FULL STANDINGS

LAS VEGAS – The first day of the 2024 USBC Masters saw some high scores but none higher than those authored by Markus Jansson of Sweden who averaged nearly 255 for his five games on Monday night.

Jansson fired games of 229, 258, 297, 246 and 246 for a 1,274 total to lead the overall field of 465 athletes after Round 1 of qualifying at Suncoast Bowling Center.

Justin Bohn of Jackson, New Jersey, settled into second place with 1,257 with Justin Veitch of Kenner, Louisiana, third with 1,214. 

Giorgio Clinaz of Brigham City, Utah, led A Squad Monday morning and finished the day fourth overall at 1,201 while Louisville’s Matt Ogle and Phoenix’s Tyler Cortez Schenck led B Squad and ended Day 1 tied for fifth overall at 1,193.

Keith Gerrero of Parker, Colorado (1,189), and France’s Maxime Dubois (1,185) placed seventh and eighth, respectively, while Andrew Anderson of Holly, Michigan, Finland’s Jarno Lahti and Zac Tackett of Decatur, Indiana, tied for ninth at 1,184.

Jansson is making his USBC Masters debut this week in Las Vegas, but he already comes in with a wealth of bowling experience as member of Sweden’s national team. He certainly put what he knows to good use in order to top the standings on Monday.

“I just wanted to keep things simple coming into today,” Jansson said. “I just wanted to focus on throwing good shots and making my spares to keep myself in it.”

The 44-foot oil pattern forced Jansson to start further right and up the lane before things opened up and allowed him to hook it more. Once that happened, Jansson took full advantage, striking at will and making a a run at perfection during Game 3. 

Nevertheless, despite the strong start, Jansson won’t dwell too much on his impressive opening-round performance.

“I’m going to keep my mindset the same and not think about what I’ve already done; I want to keep moving forward,” Jansson said.

During the course of the day, four perfect games were thrown with one on A Squad and three during C Squad.

Veitch, England’s Richard Teece, Justin Gibbons of Lawrenceville, Georgia, and Las Vegas’ Art Ouzenian all achieved perfection during their first five-game blocks. Last year’s Masters saw six total perfect games after qualifying was completed, showing the increased playability of this year’s oil pattern.

All competitors will return to Suncoast Bowling Center on Tuesday for the second of three rounds of qualifying. After 15 games, which includes two blocks on the fresh lane condition and one squad on the burn, the top 63 players will join defending champion Anthony Simonsen of Las Vegas in the double-elimination bracket beginning Thursday.

Simonsen is guaranteed a spot in the bracket as the defending champion, but he can improve his seeding through qualifying. If he happens to finish qualifying outside of the top 63, he'll be the No. 64 seed.

Simonsen ended Round 1 of Qualifying in a tie for 154th place with a 1,049 total while there is a six-way tie for the final two spots in the match play field at 1,112

The stepladder finals of the 2024 event will be March 31 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern on FOX, with the champion taking home a spot in the tournament’s storied history, a major title on the PBA Tour and the $100,000 top prize. All competition leading up to the televised finals will be streamed live only on BowlTV.

The 2024 USBC Masters will see a return to the traditional five-player stepladder for the live television finals on FOX, with the final two competitors remaining in the winners bracket bowling one another for the top seed. The final four players in the elimination bracket will bowl for the remaining three spots on the TV show. The No. 1 seed will only have to be beaten once in the title match.

For more information on the USBC Masters, visit BOWL.com/Masters.