Pictured above (from left): Anna-Marie Quon and Becky Culver

LAS VEGAS – For many bowlers at the United States Bowling Congress Women’s Championships, the trip is all about fun with friends and exploring a great host city like Las Vegas.

That’s what Anna-Marie Quon of Arcadia, California, and Becky Culver of Glendora, California, were thinking as they made their way to the South Point Bowling Plaza for the 2023 event, before taking over the lead Friday in Sapphire Doubles with a 1,086 total.

“We came here just to have fun with our friends,” Culver said. “Now, we have the lead for at least today, which is so exciting.”

Quon rolled games of 189, 211 and 199 for a 599 total, while Culver had games of 150, 134 and 203 for 487.

Denise Dome (left) and Dixie Cook of Cedartown, Georgia, had taken the lead in Sapphire Doubles on Thursday with 1,071.

Bowling together had been a few years in the making, as the duo previously was going to join forces in 2020 in Las Vegas for the USBC Women’s Championships before the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also delayed Culver’s debut at the tournament until this year.

Quon made her sixth Women’s Championships appearance this week.

Culver said that everything about the tournament has been great, and if they were able to take home the title, “It would just be icing on the cake.”

Sapphire Doubles features bowlers with combined entering averages of 276-297.

The 2023 Women’s Championships started April 23 and will conclude July 2. The event will run for 71 consecutive days at the South Point Bowling Plaza and feature more than 4,200 four-player teams and nearly 17,000 bowlers.

Follow updates and more from the official USBC Women’s Championships Facebook page.