SYRACUSE, N.Y. - After rolling the final strike of his 300 game at the 2018 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, Matt Tomsu of Papillion, Nebraska, could be heard telling his teammates, "I waited a whole year for that shot."

The 43-year-old right-hander flirted with perfection at the 2017 USBC Open Championships in Las Vegas, shooting a 296 game, and he found redemption Tuesday at the Oncenter Convention Center, where he started his singles set with 12 consecutive strikes.

Tomsu continued to give those in attendance a thrill as he made a run at the Regular Singles lead. He followed his perfect start with a 245 effort, but a 7-10 split in the fifth frame his final game slowed his momentum. He finished with 205 for a 750 series, which is tied for fourth place.

Cotie Holbeck of Burlington, Wisconsin, leads Regular Singles with 802.

Tomsu credits the work of his teammates throughout Tuesday's doubles and singles set in helping the group find its way toward the top of the leaderboard in Regular Doubles as well.

Tomsu and Jay Watts of Omaha, Nebraska, made a furious charge in their final game and still were in contention for the lead with two frames to go. They settled into third place with a 1,421 effort. Watts used games of 226, 216 and 277 to lead the way with a 719 series, and Tomsu added games of 232, 224 and 246 for 702.

USBC Hall of Famer Steve Kloempken of Pleasant View, Utah, and former Team USA member David Haynes of Las Vegas lead Regular Doubles with 1,453.

The excitement of the doubles run and a ball change helped Tomsu relax in the early stages of his singles set.

"I think being that nervous while making a run at the lead in doubles just took some of the pressure off to start singles," said Tomsu, who made his 23rd Open Championships appearance. "I made a ball change on the fill ball to finish doubles just to see if I had a look with it and just started striking. Before I knew it, I had the front nine again."

Tomsu's run at 300 at the South Point Bowling Plaza last year also took place during his singles event. He made his run during the final game to finish with a 702 series.

Knowing these types of opportunities are rare, Tomsu planned to take advantage of his second chance as he looked to become the fourth player at this year's event to achieve perfection.

"There was some disappointment from last year," said Tomsu, who operates The Bowling Store pro shop in Omaha. "Being back in that situation, I stepped back and took a few extra breaths. I wasn't going to miss that one. I wasn't going to do it two years in a row."

The redemption made for a special moment for Tomsu, but he also was able to honor a late friend while competing on the championship lanes. He and Watts wore special pants in remembrance.

"Our friend, Chris Twomey, passed away three years ago, and he always wore these kind of pants," Tomsu said. "We always gave him a hard time about it, so now we wear them in his honor. He bowled with us for years, and this was always his favorite tournament, so it was neat to be able to get it here for him."

After a slow start in team competition Monday, Tomsu is grateful he was able to share his big day with his teammates.

"Today's going to be one I'm going to remember for a long time," said Tomsu, who added 566 in team for a 2,018 all-events total, placing him just outside of the top 10. "I can't thank my teammates enough for keeping my head in it all day."

Regular Doubles includes teams with combined entering averages of 419 and above. Regular Singles features competitors with entering averages of 210 and above.

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