LAS VEGAS - Nearly a quarter of a century ago, Chris Barnes of Denton, Texas, walked off the lanes at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships having just posted scores that ended up being good enough to earn him his second and third titles at the storied event.

Because his career path soon took him in a different competitive direction, it would be almost 20 years before he finally earned the Squad Room recognition that comes with such accomplishments.

While he was building his hall-of-fame resume on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour, he missed the grandeur and one-of-a-kind atmosphere at the USBC Open Championships, along with the camaraderie, communication and teamwork that go along with it.

Following some rule changes, Barnes was able to return to the special stage upon which he once shined, and he made an emotional and highly anticipated reemergence in 2017.

It took a few years for him to find his stride again across the tournament's nine-game format, but everything seemed to fall into place Saturday and Sunday at the South Point Bowling Plaza, where he again left the lanes in position to take home a pair of coveted Eagle trophies.

Now 52, Barnes averaged more than 244 over the two days, and his performance was both a lesson and a reminder to his 19-year-old son, Ryan, who is just two years into his own Open Championships career.

The reminder was that dad still has some gas left in the tank, and the lesson was part of what likely will be a lifetime of teachings about the event and its history, instilled in Barnes by two of the greatest teams to ever take the lanes - Chilton Vending of Wichita, Kansas, and Lodge Lanes of Belleville, Michigan.

Ryan Barnes had a front-row seat Sunday as Chris Barnes and Billy Rogers of Denison, Texas, stormed into the lead in Regular Doubles with a 1,479 total, and then as the elder Barnes made his way to the top of the Regular All-Events standings with a 2,197 total.

Barnes, who made his 32nd appearance on the championship lanes, led the doubles effort with games of 250, 248 and 279 for a 777 series, and Rogers, a 44-year-old right-hander making his fifth appearance, added 242, 201 and 259 for a 702 set.

The partnership was calculated, a long time in the making and an experience both bowlers were looking forward to sharing.

"I was looking forward to this part probably most of all because I knew we'd be able to play off each other and break down the lanes similarly, and that's kind of how it worked," Barnes said. "We worked together, and Ryan and Greg (Snee) played a big part, too. Nothing out here happens on its own. You have to have a group that works together to get it done the right way. We did that, and we balanced each other well."

Scott Kinkaid of Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, and Andrew Carson of York, Pennsylvania, previously held the doubles lead with 1,433, and California's Sam Cantrell was the top competitor in Regular All-Events with 2,159. Cantrell still leads Regular Singles with 777.

Barnes and Rogers have bowled against each other for years in leagues and tournaments across Texas, and Barnes believes they share many similarities on the lanes. Despite their new team being dubbed Bowlers & Bodybuilders, they shared the heavy lifting Sunday in doubles.

"There's the old adage, 'if you can't beat them, join them,' and that's exactly why we're bowling doubles," Barnes said. "We've been bowling against each other around Texas for 15 years, and he beats me all the time. He also likes to do a lot of the same things I do, and half the time, he does them better than I do. He has beaten me enough times that he has had my respect for a long time, and I'm glad we finally were able to bowl something together."

Rogers made his Open Championships debut in 2012, and while 2022 marked only his fifth tournament appearance, he has continued to surround himself with talented teammates.

In 2013, his team included future Eagle winners Anthony Lavery-Spahr and Anthony Simonsen, along with Sean Lavery-Spahr. All three since have enjoyed continued success in PBA national and regional competition.

In 2019 and 2021, Rogers teamed with three members of the Artistic Expressions 1 team that won the 2014 Regular Team title with a record 3,720 total. Anthony Lavery-Spahr also was on that winning team.

Getting to share the spotlight with Barnes this year was a special way for Rogers to celebrate his milestone trip to the Open Championships.
"I felt pretty privileged to even be bowling with Chris, and being able to take over the lead feels incredible," Rogers said. "It's always impressive to watch him bowl, and I'm very fortunate that I was the one who got to bowl with him. It's hard to believe I'm even in this situation at such a huge and important event."

After a few years of trying to find the right mix of players for the second phase of his Open Championships career, Barnes and Rogers clearly have found a viable combination of talent and experience.

