Four new leaders emerge at 2024 USBC Open Championships
March 12, 2024
LAS VEGAS – A busy 24-hour stretch at the 2024 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships resulted in four new leaders taking center stage at the South Point Bowling Plaza across squads Sunday and Monday.
On Sunday, new leaders emerged in Standard Doubles and Classified All-Events, while a pair of teams raced to the top of the Regular and Classified Divisions on Monday at the 60-lane venue.
Randy Hamman of Kingwood, Texas, and David Blum of Humble, Texas, reached the lead in Standard Doubles with a combined score of 1,221, with Blum leading the way with 627 and Hamman adding 594.
Just a few pairs over from Hamman and Blum was Jesse Jefferson of nearby Henderson, Nevada, who made his move up the standings by taking over the top spot in Classified All-Events with a 1,670 total in his second appearance at the USBC Open Championships.
In Regular Team, the members of Bowlers Headquarters of Muskego, Wisconsin, again proved they are a top contender at the Open Championships after finishing their set in the lead with a 3,206 total. The team fired games of 992, 1,136 and 1,078.
Huikko’s Bowling Center #2 of Buffalo, Minnesota, became the first team in the Classified Division to surpass the 2,400 mark at the 2024 event, taking over the top spot with 2,412 after steady games of 813, 799 and 800 at the Bowling Plaza.
Hamman and Blum have been friends for over 20 years, and doubles partners for the past six years at the Open Championships. With Sunday’s performance, the duo felt a sense of relief and accomplishment after finally putting together a great score on the championship lanes.
Blum had games of 225, 201 and 201 in the effort, while Hamman had 212, 212 and 170. Jacob Davis of Wailuku, Hawaii, and Chad Nagata of Kihei, Hawaii, had held the lead in Standard Doubles since Feb. 24 with 1,201.
“I was talking with Randy before we bowled this year, and we just both agreed and knew we could make something happen eventually at this tournament,” said Blum, who made his 18th appearance at the Open Championships and started his career at the 1996 event in Salt Lake City. “I took some years off after 1996 as I just gave up the sport of bowling, but I started to fall back in love with the sport after about a 10-year break.”
Blum and Hamman bowl together in league in Texas and started to bowl together at the Open Championships in 2018 during the tournament’s trip to Syracuse, New York.
“We have been bowling together for six years now, and this is the best we have ever bowled together at this tournament,” said Hamman, who credited his performance to a tweak to his lineup by Blum. “I normally do not play up the lane, and David suggested I move outside and throw it a little straighter and it paid off.”
They know it still is in the early stages of the 2024 event, but they will remain optimistic their score stands tall at the end.
“I was excited today to learn that we took over the lead, but if we win, I may break down in tears of joy,” said Hamman, who made his sixth tournament appearance.
“After years and years of struggles on the lanes here, to be able to say we won the national tournament would be indescribable,” Blum said.
Standard Doubles features pairs with combined entering averages of 311-350.
Jefferson, a 34-year-old right-hander, rolled scores of 586 in singles, 554 in team and 530 in doubles on his way to the lead. Shane McGrain of Bunker Hill, West Virginia, previously led Classified All-Events with 1,635.
His 586 set in singles also helped him move into second in Classified Singles. Jeri Ault of Broomfield, Colorado, leads with 598.
“I had no idea I was even bowling that well until you let me know what was going on – surprised would be the best word to describe how I’m feeling,” said Jefferson, who likes to bowl for fun with his family and friends and got hooked on bowling the Open Championships after making his debut last year in Reno, Nevada. “I had a really good time last year, and this year, my wife was able to join us on the lanes and bowl doubles with me.
“If I get a call from USBC telling me I won this tournament, color me surprised, because that would be crazy.”
Classified All-Events includes bowlers with entering averages of 155 and below.
The members of Bowlers Headquarters are no strangers to success at the Open Championships, and the group returned to the tournament after recording a pair of top-10 finishes at the 2023 event (sixth in Regular Team, seventh in Team All-Events).
This year at the Bowling Plaza, the team effort was led by James Tucker III with a 676 series. Tucker was followed by 2019 Regular Singles champion Mitch Beasley (651), Joseph Vrobel (644), Chad Kloss (634) and William Welch (601).
The members of John Burkett Team 1 of Fort Worth, Texas, previously were leading with 3,125.
While every team can look back at their performance and find some pins left behind, the teammates started to find their stride after a slow start.
“Early on, there were a few shots that happened that did not go the way we wanted to,” said Kloss, who rolled a 300 game in team competition at the 2013 Open Championships. “I give us a B- on how our day went, but everybody shot spares great, and I still think that put us in a great position.”
The team certainly has built chemistry on the championship lanes over the last several editions of the Open Championships, and it was important for them to rely on that bond on the way to the lead.
“We had to make the move and then some,” said Tucker, who made his seventh appearance. “When you need to make the transition, it was super important that we communicated that with each other and did that effectively.”
Regular Team features five-player groups with combined entering averages of 876 and above.
The performance for Huikko’s Bowling Center #2 was led by the 523 series of Ryan Huikko. He was joined at the Bowling Plaza on Monday by Bruce Huikko (515), Shawn Huikko (510), Mark Heilman (505) and Leslie Huikko (359).
Shawn Huikko delivered a double in the 10th frame of Game 3, and spares to wrap the series by Leslie Huikko and Bruce Huikko helped push the team to the lead. Nex Gen 1 of Pasadena, Texas, had held the top spot in Classified Team with 2,395.
