Jasinski takes singles lead in final days at 2024 Bowlers Journal Championships

STANDINGS

LAS VEGAS –
The 2024 Bowlers Journal Championships wrapped up July 28 at the 64-lane South Point Bowling Center, with the big score in Open Singles coming from one of the last squads at the 77th edition of the tournament.

On July 26, Greg Jasinski of Jersey City, New Jersey, connected for the first 800 series of his young career after posting games of 278, 290 and 256 for an 824 total. Jeffrey Martin of Westtown, New York, had held the lead in Open Singles since April 22 with 811.

The 2024 event got underway Feb. 22 in Las Vegas and again served as the premier side event of the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, which was contested at the South Point Bowling Plaza.

All scores from the 2024 Bowlers Journal Championships are unofficial and pending final verification.

Jasinski, a 24-year-old two-hander, headed to Las Vegas to make his tournament debut at the USBC Open Championships. After spending a couple hours in town after getting off the plane, he headed over the South Point Bowling Center to start settling in for his time on the lanes.

“I got off the plane like five hours before I bowled,” Jasinski said. “I didn’t have a lot of expectations. I just wanted to get three games in.

“There wasn’t a lot of nerves for the first two games with no expectations. I had a good look in practice, and the people on my pair set them up nice. I was able to just throw it slow and have a bit of miss room.”

With 568 at the turn, Jasinski started Game 3 with strikes on four of his first five deliveries. He had a spare in the second frame, and he added another spare in the sixth.

He followed with strikes in his seventh, eighth and ninth frames. He needed a mark in the 10th to get to 800 for the first time, but a strike on his first shot was necessary for a chance at the lead.

Jasinski rolled the first strike, and he added a second one to officially secure the top spot in Open Singles. He closed with a seven count (3-6-10) on his fill ball.

“I hadn’t been close to 800 before,” Jasinski said. “I think my best was somewhere in the 760s, so this was an insane three games for me. I’ve never bowled that well in my life.

“During the second half of the last game, I was just trying to keep my heartbeat low. I was just thinking about making the next shot and not thinking about looking up at the score or anything like that. I wasn’t incredibly nervous going into the 10th frame. I was just happy with what I had so far and put together two more good shots. There was a bunch of relief, and I’m glad I was able to stay mentally intact for all three games.”

The performance put Jasinski’s name at the top of the standings, and he was very thankful to all the support he received from back home.

The tournament experience was something he enjoyed for his first time out, and he’s excited to return to the lanes in the future to take another run at the event.

“It would mean a lot to win, because I haven’t won a huge tournament like this before in my bowling career,” said Jasinski, who bowled collegiately at Stevens Institute of Technology. “It’s really, really cool. I’m super happy to be here, and I can’t wait to come back another year.”

Although Martin was bumped to second place in Open Singles, he also was entered in doubles during the same set and was able to retain the top payout for the tournament’s Dual Entry prize fund.

The top score in Open Doubles belongs to Jakob Butturff of Tempe, Arizona, and Cory Misura of Oviedo, Florida, with a 1,548 combined total.

Butturff, an eight-time winner on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour, led the effort with games of 268, 245 and 279 for a 792 series, and Misura added 210, 290 and 256 for a 756 set.

Ron Hurt of Greenwood, Indiana, posted the lone 800 series in Senior Singles competition in 2024, making his way to the top of the leaderboard with 802.

The 52-year-old right-hander had games of 289, 257 and 256 in the performance.

Rick Hara of Arlington Heights, Illinois, finished at the top of the standings in two events at the 2024 Bowlers Journal Championships.

He rolled the top score in Super Senior Singles with 756 and paired with Kerry Painter of Henderson, Nevada, to record the highest total in Senior Doubles with 1,443.

Hara, a 1998 Regular Doubles champion at the Open Championships, also captured the win in Senior Doubles at the 2022 Bowlers Journal Championships at the South Point Bowling Center. He teamed with two-time Eagle winner Gregg Zicha of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, in 2022 to combine for a 1,467 total.

In the tournament’s handicap divisions, Dylan Kindig of Burlington, Iowa, finished with the lead in 175 & Under Singles with a 703 total. The top score in Handicap Doubles stayed in Clark County as Las Vegas’ Robert Yadao and Ken Johnson of Henderson, Nevada, posted a combined total of 1,294.

The optional jackpots at the 2024 Bowlers Journal Championships featured 16 bowlers sharing the top prize for high game with 300, while 97 competitors posted 30 clean frames during their set.

A total of 25 bowlers went nine for nine to split the top payout in the Strike Jackpot.

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