New leaders hop to top of standings in Classified at 2023 Open Championships
April 10, 2023
Pictured above: Doug Willmann
RENO, Nev. – The leaderboard was shaken up in the Classified Division on Easter Sunday at the 2023 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, with new leaders emerging in all-events and doubles in back-to-back squads.
Doug Willmann of Olivette, Missouri, was the first to make his move at the National Bowling Stadium by taking over the top spot in Classified All-Events with a 1,753 total.
Just a few hours later, Deanne Stote of Pismo Beach, California, and Travis Soule of Grover Beach, California, edged their way to the lead in Classified Doubles with a combined score of 1,135.
Willmann turned in the top three sets in his four years at the USBC Open Championships after taking a few years off from bowling the event to focus on opening his own business.
The 38-year-old right-hander rolled scores of 639 in team, 592 in singles and 522 in doubles on his way to the lead. His 592 set in singles also helped him move into second in Classified Singles.
“I took a few years off to start my own business, and then COVID took that idea off the table,” said Willmann, who’s last appearance at the Open Championships was at the 2018 event in Syracuse, New York.
Willmann attributed his performance over the weekend to practicing on tougher conditions at home and switching to a different bowling ball brand.
“I don’t really have much exposure to Sport patterns, since I really only bowl league at home,” Willmann said. “Practicing more on them, as well as switching to Storm, has really helped my game.”
After his big start in team Saturday, Willmann was looking to keep the momentum going Sunday during doubles and singles. While his first five games ranged from 166-186 to start minors, he put an exclamation point on his set by finishing singles with 243.
“I had a shaky doubles event but knew I was in a really good position for the lead if I kept on trying to make good shots in singles,” Willmann said. “When I started the first two games of singles with a turkey and made nearly all my easy spares, I was excited that I had the opportunity to actually take down the lead.
“If this score holds up until the end of the tournament, winning an Eagle would mean everything to me and really show that practice can pay off.”
Steve Maley of Waverly, Iowa, had held the lead in Classified All-Events since March 16 with 1,645. Maley still holds the lead in Classified Singles with 615.
Travis Soule and Deanne Stote
On the doubles side, Stote and Soule were surprised to look back at the scrolling scoreboard on-site at the NBS and see they had a score that was good enough to take the lead.
The friends and co-workers needed one mark between the two of them in their final frame of doubles to take the lead, and Stote, making her third Open Championships appearance, was able to deliver a strike on her first attempt.
Clayton Monson of Cooperstown, North Dakota, and Garrett Heyerdahl of Hannaford, North Dakota, previously held the lead in Classified Doubles with 1,125 from their appearance March 15.
“We saw what we had going into the 10th, and I thought to myself that we have a pretty good score so far, but I had no idea we were going to take the lead,” said Stote, who rolled games of 155, 212 and 150 in doubles for a 517 series. “I come from a bowling family, with my dad owning a bowling center back at home. I have been bowling since I was a young girl, and my dad would be so proud of how we did today.”
Soule, who also was making his third appearance, rounded out the pair’s doubles set with his best series at the Open Championships. He rolled steady games of 213, 201 and 204 for a 618 series.
“This is the best we have ever done at a tournament, and I am still in disbelief that we are leaving here with the lead,” said Soule, who looks forward to coming to this event each year with his group of friends and family from Southern California. “Winning this tournament would be something beyond my wildest dreams. To do it with Deanne and have my mom here with a front-row seat to see it happen would just be amazing.”
Classified All-Events features bowlers with entering averages of 155 and below. Classified Doubles includes bowlers with combined entering averages of 310 and below.
The 2023 Open Championships kicked off March 4 and will conclude July 24. The 143-day tournament will feature more than 9,700 five-player teams and nearly 50,000 bowlers making their way to compete in The Biggest Little City in the World.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.
RENO, Nev. – The leaderboard was shaken up in the Classified Division on Easter Sunday at the 2023 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, with new leaders emerging in all-events and doubles in back-to-back squads.
Doug Willmann of Olivette, Missouri, was the first to make his move at the National Bowling Stadium by taking over the top spot in Classified All-Events with a 1,753 total.
Just a few hours later, Deanne Stote of Pismo Beach, California, and Travis Soule of Grover Beach, California, edged their way to the lead in Classified Doubles with a combined score of 1,135.
Willmann turned in the top three sets in his four years at the USBC Open Championships after taking a few years off from bowling the event to focus on opening his own business.
The 38-year-old right-hander rolled scores of 639 in team, 592 in singles and 522 in doubles on his way to the lead. His 592 set in singles also helped him move into second in Classified Singles.
“I took a few years off to start my own business, and then COVID took that idea off the table,” said Willmann, who’s last appearance at the Open Championships was at the 2018 event in Syracuse, New York.
Willmann attributed his performance over the weekend to practicing on tougher conditions at home and switching to a different bowling ball brand.
“I don’t really have much exposure to Sport patterns, since I really only bowl league at home,” Willmann said. “Practicing more on them, as well as switching to Storm, has really helped my game.”
After his big start in team Saturday, Willmann was looking to keep the momentum going Sunday during doubles and singles. While his first five games ranged from 166-186 to start minors, he put an exclamation point on his set by finishing singles with 243.
“I had a shaky doubles event but knew I was in a really good position for the lead if I kept on trying to make good shots in singles,” Willmann said. “When I started the first two games of singles with a turkey and made nearly all my easy spares, I was excited that I had the opportunity to actually take down the lead.
“If this score holds up until the end of the tournament, winning an Eagle would mean everything to me and really show that practice can pay off.”
Steve Maley of Waverly, Iowa, had held the lead in Classified All-Events since March 16 with 1,645. Maley still holds the lead in Classified Singles with 615.
Travis Soule and Deanne Stote
On the doubles side, Stote and Soule were surprised to look back at the scrolling scoreboard on-site at the NBS and see they had a score that was good enough to take the lead.
The friends and co-workers needed one mark between the two of them in their final frame of doubles to take the lead, and Stote, making her third Open Championships appearance, was able to deliver a strike on her first attempt.
Clayton Monson of Cooperstown, North Dakota, and Garrett Heyerdahl of Hannaford, North Dakota, previously held the lead in Classified Doubles with 1,125 from their appearance March 15.
“We saw what we had going into the 10th, and I thought to myself that we have a pretty good score so far, but I had no idea we were going to take the lead,” said Stote, who rolled games of 155, 212 and 150 in doubles for a 517 series. “I come from a bowling family, with my dad owning a bowling center back at home. I have been bowling since I was a young girl, and my dad would be so proud of how we did today.”
Soule, who also was making his third appearance, rounded out the pair’s doubles set with his best series at the Open Championships. He rolled steady games of 213, 201 and 204 for a 618 series.
“This is the best we have ever done at a tournament, and I am still in disbelief that we are leaving here with the lead,” said Soule, who looks forward to coming to this event each year with his group of friends and family from Southern California. “Winning this tournament would be something beyond my wildest dreams. To do it with Deanne and have my mom here with a front-row seat to see it happen would just be amazing.”
Classified All-Events features bowlers with entering averages of 155 and below. Classified Doubles includes bowlers with combined entering averages of 310 and below.
The 2023 Open Championships kicked off March 4 and will conclude July 24. The 143-day tournament will feature more than 9,700 five-player teams and nearly 50,000 bowlers making their way to compete in The Biggest Little City in the World.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.