Classified Team includes groups with combined entering averages of 775 and below.
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.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.
On Sunday, new leaders emerged in Standard Doubles and Classified All-Events, while a pair of teams raced to the top of the Regular and Classified Divisions on Monday at the 60-lane venue.
Randy Hamman of Kingwood, Texas, and David Blum of Humble, Texas, reached the lead in Standard Doubles with a combined score of 1,221, with Blum leading the way with 627 and Hamman adding 594.
Just a few pairs over from Hamman and Blum was Jesse Jefferson of nearby Henderson, Nevada, who made his move up the standings by taking over the top spot in Classified All-Events with a 1,670 total in his second appearance at the USBC Open Championships.
In Regular Team, the members of Bowlers Headquarters of Muskego, Wisconsin, again proved they are a top contender at the Open Championships after finishing their set in the lead with a 3,206 total. The team fired games of 992, 1,136 and 1,078.
Huikko’s Bowling Center #2 of Buffalo, Minnesota, became the first team in the Classified Division to surpass the 2,400 mark at the 2024 event, taking over the top spot with 2,412 after steady games of 813, 799 and 800 at the Bowling Plaza.
Hamman and Blum have been friends for over 20 years, and doubles partners for the past six years at the Open Championships. With Sunday’s performance, the duo felt a sense of relief and accomplishment after finally putting together a great score on the championship lanes.
Blum had games of 225, 201 and 201 in the effort, while Hamman had 212, 212 and 170. Jacob Davis of Wailuku, Hawaii, and Chad Nagata of Kihei, Hawaii, had held the lead in Standard Doubles since Feb. 24 with 1,201.
“I was talking with Randy before we bowled this year, and we just both agreed and knew we could make something happen eventually at this tournament,” said Blum, who made his 18th appearance at the Open Championships and started his career at the 1996 event in Salt Lake City. “I took some years off after 1996 as I just gave up the sport of bowling, but I started to fall back in love with the sport after about a 10-year break.”
Blum and Hamman bowl together in league in Texas and started to bowl together at the Open Championships in 2018 during the tournament’s trip to Syracuse, New York.
“We have been bowling together for six years now, and this is the best we have ever bowled together at this tournament,” said Hamman, who credited his performance to a tweak to his lineup by Blum. “I normally do not play up the lane, and David suggested I move outside and throw it a little straighter and it paid off.”
They know it still is in the early stages of the 2024 event, but they will remain optimistic their score stands tall at the end.
“I was excited today to learn that we took over the lead, but if we win, I may break down in tears of joy,” said Hamman, who made his sixth tournament appearance.
“After years and years of struggles on the lanes here, to be able to say we won the national tournament would be indescribable,” Blum said.
Standard Doubles features pairs with combined entering averages of 311-350.
Jefferson, a 34-year-old right-hander, rolled scores of 586 in singles, 554 in team and 530 in doubles on his way to the lead. Shane McGrain of Bunker Hill, West Virginia, previously led Classified All-Events with 1,635.
His 586 set in singles also helped him move into second in Classified Singles. Jeri Ault of Broomfield, Colorado, leads with 598.
“I had no idea I was even bowling that well until you let me know what was going on – surprised would be the best word to describe how I’m feeling,” said Jefferson, who likes to bowl for fun with his family and friends and got hooked on bowling the Open Championships after making his debut last year in Reno, Nevada. “I had a really good time last year, and this year, my wife was able to join us on the lanes and bowl doubles with me.
“If I get a call from USBC telling me I won this tournament, color me surprised, because that would be crazy.”
Classified All-Events includes bowlers with entering averages of 155 and below.
The members of Bowlers Headquarters are no strangers to success at the Open Championships, and the group returned to the tournament after recording a pair of top-10 finishes at the 2023 event (sixth in Regular Team, seventh in Team All-Events).
This year at the Bowling Plaza, the team effort was led by James Tucker III with a 676 series. Tucker was followed by 2019 Regular Singles champion Mitch Beasley (651), Joseph Vrobel (644), Chad Kloss (634) and William Welch (601).
The members of John Burkett Team 1 of Fort Worth, Texas, previously were leading with 3,125.
While every team can look back at their performance and find some pins left behind, the teammates started to find their stride after a slow start.
“Early on, there were a few shots that happened that did not go the way we wanted to,” said Kloss, who rolled a 300 game in team competition at the 2013 Open Championships. “I give us a B- on how our day went, but everybody shot spares great, and I still think that put us in a great position.”
The team certainly has built chemistry on the championship lanes over the last several editions of the Open Championships, and it was important for them to rely on that bond on the way to the lead.
“We had to make the move and then some,” said Tucker, who made his seventh appearance. “When you need to make the transition, it was super important that we communicated that with each other and did that effectively.”
Regular Team features five-player groups with combined entering averages of 876 and above.
The performance for Huikko’s Bowling Center #2 was led by the 523 series of Ryan Huikko. He was joined at the Bowling Plaza on Monday by Bruce Huikko (515), Shawn Huikko (510), Mark Heilman (505) and Leslie Huikko (359).
Shawn Huikko delivered a double in the 10th frame of Game 3, and spares to wrap the series by Leslie Huikko and Bruce Huikko helped push the team to the lead. Nex Gen 1 of Pasadena, Texas, had held the top spot in Classified Team with 2,395.
Classified Team includes groups with combined entering averages of 775 and below.
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.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.