Their team event Saturday night went well, and their 3,124 total landed them just outside the top 10, with some extra motivation and momentum heading into doubles and singles Sunday evening.

Barnes and Rogers were joined on the lanes for doubles and singles by Ryan Barnes and Snee, a young standout from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The quartet attacked the weekend's second oil pattern with a game plan, and all four bowled well, averaging a collective 229.8 over the six games.

Chris Barnes added a 750 series in singles, which is sixth in the Regular Singles standings. He had 670 in the team event.

"We talked about the numbers coming in and said 1,480 in doubles would give you a swing at this thing, and we finished right up against that," Barnes said. "Adding the all-events lead was a nice bonus. At my age, you never know how many chances you have left at something like this, so I'm enjoying the ride. If I can offer a few lessons along the way, I'll gladly do so."

The new all-events leader also helped Bowlers and Bodybuilders into fourth place in Team All-Events with a 9,445 total. Rogers finished with a 1,991 total and was followed by Snee (1,926), Cully Fulce (1,688) and David Bullough (1,643).

Ryan Barnes, who helped Holiday Bowl of Boonton, New Jersey, into second place in Regular Team minutes before taking the lanes for doubles and singles, finished his second Open Championships campaign with sets of 717 in singles, 705 in team and 617 in doubles for a 2,039 total.

Holiday Bowl posted games of 1,108, 1,095 and 1,102 for a 3,305 total. David Nagelhout added a 705 and was followed by Andrew Suscreba (698), Mark Duca (654) and Shawn Aiello (543).

The rest of Holiday Bowl will be back on the lanes for doubles and singles Monday at 1:30 p.m. Eastern.

They fell 67 pins short of Supreme Deck of Grand Haven, Michigan (3,372) in the team event and will take aim at Supreme Deck's leading Team All-Events score of 9,917. The Team All-Events champion is decided by the combined all-events totals of all five team members.

Two of Chris Barnes' titles at the Open Championships were in Team All-Events, as he and his Lodge Lanes teammates were able to win consecutive times in 1997 and 1998. He fueled the second win by also leading Regular All-Events. His winning score (2,151) was 46 pins less than the number he posted Sunday at the South Point Bowling Plaza.

Barnes didn't find immediately find success at the Open Championships, however.

He was a young student at Wichita State University, where the bowling program and coaches helped him develop into one of the world's best, but it took time.

His 1989 debut, when the tournament was held in Wichita, featured a high series of 563 and a 1,614 all-events total, despite the event being one of the highest scoring of all-time.

Being able to witness the dominance of the Chilton bowlers and then learn the ins and outs of the tournament from Lodge Lanes leader, fellow USBC Hall of Famer Bob Goike, Barnes' rise was a quick one.

Barnes rolled an 823 series during doubles in 1992 and tossed a perfect game in the team event in 1993. Then came the breakthrough title in 1997, the two victories in 1998 and a fast track to the PBA Tour shortly after.

The wireframe is there for continued success at the Open Championships, and Barnes is excited about the opportunity to pass it all along to his son and new teammates.

"Bob Goike is one of the best guys in the world, and I know how much this tournament has meant to him," Barnes said. "He passed that along through me, and I hope to pass that on to Ryan and the rest of our group. I love being back here and being on this stage. Bowl good, bowl bad, I still think this is one of the greatest events and one that means a lot to me now, too."

At the same time, he admits that Ryan's progression on the lanes has been impressively fast, also due in part to time spent at Wichita State, and there's no doubt he'll soon be the Barnes in the Open Championships spotlight.

As Ryan Barnes gets going in his career, Chris Barnes will do his best to share all the tools and information he can.

"I enjoy being able to help Ryan right now, and he's really improving in a hurry," Barnes said. "He's got more upside than I ever had, and if he keeps picking up the lessons and getting better each time, he'll be tough to beat. We all make mistakes, and even I do it at 52. I just try not to make the same ones again. Watching him grow and improve is fun to watch, and it was special for us to be on the same pair and work together like we did."

The 2022 Open Championships kicked off March 12 and will run for 129 consecutive days, concluding July 18. Barnes now will have to wait more than three months to see if his scores were enough this time around.

Potentially, he could make his return to the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada, as a defending champion. The NBS was the host venue in 1998.

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