angelo and Herbert led BowlU 1 into sixth place with a 9,710 total, getting help from Jacob Klein (1,857), Mark Decman (1,845) and Bryan Dragotta (1,815).

BowlU 2 of Blasdell, New York, was close behind with 9,692, which is good for seventh place, and the performance included Kevin Bienko (2,035), Chad Mee (2,017), Thomas Sorce (1,936), Szczerbinski (1,925) and Jeff Wallace (1,779).

A few lanes away, A&M Affiliates 1 of Minneapolis, the new team of four-time Open Championships titlist Matt McNiel, moved into eighth place in Team All-Events with 9,646, and Strike It Big 1 of Sanford, Michigan, settled into 12th place with 9,616.

Surrounding himself with bowlers excited to learn more about the sport and Open Championships helped Angelo appreciate what he has experienced and accomplished and kept him more focused on the lanes this weekend.

He wanted to lead by example and was extra conscious about executing one shot at a time and giving a complete effort on every offering. Having done that, Angelo now is in position to add an incredibly special accomplishment to his resume - an Open Championships Eagle.

"What an honor it would be to win a title at the Open Championships, especially given the great history of this event," Angelo said. "The first time I saw my name on the PBA banner that hangs over the lanes, it was at a Tour stop in my hometown of Buffalo, and it meant so much to me. Now, there's the possibility of my name on an Open Championships banner, and that would be hanging over the lanes next year in my home state of New York. That would be incredibly special."

The 2017 Open Championships kicked off Feb. 18 and will run for 149 consecutive days until July 16.

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