Simard posts 813 to take singles lead at 2023 USBC Open Championships
July 06, 2023
RENO, Nev. – David Simard of Granby, Quebec, Canada, rolled the first 800 series on the doubles and singles oil pattern at the 2023 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships on Thursday to take the lead in Regular Singles with 813.
The 41-year-old right-hander fired games of 290, 257 and 266 at the National Bowling Stadium, and his overall effort also helped him into second place in Regular All-Events with a 2,216 total.
Simard started his run in singles after tossing 299 to finish his doubles set for a 723 series, and he added 680 in his team event Wednesday in Reno.
In his final four games Thursday, he knocked down 1,112 pins for a 278 average. Simard had a stretch from Game 3 of doubles through the fifth frame of Game 2 in singles that featured 27 strikes on 29 deliveries.
Nick Kruml of St. Peters, Missouri, previously led Regular Singles with 795 and tops Regular All-Events with 2,242.
After starting doubles with 224 and 200, a ball change and jump to the left helped Simard to see the right shape and start stringing strikes together at the NBS.
“We had a game plan at the beginning, and we broke them down pretty well,” said Simard, who made his seventh appearance at the USBC Open Championships. “I made the right move in the third game. I switched balls and shot 299. I tried it on my fill ball in the second game and made the switch.
“I made a big move but kept the same break point – I tricked my hand a bit. I tried to keep my speed slower and let the ball shape. I kept moving left after that.”
The big finish in doubles also helped Simard and Quebec’s Henrik Tremblay into the top 10 in Regular Doubles with 1,351. After a slow start in Game 1 with 144, Tremblay turned it around to finish with 240 and 244 for a 628 series to help the pair into ninth place.
Kruml and Christopher Wiley of Bettendorf, Iowa, lead Regular Doubles with 1,438.
After making the turn in singles at 547, Simard started his final game with seven strikes. He left and converted a 10 pin the eighth frame, and a strike in his ninth meant any type of mark in his final frame would push him into the lead.
He delivered another strike to start his 10th frame and finished with a seven count and spare to cap the third overall 800 series of the 2023 Open Championships.
Christopher Tuholski of Battle Ground, Washington, and Mykel Holliman of Denham Springs, Louisiana, each had an 800 series during team competition this year. Tuholski had an 804 set, and Holliman had 813.
Simard knew everything was coming together for a big number as he made his way down the stretch, but he didn’t know the exact number he was chasing.
Now, he has less than three weeks to see if the number will remain at the top of the leaderboard for his first win at the Open Championships.
“Honestly, I hadn’t checked the scores since the beginning of the tournament,” said Simard, who has been a member of the Canadian national team 10 times in his career and helped Canada claim the bronze medal in team at the 2018 International Bowling Federation World Championships in Hong Kong. “I come here to have fun with my friends, and we try to do our best every time. I knew it was a good score for maybe a top-five finish, but I didn’t know I was the leader until I was finished.
“Maybe I’ll check the scores more now, but my score is on the board, so they have to catch it. We’ll see what happens. It would be amazing to win. An Eagle here means a lot.”
Simard and his teammates on Jean-Sebastien Lessard Team 1 – Tremblay, Marc-Andre Gagne, Joël Larche and Jean-Sebastien Lessard – also took over 10th place in Team All-Events with a 9,580 total.
Lessard added 2,054 and was followed by Tremblay (1,897), Larche (1,723) and Gagne (1,690).
K and J Finishing 1 of Carpentersville, Illinois, leads Team All-Events with a 10,394 total. Kruml and Wiley are part of K and J Finishing 1 with Ryne Greenwood, Zachary Woelfel and Nick Pate.
The Regular Division features bowlers with entering averages of 176 and above.
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.
The 41-year-old right-hander fired games of 290, 257 and 266 at the National Bowling Stadium, and his overall effort also helped him into second place in Regular All-Events with a 2,216 total.
Simard started his run in singles after tossing 299 to finish his doubles set for a 723 series, and he added 680 in his team event Wednesday in Reno.
In his final four games Thursday, he knocked down 1,112 pins for a 278 average. Simard had a stretch from Game 3 of doubles through the fifth frame of Game 2 in singles that featured 27 strikes on 29 deliveries.
Nick Kruml of St. Peters, Missouri, previously led Regular Singles with 795 and tops Regular All-Events with 2,242.
After starting doubles with 224 and 200, a ball change and jump to the left helped Simard to see the right shape and start stringing strikes together at the NBS.
“We had a game plan at the beginning, and we broke them down pretty well,” said Simard, who made his seventh appearance at the USBC Open Championships. “I made the right move in the third game. I switched balls and shot 299. I tried it on my fill ball in the second game and made the switch.
“I made a big move but kept the same break point – I tricked my hand a bit. I tried to keep my speed slower and let the ball shape. I kept moving left after that.”
The big finish in doubles also helped Simard and Quebec’s Henrik Tremblay into the top 10 in Regular Doubles with 1,351. After a slow start in Game 1 with 144, Tremblay turned it around to finish with 240 and 244 for a 628 series to help the pair into ninth place.
Kruml and Christopher Wiley of Bettendorf, Iowa, lead Regular Doubles with 1,438.
After making the turn in singles at 547, Simard started his final game with seven strikes. He left and converted a 10 pin the eighth frame, and a strike in his ninth meant any type of mark in his final frame would push him into the lead.
He delivered another strike to start his 10th frame and finished with a seven count and spare to cap the third overall 800 series of the 2023 Open Championships.
Christopher Tuholski of Battle Ground, Washington, and Mykel Holliman of Denham Springs, Louisiana, each had an 800 series during team competition this year. Tuholski had an 804 set, and Holliman had 813.
Simard knew everything was coming together for a big number as he made his way down the stretch, but he didn’t know the exact number he was chasing.
Now, he has less than three weeks to see if the number will remain at the top of the leaderboard for his first win at the Open Championships.
“Honestly, I hadn’t checked the scores since the beginning of the tournament,” said Simard, who has been a member of the Canadian national team 10 times in his career and helped Canada claim the bronze medal in team at the 2018 International Bowling Federation World Championships in Hong Kong. “I come here to have fun with my friends, and we try to do our best every time. I knew it was a good score for maybe a top-five finish, but I didn’t know I was the leader until I was finished.
“Maybe I’ll check the scores more now, but my score is on the board, so they have to catch it. We’ll see what happens. It would be amazing to win. An Eagle here means a lot.”
Simard and his teammates on Jean-Sebastien Lessard Team 1 – Tremblay, Marc-Andre Gagne, Joël Larche and Jean-Sebastien Lessard – also took over 10th place in Team All-Events with a 9,580 total.
Lessard added 2,054 and was followed by Tremblay (1,897), Larche (1,723) and Gagne (1,690).
K and J Finishing 1 of Carpentersville, Illinois, leads Team All-Events with a 10,394 total. Kruml and Wiley are part of K and J Finishing 1 with Ryne Greenwood, Zachary Woelfel and Nick Pate.
The Regular Division features bowlers with entering averages of 176 and above.
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.