Clemmer third, Johnson fifth after Day 1 of singles at 2023 Pan American Games
November 04, 2023
RESULTS AND INFORMATION
SANTIAGO, Chile – Breanna Clemmer of Clover, South Carolina, is in third place in the women’s field, and A.J. Johnson of Oswego, Illinois, is fifth among men after Friday’s opening round of singles qualifying at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
Those performances put both Americans in prime position to make a run at the medal round in their respective divisions heading into Saturday’s final eight-game block of singles qualifying, which will kick off with women’s action starting at 7 a.m. Eastern from Plaza Vespucio Centro de Bowling.
When it does, Clemmer will be looking to maintain the momentum that started Thursday when she teamed up with Jordan Richard of Tipton, Michigan, to capture the women’s doubles gold medal and continued Friday when she patiently grinded her way to an eight-game total of 1,630 (a 203.75 average) thanks to high games of 258, 234 and 214.
That performance allowed the savvy right-hander to keep herself right in the thick of the medal conversation heading into the final round of qualifying.
Aruba’s Kamilah Dammers led the women’s field on Friday with a score of 1,706 (a 213.25 average). The two remaining spots in the Day 1 top four went to Sandra Gongora of Mexico, who was second with 1,674, and Colombia’s Clara Guererro, who posted a score of 1,621 to place fourth.
Richard is currently in 24th place after putting up a 1,390 total on Friday.
Despite finishing the opening round in the women’s top three, Friday’s block was anything but smooth sailing for Clemmer.
“It was one of those days where I was really just trying to hit the pocket and make my spares instead of looking for the big game; it was really a grind,” Clemmer said. “It was visibly frustrating at times, but the support of Jordan (Richard) and Bryan (Team USA Head Coach Bryan O’Keefe) really helped a lot today.
“My outlook heading into tomorrow is just to control what I can control and expect the unexpected. I have to be prepared for anything in regard to lane play, so I’m just going to try to get some mental rest, stay positive and see how it all goes from there.”
Johnson also knows the importance of trying to stay positive.
Just a little over 12 hours after he and teammate Brandon Bonta of Wichita, Kansas, wrapped up a disappointing performance in men’s doubles on Thursday night, Johnson was back out on the lanes Friday morning hoping to get things going in a better direction during singles.
Unfortunately, early on, it didn’t look meant to be.
Even though Johnson’s ball was locked in on the 1-3 pocket, he just couldn’t seem to string any strikes together, which lead to opening scores of 194 and 191, 20th place in the standings and a great deal of frustration.
Nevertheless, rather than giving in, Johnson got to work.
He began by recording games of 216, 222 and 214 to move from 20th to 17th at the end of five games.
A tricky pair of lanes led to a 199 in Game 6, but it was still enough to move Johnson up one additional place in the standings.
One game later, he’d make his way up to the 12th spot after carding a solid 215.
The best was yet to come, however, as Johnson started his final game with eight strikes in a row before a 4-pin ended his bid for perfection in the ninth.
He easily converted the spare and then proceeded to strike out in the 10th frame to close out his day with a score of 279, which moved him all the way up to fifth place in the opening-round standings with an eight-game total of 1,730 (a 216.25 average).
Friday’s top four men’s finishers were Mitch Hupe of Canada (1,957), Colombia’s Sebastian Salazar (1,879), Canadian Francois Lavoie (1,743) and Costa Rica’s Marco Moretti (1,741).
Bonta finished the day in 17th place with a score of 1,615, which included a 265 in Game 1 and a 246 in Game 6.
Johnson believes that both he and Bonta have executed far better than the scoresheets have indicated during the first two days of competition. As such, he’s hoping that the best is yet to come for both of them on Saturday.
“A short format like this is really tough, and it tests your patience,” Johnson said. “But we’ve got a lot more left in the tank, so we’re just going keep the nose down and go after it.
“We have a better picture now of what the lanes are asking; we just need to execute like we have been and catch a few more breaks with pin carry to allow us to throw those six- and seven-baggers like the guys up at the top have been throwing.”
Johnson and Bonta will be looking to do just that when the final round of men’s singles qualifying starts Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. Eastern.
After Saturday’s final eight-game block, the field will be cut to the top four bowlers in each division.
Those semifinalists will square off Sunday at 9 a.m. Eastern in a match-play format that will see the No. 1 seed battle the No. 4 seed and the No. 2 seed take on No. 3. The first bowler to win two games – of a possible three – in each match will advance to the finals to bowl one game for the gold medal while those who fall during semifinal competition will earn bronze.
