USBC NEWS: Open Championships Weekly Glance from Baton Rouge
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS WEEKLY GLANCE
(For April 30-May 6, 2025)
McDowell highlights exciting week in Regular Singles at 2025 USBC Open Championships
While glancing at the tournament archives for champions in Regular Singles at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, some notable numbers certainly jump out.
In 2003, Ron Bahr rolled back-to-back 300s to close his set for 837 and the victory in Knoxville, Tennessee. At the 2009 event in Las Vegas, USBC Hall of Famer Bo Goergen started his set with a pair of 299s on the way to a record score of 862.
In all, three 299s and 11 300s have been part of winning singles scores in the Regular Division across the first 120 editions of the USBC Open Championships.
Two-time Eagle winner Marc McDowell of Black River Falls, Wisconsin, is hoping to add one more to each list – as well as a third title to his collection – after his performance May 3 at the 121st edition of the event.
The 62-year-old right-hander put together scores of 299, 196 and 300 at the Raising Cane’s River Center to take the lead in Regular Singles by two pins with 795.
Although multiple competitors have rolled 299 and 300 during the same set at the Open Championships, McDowell has the chance to become the first champion in Regular Singles to achieve the feat if his score holds at the top of the standings in 2025.
The lead in Regular Singles now has changed hands three times this week at the River Center. Chris Karlin of Huntington, Indiana, took over the top spot April 30 with 789 and was passed May 2 by Richie Benninghoff of South Bend, Indiana, with 793.
McDowell, a five-time Professional Bowlers Association Tour champion, recorded his first two wins at the Open Championships in 2005 and 2011.
The performance in 2005 also took place at the River Center in Baton Rouge, as McDowell joined USBC Hall of Famers Jeff Richgels and Mike Shady, Gail Myers Jr. and Steve Richter to win Team All-Events with 9,698.
In 2011, the teammates closed their set at the National Bowling Stadium with a then-record game of 1,281 to win Regular Team with a 3,473 total.
McDowell added sets of 622 in team and 617 in doubles to close his 38th tournament appearance with 2,034 for all-events.
The performance also was special for McDowell as he joined his father, Larry McDowell, with a perfect game at the event. Larry McDowell rolled his 300 in doubles during the 1997 Open Championships in Huntsville, Alabama.
Minnesota’s Robillard and Clements secure top spot in Regular Doubles
Success at the USBC Open Championships has been synonymous with members of The Lakers (formerly Linds Lakers) over the years, and the talented group is looking to add another win to their collection after a strong showing April 30 at the 2025 event.
Joey Robillard of Farmington, Minnesota, and Robert Clements of Plymouth, Minnesota, took over the top spot in Regular Doubles with a combined score of 1,494 at the Raising Cane’s River Center, surpassing the 1,483 posted by Scott Anderson of Cooper City, Florida, and Nathan Samuels of Pompano Beach, Florida.
Robillard, a 33-year-old right-hander, rolled games of 245, 226 and 279 for a 750 series during the performance, while Clements, a 52-year-old right-hander, had 268, 244 and 232 for 744.
The final frame of Game 3 started with Clements leaving a 7 pin on a pocket hit and covering the spare, putting Robillard in a must-strike position to keep their chance at the lead intact.
Robillard delivered the necessary strike, and after a nine count on the fill by Clements, he had two routes to secure the outright lead. A nine count, followed by a spare, would give them the lead by one pin. A second strike in the 10th would also do the trick.
Robillard elected the second route, rolling another strike and closing with a nine count to position the pair at the top of the standings by 11 pins.
The two-team group representing The Lakers at the 2025 event featured a pair of USBC Hall of Famers in Sam Lantto and Todd Savoy and five Eagle winners (Lantto, Savoy, John Eiss, Gary Green and Chuck Vashaw).
The team’s longevity also is a noting factor at the Open Championships, as Thomas Corbett celebrated his 50th appearance in 2025. Eiss leads the group with 51 appearances at the event.
Clements made headlines at the 2018 Open Championships in Syracuse, New York, with a perfect game in singles, but both he and Robillard are in search of their first win at the tournament.
Robillard nearly added his name to the list for a 300 at the Open Championships as well during singles, finishing his set with 299 for a 702 series.
