Josie Barnes leads all-events with 2,256 at 2026 USBC Open Championships
April 27, 2026
RENO, Nev. – Six-time Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour champion Josie Barnes of Hermitage, Tennessee, took over the top spot in Regular All-Events on Monday at the 2026 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, placing her in position to become the first female competitor at the event to win the prestigious title.
The right-hander secured the lead with sets of 759 in doubles, 751 in team and 746 in singles for a 2,256 total at the National Bowling Stadium. Tom Adcock – a 2005 Regular Team champion from Forsyth, Illinois – had taken the lead Friday with 2,234.
After a 256 start in doubles, Barnes connected for 300 in Game 2 to also become the 15th woman at the USBC Open Championships to roll a perfect game. She closed the set with 203, and the performance helped Barnes and her sister, Jessica Earnest, also move into fourth place in Regular Doubles with 1,446. Earnest had games of 215, 215 and 257 for a 687 series.
Barnes started singles with 231 and 237, so she needed to get to 257 for the outright lead in her final game. She started the game with nine strikes before a 9 pin stood on her first delivery in the 10th. She covered the spare and closed with another nine count (8 pin) on her fill ball to post a 250.66 average for her nine games at the 2026 event.
Her final all-events score is seventh on the tournament’s all-time list across 122 editions of the Open Championships and sets the new mark by a female competitor for nine games at the event by 124 pins (Brenda Padilla with 2,132 in 2009).
She’s also in position to become the third woman to win a title in the Regular Division at the Open Championships. USBC and PWBA Hall of Famer Wendy Macpherson won Regular Singles at the 2006 event, and Padilla paired with Stephen Padilla to record the victory in Regular Doubles in 2009.
History also could be made in Team All-Events - featuring teams across all divisions at the tournament - in 2026. USBC and PWBA Hall of Famer Liz Johnson is part of the Armstrong Printing 1 group currently leading Team All-Events at the 2026 Open Championships (10,169 total), and she can become the first female competitor to capture a victory in Team All-Events at the tournament.
Watch the video below to hear more from Barnes on her performance at the NBS.
Barnes now will look ahead to the start of the 2026 PWBA Tour season, which gets underway this week in Rockford, Illinois. The PWBA Bowlers Journal Rockford Open will take place at The Cherry Bowl from April 29 – May 2.
The 2025 campaign was a strong one for Barnes, who recorded a pair of wins during the season. She claimed her second major title at the USBC Queens – to go along with her victory at the U.S. Women’s Open in 2021 – and took home the win at the PWBA Anniversary Open.
The Open Championships is celebrating its 122nd edition in 2026 and making its 15th trip to Reno, Nevada. The 2026 event is scheduled to feature more than 55,000 bowlers and 11,000 five-player teams competing across 128 consecutive days at the National Bowling Stadium.
Follow the action from the tournament’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts.
The right-hander secured the lead with sets of 759 in doubles, 751 in team and 746 in singles for a 2,256 total at the National Bowling Stadium. Tom Adcock – a 2005 Regular Team champion from Forsyth, Illinois – had taken the lead Friday with 2,234.
After a 256 start in doubles, Barnes connected for 300 in Game 2 to also become the 15th woman at the USBC Open Championships to roll a perfect game. She closed the set with 203, and the performance helped Barnes and her sister, Jessica Earnest, also move into fourth place in Regular Doubles with 1,446. Earnest had games of 215, 215 and 257 for a 687 series.
Barnes started singles with 231 and 237, so she needed to get to 257 for the outright lead in her final game. She started the game with nine strikes before a 9 pin stood on her first delivery in the 10th. She covered the spare and closed with another nine count (8 pin) on her fill ball to post a 250.66 average for her nine games at the 2026 event.
Her final all-events score is seventh on the tournament’s all-time list across 122 editions of the Open Championships and sets the new mark by a female competitor for nine games at the event by 124 pins (Brenda Padilla with 2,132 in 2009).
She’s also in position to become the third woman to win a title in the Regular Division at the Open Championships. USBC and PWBA Hall of Famer Wendy Macpherson won Regular Singles at the 2006 event, and Padilla paired with Stephen Padilla to record the victory in Regular Doubles in 2009.
History also could be made in Team All-Events - featuring teams across all divisions at the tournament - in 2026. USBC and PWBA Hall of Famer Liz Johnson is part of the Armstrong Printing 1 group currently leading Team All-Events at the 2026 Open Championships (10,169 total), and she can become the first female competitor to capture a victory in Team All-Events at the tournament.
Watch the video below to hear more from Barnes on her performance at the NBS.
Barnes now will look ahead to the start of the 2026 PWBA Tour season, which gets underway this week in Rockford, Illinois. The PWBA Bowlers Journal Rockford Open will take place at The Cherry Bowl from April 29 – May 2.
The 2025 campaign was a strong one for Barnes, who recorded a pair of wins during the season. She claimed her second major title at the USBC Queens – to go along with her victory at the U.S. Women’s Open in 2021 – and took home the win at the PWBA Anniversary Open.
The Open Championships is celebrating its 122nd edition in 2026 and making its 15th trip to Reno, Nevada. The 2026 event is scheduled to feature more than 55,000 bowlers and 11,000 five-player teams competing across 128 consecutive days at the National Bowling Stadium.
Follow the action from the tournament’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts.