USBC Hall of Famer Doug Kent and son lead Regular Doubles at 2017 USBC Open
May 20, 2017
LAS VEGAS - United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer Doug Kent of Newark, New York, has accomplished a lot of things in his bowling career, and he now is in position to add one more special accomplishment to the list before calling his career complete.
As the highlight of a high-scoring afternoon Saturday at the 2017 USBC Open Championships, Kent and his son, Jacob, cruised into the lead in Regular Doubles, posting a 1,425 total at the South Point Bowling Plaza.
The Kents bested their teammates, Chris Bardol of Brockport, New York, and Tim Pfeifer of Oakdale, Pennsylvania, who grabbed the lead moments earlier with 1,417, propelled by a 300 by Bardol in the second game.
Ryan Zagar of Racine, Wisconsin, and Tylor Greene of Davison, Michigan, both former college teammates of Kent at Robert Morris-Illinois, a team Bardol helped coach, previously held the lead in Regular Doubles with 1,409.
Doug Kent, a 50-year-old right-hander and 10-time Professional Bowlers Association Tour champion, struck on the first shot of his final frame, his ninth strike in 10 shots, but when he left the 3-6-10 combination on his second offering, he thought they were going to be short of the top spot.
"I actually miscalculated the scores, and when I didn't get the second one in the 10th, I didn't think we were going to have enough," said Kent, the 1991 and 2006 USBC Masters champion, who was inducted into the USBC Hall of Fame in 2014. "It was a surprise when I saw the final number. I especially felt great for my son. I've had my time, but this is a great moment for him, and something really special for us to share together."
After leaving and converting a 4 pin in his final frame, Jacob Kent, a 25-year-old right-hander, struck on his fill ball to complete the performance, something Kent describes as a total team effort.
Doug Kent and Chris Bardol each shot 721 in doubles, while Jacob and Pfeifer had 704 and 696, respectively. Bardol's 300 was the fourth of the 2017 Open Championships and first in doubles.
"It was a lot of fun out there, and we definitely were driving each other along the way, something we did back in college, too," said Jacob Kent, who made his fifth Open Championships appearance. "My dad and I have never gotten to bowl doubles together, so we decided to switch up the partners this year, so we could pair up. We practiced and really worked hard to get ready, so to bowl as well as we did means a lot. It's an unbelievable feeling."
The doubles excitement was one piece of an exciting bigger picture that included a run at the lead in Team All-Events, a top-10 effort in team and two top 10s in Regular All-Events.
Collectively known as Rose Bowl Lanes of Rochester, New York, the group settled into second place in Team All-Events with a 9,867 total and eighth place in Regular Team with a 3,167 total Friday night.
Pfeifer, a former member of Team USA and Junior Team USA, as well as the men's champion at the 2007 Intercollegiate Singles Championships, set the pace for Rose Bowl Lanes with a 2,069 all-events total, which is fifth overall, and he was followed closely by Bardol, the 2010 ISC winner, who is sixth in Regular All-Events with 2,065.
Jacob Kent edged his father 2,017-2,012 in the all-events standings, and left-hander Ken Muscato of Canandaigua, New York, rounded things out with 1,704.
Team NABR of Fairport, New York, leads Team All-Events and Regular Team with 9,957 and 3,266, respectively.
"Our group includes some really good bowlers, who also are great friends, so that makes it easy to stay relaxed and have fun, and having Doug Kent there to tell you what to do isn't a bad thing, either," said Bardol, also a past member of Junior Team USA. "While everybody's goal is to win an Eagle, we're a team out there. If they win, we win. If we win, they win. It was cool to be able to say we had the lead for a minute, but if anyone is going to beat us, I'm glad it was them. Just to make the top 10 in one event is special. Doing so in multiple events hasn't even sunk in yet."
The action this weekend at the Bowling Plaza wasn't limited to Rose Bowl Lanes, however, as the members of StormEBIMotiv of Cincinnati also put in multiple bids for one of the newly unveiled Eagle trophies for the 2017 winners.
StormEBIMotiv finished one pin ahead of Rose Bowl Lanes in the team event Friday night and moved into seventh place with a 3,168 total.
The momentum continued in doubles and singles as two-time Open Championships titlist Ken Abner and Jeff Fehr, son of USBC Hall of Famers Steve and Nancy Fehr, made a run in doubles, moving into third place with 1,381, before finishing the squad fifth overall.
Fehr (2,055) and Abner (2,054) are seventh and eighth in Regular All-Events and helped their team into sixth place in Team All-Events with 9,628 total. They were joined by Kyle Barnes (1,924), Mike Wolfe (1,800) and Brian Hatcher (1,795).