Honor scores at the Raising Cane’s River Center
Julian Brown of Jonesboro, Georgia, and Jeremy Adler of Columbus, Indiana, joined McDowell with honor scores at the 2025 USBC Open Championships on May 3.
Brown, a left-hander, rolled a perfect game during his doubles set at the River Center. He started doubles with 203 before connecting for 12 strikes in Game 2. He finished the set with 222 for a 725 series.
He paired with Zackery Carter of Des Plaines, Illinois, during the set, and they were able to move just outside of the top 10 in Regular Doubles with 1,385. Carter added 660.
Brown and Carter had taken the lead in Regular Doubles at the 2023 Open Championships in Reno, Nevada, and finished the year in third place with a 1,401 total.
Adler, a right-hander, fired games of 258, 298 and 257 for an 813 series during his doubles set, and he paired with Chris Jones of Edinburgh, Indiana, to take over fourth place in Regular Doubles with 1,432. Jones had 619.
Adler left a 3-6 combination on his final shot of Game 2, but he delivered strikes on 29 of 35 shots on his way to securing the third 800 of the 2025 event. All three 800s at the River Center have been rolled during doubles.
Colorado crew leads Standard Team at 2025 Open Championships
Powered by a strong start May 3 at the Raising Cane’s River Center, the members of Leave Your Mark Pro Shop #3 moved into the lead in Standard Team at the 2025 USBC Open Championships with a 2,845 total.
The group – based out of Colorado – fired games of 963, 991 and 891 to secure the top spot by 33 pins. DiLaura Brothers 6 of Clinton Township, Michigan, had held the lead since April 10 with 2,812.
Steven McCracken led the charge for Leave Your Mark Pro Shop #3 with a 698 series and was joined by the husband-and-wife duo of Russ and Michelle Schafer (614 and 413, respectively), Amanda Nowasell (570) and Joshua Dundas (550).
Standard Team features five-player groups with combined entering averages from 776-875.
A look ahead
Minneapolis’ Jay Joyner is scheduled to make his 55th appearance at the USBC Open Championships on May 11 during his team event at 7:45 p.m. Central.
Joyner made his debut at the 1968 tournament in Cincinnati, and he has toppled 95,534 pins through his first 54 appearances for a career average of 196.5.
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2025 USBC OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Raising Cane’s River Center
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
(Division leaders with hometown and pinfall)
As of May 6, 2025
REGULAR DIVISION
Team
(Combined averages of 876 and above)
1, Phat Kidz Crew (Travis Anderson, Andrew Stone, Anthony Recsnik, Thomas Barnwell, Steven Taylor), Pekin, Ill., 3,300. 2, Strike It Rich Pro Shop 1, St. Charles, Mo., 3,270. 3, Ferri Enterprises 1, Murrysville, Pa., 3,250. 4, Sweetheart Lanes Pro Shop, Loveland, Colo., 3,185. 5, Mento Produce, Auburn, N.Y., 3,180.
Doubles
(Combined averages of 351 and above)
1, Robert Clements, Plymouth, Minn./Joey Robillard, Farmington, Minn., 1,494. 2, Nathan Samuels, Pompano Beach, Fla./Scott Anderson, Cooper City, Fla., 1,483. 3, Ronnie Sparks Jr., Redford, Mich./Jay Lang, Sterling Heights, Mich., 1,468. 4, Jeremy Adler, Columbus, Ind./Chris Jones, Edinburgh, Ind., 1,432. 5, Jeffrey Suma Jr., Lake Orion, Mich./Cooper Pilon, Warren, Mich., 1,424.
Singles
(Averages of 176 and above)
1, Marc McDowell, Black River Falls, Wis., 795. 2, Richie Benninghoff, South Bend, Ind., 793. 3, Christopher Karlin, Huntington, Ind., 789. 4, Jeffrey Grego, Fort Wayne, Ind., 786. 5, Bobby Habetler, Park Ridge, Ill., 782.
All-Events
(Averages of 176 and above)
1, Cassidy Schaub, Ashland, Ohio, 2,158. 2, Derek Magno, Cicero, N.Y., 2,146. 3, Jeffrey Campbell, Sioux Falls, S.D., 2,144. 4, David Cole II, Deerfield, Ill., 2,142. 5, Dylan Burns, Wichita, Kan., 2,137.
