LAS VEGAS – An incredible display of striking took place over the final two squads of competition Friday at the 2024 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, with three lead changes, a pair of 800s and the first 300 of the 2024 event.

The excitement started during the 6 p.m. Pacific squad at the South Point Bowling Plaza, as former Team USA member Shawn Evans and Nicholas Fisher of Palm Bay, Florida, took over the top spot in Regular Doubles with a 1,531 total.

Evans fired games of 299, 259 and 246 for an 804 series, and Fisher added scores of 260, 199 and 268 for 727.

Fisher, a 19-year-old right-hander making his first appearance at the USBC Open Championships, struck on his first delivery in the 10th frame of Game 3, and Evans, a 46-year-old right-hander, matched with a strike of his own to secure the lead and 800 series.

Jonathan Heimann of Troy, Illinois, and Tim Heimann of St. Louis had led Regular Doubles with 1,515.

The pair shook off a rough team event Thursday and quickly saw something they liked as doubles competition got underway.

“It’s a new pattern, so let’s see what we got, and we took advantage of it,” said Evans, a member of the Space Coast USBC Hall of Fame. “Since we were staying on the same pair for doubles and singles, we tried to burn a hole to the right and it just happened to be where the pattern was at.”

After 559 for the team in Game 1, Fisher ran into a pair of open frames in the middle of Game 2. He was able to make a ball change to get back on track and started the final game with six strikes.

“We talked before we started bowling about how we wanted to shape the lane, and it worked pretty well,” Fisher said. “I think I threw a couple of bad shots in Game 2 that led to a couple opens, but I made a good ball change for the third game to start with the first six strikes.”

Friday marked the first time Evans and Fisher had bowled a doubles event together, and Evans tried to keep the mood light as they approached the top score.

“After the first game, I told him we were in position to win this, so let’s just have fun and do our thing,” said Evans, making his 10th tournament appearance. “That’s what we did. It’s his first nationals, so I tried to make some jokes to keep him calm as possible. I didn’t throw it very well for my 299 or the second one in the 10th (of Game 3), and he threw it better than I did for the wheat. I have to give it up for the youngster. He’s a young superstar coming up.”

Evans made his return to bowling last year after an eight-year hiatus, and his appearance this week marked his first time at the Open Championships since 2012.

Putting up the score to beat is something special for him.

“I just started up again last year,” Evans said. “It’s unbelievable to be back.”

For Fisher, he hopes this performance is the springboard to even bigger and better things.

“It would mean a lot (to win),” Fisher said. “I’m working to get to the PBA level, and this tournament was definitely a good start to that.”

Evans finished his 2024 appearance with 550 in team and 543 in singles for an all-events score of 1,897. Fisher had 629 in singles and 528 in team for 1,884 in his tournament debut.



As competition transitioned to the 9:30 p.m. Pacific squad, Curtis Woods Jr. of Santa Rosa, California, recorded the first perfect game of the 2024 event during his second game of doubles.

After starting with 268, Woods collected his second 300 at the Open Championships to become just the 40th player to post multiple perfect games on the tournament lanes. His first came at the 2019 event during doubles competition, which also was held at the South Point Bowling Plaza.

Woods, a 50-year-old right-hander, finished with 178 for a 746 series and paired with Robbie Parr of Windsor, California, for a 1,324 total.

After some struggles in team, Woods found some time to practice Friday to get everything back in line. With some tweaks to his footwork and a strong plan coming in from a session at the Bowlers Journal Championships, he quickly found the right look.

“Team event was a hot mess,” said Woods, who had 710 in singles and 548 in team for a 2,004 total in 2024. “I don’t think I could have bowled any worse, so I was pretty frustrated to say the least. I practiced for about an hour today to simplify some things. I focused on getting my first couple of steps to walk to the left to open up my hips more.

“We had a pretty good plan for doubles and singles from bowling the Bowlers Journal earlier in the week, and the plan worked. We made them nice and it allowed me to play the part of the lane I’m comfortable playing.”

Woods enjoys the team dynamic their group has built over time at the Open Championships, and he was also able to share the performance with a familiar face from his perfect game in 2019 – Sam Carter.

“I never knew if I was going to have one here, and now I have two,” said Woods, who made his 18th tournament appearance. “It’s incredible. It’s something that I can say forever and hopefully, it's something I can build on, too. It’s cool that I get to share that with my family. I get to share that with my oldest daughter, (Junior Team USA member) Ashtyn, who’s probably the better bowler in the family now.

“It’s pretty cool and nice to do that with this group of guys, and to have Sam Carter there watching tonight, who was my doubles partner in 2019, was special, too.”



Joe Barket of Morro Bay, California, was up next, competing on the same pair of lanes as Woods.