For more information on Team USA, visit BOWL.com/TeamUSA.
SANTIAGO, Chile – Breanna Clemmer of Clover, South Carolina, is in third place in the women’s field, and A.J. Johnson of Oswego, Illinois, is fifth among men after Friday’s opening round of singles qualifying at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
Those performances put both Americans in prime position to make a run at the medal round in their respective divisions heading into Saturday’s final eight-game block of singles qualifying, which will kick off with women’s action starting at 7 a.m. Eastern from Plaza Vespucio Centro de Bowling.
When it does, Clemmer will be looking to maintain the momentum that started Thursday when she teamed up with Jordan Richard of Tipton, Michigan, to capture the women’s doubles gold medal and continued Friday when she patiently grinded her way to an eight-game total of 1,630 (a 203.75 average) thanks to high games of 258, 234 and 214.
That performance allowed the savvy right-hander to keep herself right in the thick of the medal conversation heading into the final round of qualifying.
Aruba’s Kamilah Dammers led the women’s field on Friday with a score of 1,706 (a 213.25 average). The two remaining spots in the Day 1 top four went to Sandra Gongora of Mexico, who was second with 1,674, and Colombia’s Clara Guererro, who posted a score of 1,621 to place fourth.
Richard is currently in 24th place after putting up a 1,390 total on Friday.
Despite finishing the opening round in the women’s top three, Friday’s block was anything but smooth sailing for Clemmer.
“It was one of those days where I was really just trying to hit the pocket and make my spares instead of looking for the big game; it was really a grind,” Clemmer said. “It was visibly frustrating at times, but the support of Jordan (Richard) and Bryan (Team USA Head Coach Bryan O’Keefe) really helped a lot today.
“My outlook heading into tomorrow is just to control what I can control and expect the unexpected. I have to be prepared for anything in regard to lane play, so I’m just going to try to get some mental rest, stay positive and see how it all goes from there.”
Johnson also knows the importance of trying to stay positive.
Just a little over 12 hours after he and teammate Brandon Bonta of Wichita, Kansas, wrapped up a disappointing performance in men’s doubles on Thursday night, Johnson was back out on the lanes Friday morning hoping to get things going in a better direction during singles.
Unfortunately, early on, it didn’t look meant to be.
Even though Johnson’s ball was locked in on the 1-3 pocket, he just couldn’t seem to string any strikes together, which lead to opening scores of 194 and 191, 20th place in the standings and a great deal of frustration.
Nevertheless, rather than giving in, Johnson got to work.
He began by recording games of 216, 222 and 214 to move from 20th to 17th at the end of five games.
A tricky pair of lanes led to a 199 in Game 6, but it was still enough to move Johnson up one additional place in the standings.
One game later, he’d make his way up to the 12th spot after carding a solid 215.
The best was yet to come, however, as Johnson started his final game with eight strikes in a row before a 4-pin ended his bid for perfection in the ninth.
He easily converted the spare and then proceeded to strike out in the 10th frame to close out his day with a score of 279, which moved him all the way up to fifth place in the opening-round standings with an eight-game total of 1,730 (a 216.25 average).
Friday’s top four men’s finishers were Mitch Hupe of Canada (1,957), Colombia’s Sebastian Salazar (1,879), Canadian Francois Lavoie (1,743) and Costa Rica’s Marco Moretti (1,741).
Bonta finished the day in 17th place with a score of 1,615, which included a 265 in Game 1 and a 246 in Game 6.
Johnson believes that both he and Bonta have executed far better than the scoresheets have indicated during the first two days of competition. As such, he’s hoping that the best is yet to come for both of them on Saturday.
“A short format like this is really tough, and it tests your patience,” Johnson said. “But we’ve got a lot more left in the tank, so we’re just going keep the nose down and go after it.
“We have a better picture now of what the lanes are asking; we just need to execute like we have been and catch a few more breaks with pin carry to allow us to throw those six- and seven-baggers like the guys up at the top have been throwing.”
Johnson and Bonta will be looking to do just that when the final round of men’s singles qualifying starts Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. Eastern.
After Saturday’s final eight-game block, the field will be cut to the top four bowlers in each division.
Those semifinalists will square off Sunday at 9 a.m. Eastern in a match-play format that will see the No. 1 seed battle the No. 4 seed and the No. 2 seed take on No. 3. The first bowler to win two games – of a possible three – in each match will advance to the finals to bowl one game for the gold medal while those who fall during semifinal competition will earn bronze.
For more information on Team USA, visit BOWL.com/TeamUSA.