Team All-Events
1, Mento Produce (Anthony Pepe, Brett Cunningham, Steve Meyer, Derek Magno, Joe Conti Jr.), Auburn, N.Y., 9,887. 2, Phat Kidz Crew, Pekin, Ill., 9,879. 3, Strike It Rich Pro Shop 1, St. Charles, Mo., 9,817. 4, H5G, Sussex, Wis., 9,750. 5, DiLaura Brothers 1, Clinton Township, Mich., 9,635.
STANDARD DIVISION
Team
(Combined averages of 776-875)
1, Leave Your Mark Pro Shop #3 (Joshua Dundas, Michelle Schafer, Amanda Nowasell, Russ Schafer, Steven McCracken), Keller, Texas, 2,845. 2, DiLaura Brothers 6, Clinton Township, Mich., 2,812. 3, Silver Creek Liquor Team 1, Fairmont, Minn., 2,762. 4, Ryano’s Pro Shop #4, Collinsville, Va., 2,759. 5, Lawrence Rathbun Team 4, Yuba City, Calif., 2,743.
Doubles
(Combined averages of 311-350)
1, Emily Cox, North Dinwiddie, Va./Brandyn Cox, Chesterfield, Va., 1,290. 2, John Richards/Johnathan Richards Jr., Chino Valley, Ariz., 1,272. 3, Justin Dahlke, Eagan, Minn./Nolan Hartl, Cannon Falls, Minn., 1,244. 4, Nicholas Remer, West Allis, Wis./Chris Schafer, Milwaukee, 1,227. 5, Lyn Cummings, Oklahoma City/Andy Murray, Yukon, Okla., 1,222.
Singles
(Averages of 156-175)
1, Eric Batka, West Olive, Mich., 722. 2, Matt Smock, Gretna, Neb., 706. 3(tie), Jonah Nagle, Taylorville, Ill., and William Morris, Sartell, Minn., 704. 5, Charles Thompson II, Jacksonville, Fla., 696.
All-Events
(Averages of 156-175)
1, Jeff Dent, Glade Hill, Va., 1,981. 2, Matt Smock, Gretna, Neb., 1,943. 3, Robert Isaacson, Orland Park, Ill., 1,879. 4, Nathan Schuette, Owatonna, Minn., 1,862. 5, Daren Lindeman, Parkston, S.D., 1,841.
CLASSIFIED DIVISION
Team
(Combined averages of 775 and below)
1, Fat Dad’s 4 (Jeffrey Johnson, Brady Lee, Jason Hausauer, Jeffery Reuss, Ryan Lee), Alexandria, Minn., 2,407. 2, Just Beat Chandra!, West Jordan, Utah, 2,403. 3, No Problem 3, Hawthorne, Calif., 2,388. 4, Rocky Mountain Mayhem 3, Parker, Colo., 2,387. 5, Classic Auto Body 1, Eaton, Colo., 2,383.
Doubles
(Combined averages of 310 and below)
1, Alaina Moore/Shane Moore, Reno, Nev., 1,172. 2, Hunter Severson/Daniel King, Sidney, Mont., 1,106. 3, Brian Crumpton, Tupelo, Miss./Larry Robbins, Blue Springs, Miss., 1,074. 4, Brian Bowes/Christina Maurer, Fort Wayne, Ind., 1,054. 5, Rose Jenkins/Leonard Stephens, Post Falls, Idaho, 1,045.
Singles
(Averages of 155 and below)
1, Kenneth Hurst, Dayton, Ohio, 645. 2, Baine Farr, San Antonio, 638. 3, Justin McManis, Lanark, Ill., 636. 4, Dustin Mann, Swanton, Ohio, 611. 5, Brian Curin, Lincoln, Neb., 601.
All-Events
(Averages of 155 and below)
1, Nolan Hartl, Cannon Falls, Minn., 1,764. 2, Michael Wyrick, Colfax, Ill., 1,687. 3, Jesse Smyle, Bowman, N.D., 1,645. 4, Arjay Dizon, Vacaville, Calif., 1,638. 5(tie), Xavier Steiner, Shenandoah, Iowa, and Christopher Williams, Seattle, 1,632.