Barket, a 63-year-old right-hander, switched up his footwork at the end of doubles and worked his way into rhythm with games of 279, 279 and 248 to take the lead in Regular Singles with an 806 series.

He delivered a strike on his first ball of the 10th frame of Game 3 and left the 10 pin on his second shot to secure the 800 and spot at the top of the standings.

Kevin McCune of Munster, Indiana, previously led Regular Singles with 801.

After starting with 194 and 170 on Friday, things weren’t in time for Barket. He switched from four to five steps in the third game to finish with 213 for 577 in doubles.

“I was having a hard time throwing the ball,” said Barket, who added 627 in team for a 2,010 all-events tally. “I was stepping on myself, wasn’t solid at the line and the ball was getting there way too early. What I usually do when I get locked up at the foul line like that is go to a five-step approach. I step back about a half step and start off with my left foot instead of my right. It makes me later and keeps the ball back in the window at the bottom of my release. I was able to get in a better position, and everything came into play.

“I made some good adjustments and went from there. I was able to get really soft with it, repeat what I was doing and make the moves the pins were telling me. When you can do that – repeat shots and be solid at the line – everything just falls into place.”

With strikes on 22 of his first 24 deliveries in singles and 558 at the turn, Barket was able to keep up with the moves on the left lane after a 9 pin popped up in the fourth frame.

“The left lane started moving on me with the 9 pin,” said Barket, making his 13th tournament appearance. “I made a move on it, and the next time I came back to the left lane, I didn’t throw it as pure as I wanted and left a weak 10. But, I knew I was in the right spot after leaving the 9 pin.”

Barket was greeted by his teammates after finishing off the 800 and the lead, and he was keeping an eye on what Woods was doing as the pair started to take shape in doubles, even though he was still working to get his timing in order.

Being able to see success for the group over the course of both events also was special for Woods, who beamed with excitement for his teammate.

“We definitely broke them down well,” Woods said. “I got out of urethane in the middle of the first game of singles and moved a little left, and they were pretty good.

“Watching Joe do what he did – I think everybody on the team, including the wives, were pretty emotional at the end. He’s one of the best human beings you’ll ever meet. He’s always helping someone on the team with their game, and you can’t have enough Joe Barkets in your life. We were all rooting for him.”

Now, Barket will wait and see if his score will be enough to take home his first win at the Open Championships.

“It’s the Eagle – everyone wants one,” Barket said. “This was great to do, and I hope it holds. But, there’s a lot of great bowlers coming up and I’m sure someone is going to give it a run. For now, I can enjoy it and say I was there for a little while.”



The excitement concluded with the members of Trip 4 Pro Shop of St. Clair Shores, Michigan, taking the lead in Team All-Events with a 9,970 total. Bowlers Headquarters of Muskego, Wisconsin, previously held the lead with 9,915.

The group had moved to the top of the leaderboard in Regular Team on Thursday night with a 3,363 score, and they’ll leave Las Vegas with the lead in two events.

Former Team USA member Perry Crowell IV led the team’s overall performance and moved into second place in Regular All-Events with a 2,174 total (743 in team, 739 in singles and 692 in doubles).

He was joined in the effort by Blake Earnest (2,062), JJ Mastny (2,014), Anthony Dodge (1,908) and Kolby Crowell (1,812).

“Today was about one shot at a time and picking each other up, because they are not easy out here,” Perry Crowell IV said. “We tried to get as much as we could and see them the right way.”

With one game left in singles, the team needed to post 1,075 or more to move ahead of Bowlers Headquarters. Earnest bounced back from 198 in Game 2 with 279, and the Crowell brothers posted 248 (Perry) and 244 (Kolby) to power the team to the top of the standings.

“I didn’t know the number heading down the stretch, but I had a conversation with myself and knew I needed to help the team out the best I could,” said Earnest, who rolled the first 300 game of the 2023 Open Championships in Reno, Nevada. “I was able to lock in and play my part. It was a real team effort this week, and everybody played a role at different times. It’s everything you look forward to at this event.”

Perry Crowell IV also had the chance to take the lead in Regular All-Events heading into his final frame of singles, needing a double to six pins to move ahead of McCune’s 2,179 total.

He delivered the first strike, but the 7 pin stood on a pocket hit for his second delivery.

“You can’t win unless you walk away with the lead, and obviously, I wanted to have one more,” Crowell said. “I would throw that shot again every day and twice on Sundays.

“When you have a chance to win an Eagle, it’s something you can hang your hat on and be proud about. We were able to put forth our best effort and walk away with our name on the top of the leaderboard in two events, and that’s pretty special. Whether it holds up will be determined, and there are a lot of good teams still to come out here. We feel pretty good with our effort and hope it is something we can build on moving forward. This team, in terms of bowling together, is pretty young. We don’t get the chance to bowl together throughout the year – we get together once a year at this event. Our track record is trending in the right direction.”

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.

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