The 2017 Open Championships kicked off Feb. 18, and the Kent's now will have to wait until July 16 to see if their score is enough to make them the second father-son tandem in four years to win Regular Doubles. Clark and Carl Poelzer of Arden Hills, Minnesota, accomplished the feat in 2014.
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As the highlight of a high-scoring afternoon Saturday at the 2017 USBC Open Championships, Kent and his son, Jacob, cruised into the lead in Regular Doubles, posting a 1,425 total at the South Point Bowling Plaza.
The Kents bested their teammates, Chris Bardol of Brockport, New York, and Tim Pfeifer of Oakdale, Pennsylvania, who grabbed the lead moments earlier with 1,417, propelled by a 300 by Bardol in the second game.
Ryan Zagar of Racine, Wisconsin, and Tylor Greene of Davison, Michigan, both former college teammates of Kent at Robert Morris-Illinois, a team Bardol helped coach, previously held the lead in Regular Doubles with 1,409.
Doug Kent, a 50-year-old right-hander and 10-time Professional Bowlers Association Tour champion, struck on the first shot of his final frame, his ninth strike in 10 shots, but when he left the 3-6-10 combination on his second offering, he thought they were going to be short of the top spot.
"I actually miscalculated the scores, and when I didn't get the second one in the 10th, I didn't think we were going to have enough," said Kent, the 1991 and 2006 USBC Masters champion, who was inducted into the USBC Hall of Fame in 2014. "It was a surprise when I saw the final number. I especially felt great for my son. I've had my time, but this is a great moment for him, and something really special for us to share together."
After leaving and converting a 4 pin in his final frame, Jacob Kent, a 25-year-old right-hander, struck on his fill ball to complete the performance, something Kent describes as a total team effort.
Doug Kent and Chris Bardol each shot 721 in doubles, while Jacob and Pfeifer had 704 and 696, respectively. Bardol's 300 was the fourth of the 2017 Open Championships and first in doubles.
"It was a lot of fun out there, and we definitely were driving each other along the way, something we did back in college, too," said Jacob Kent, who made his fifth Open Championships appearance. "My dad and I have never gotten to bowl doubles together, so we decided to switch up the partners this year, so we could pair up. We practiced and really worked hard to get ready, so to bowl as well as we did means a lot. It's an unbelievable feeling."
The doubles excitement was one piece of an exciting bigger picture that included a run at the lead in Team All-Events, a top-10 effort in team and two top 10s in Regular All-Events.
Collectively known as Rose Bowl Lanes of Rochester, New York, the group settled into second place in Team All-Events with a 9,867 total and eighth place in Regular Team with a 3,167 total Friday night. Pfeifer, a former member of Team USA and Junior Team USA, as well as the men's champion at the 2007 Intercollegiate Singles Championships, set the pace for Rose Bowl Lanes with a 2,069 all-events total, which is fifth overall, and he was followed closely by Bardol, the 2010 ISC winner, who is sixth in Regular All-Events with 2,065.
Jacob Kent edged his father 2,017-2,012 in the all-events standings, and left-hander Ken Muscato of Canandaigua, New York, rounded things out with 1,704.
Team NABR of Fairport, New York, leads Team All-Events and Regular Team with 9,957 and 3,266, respectively.
"Our group includes some really good bowlers, who also are great friends, so that makes it easy to stay relaxed and have fun, and having Doug Kent there to tell you what to do isn't a bad thing, either," said Bardol, also a past member of Junior Team USA. "While everybody's goal is to win an Eagle, we're a team out there. If they win, we win. If we win, they win. It was cool to be able to say we had the lead for a minute, but if anyone is going to beat us, I'm glad it was them. Just to make the top 10 in one event is special. Doing so in multiple events hasn't even sunk in yet."
The action this weekend at the Bowling Plaza wasn't limited to Rose Bowl Lanes, however, as the members of StormEBIMotiv of Cincinnati also put in multiple bids for one of the newly unveiled Eagle trophies for the 2017 winners.
StormEBIMotiv finished one pin ahead of Rose Bowl Lanes in the team event Friday night and moved into seventh place with a 3,168 total.
The momentum continued in doubles and singles as two-time Open Championships titlist Ken Abner and Jeff Fehr, son of USBC Hall of Famers Steve and Nancy Fehr, made a run in doubles, moving into third place with 1,381, before finishing the squad fifth overall.
Fehr (2,055) and Abner (2,054) are seventh and eighth in Regular All-Events and helped their team into sixth place in Team All-Events with 9,628 total. They were joined by Kyle Barnes (1,924), Mike Wolfe (1,800) and Brian Hatcher (1,795).The 2017 Open Championships kicked off Feb. 18, and the Kent's now will have to wait until July 16 to see if their score is enough to make them the second father-son tandem in four years to win Regular Doubles. Clark and Carl Poelzer of Arden Hills, Minnesota, accomplished the feat in 2014.
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