9 hours ago
RENO, Nev. - If the 2021 U.S. Open were a class in school, Jakob Butturff of Tempe, Arizona, would give himself an A-minus for his first two days of competition at the National Bowling Stadium.
The seven-time Professional Bowlers Association Tour champion and his fellow competitors have been tested twice in the form of challenging oil patterns, and he has set the grading curve as the overall leader through two rounds of qualifying.
Butturff passed the week s first test with flying colors, averaging nearly 240 in the opening round, and while Wednesday s flat 40-foot lane condition yielded much lower scores, he again considered his performance a success.
11 hours ago
RENO, Nev. - Jakob Butturff of Tempe, Arizona, may not be a U.S. Open champion, but he still has been one of the most dominant and talked about bowlers at the tournament in recent years.
Following two less-than-stellar performances at the prestigious event, the 26-year-old left-hander has reclaimed his place at the top of the U.S. Open standings, this time pacing the 108-player field at the National Bowling Stadium with a 1,914 eight-game total, a 239.25 average.
He was followed in the standings Tuesday by Sean Lavery-Spahr of Pasadena, Texas (1,851), Brent Boho of Indianapolis (1,843), Sweden s Pontus Andersson (1,837) and Michael Davidson of Versailles, Ohio (1,832).
BY MIKE PANOZZO
Admittedly, 2021 has not been Jason Belmonte’s best on the PBA Tour. In fact, he says it has arguably been one of his worst.
But the six-time PBA Player of the Year insists he has plenty of motivation as his title defense at the U.S. Open begins today at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada.
“It would mean a lot to me, going through a lot of homesickness and tough times on the lanes to still be able to pull it all together and do something special,” Belmonte said.
Belmonte announced last week that the U.S. Open would be his final event of the season, and that he would skip the PBA Playoffs to return to Australia, where he and wife Kimberly are expecting their fourth child.
16 hours ago
RENO, Nev. - Denmark s Thomas Larsen said he was excited to return to the National Bowling Stadium because he d bowled well there in the past, and he was able to continue that success Sunday with a win at the 2021 United States Bowling Congress Masters.
The 31-year-old right-hander defeated top seed Jesper Svensson of Sweden in a see-saw match, 197-176, for his third Professional Bowlers Association Tour title and the first major victory of his career. He became the first bowler from Denmark to win the USBC Masters.
The Masters stepladder was broadcast live Sunday on Fox Sports FS1 as part of the 2021 PBA Tour television schedule. The event was the fourth of five majors on the 2021 PBA Tour calendar, and the win earned Larsen a $30,000 top prize.
RENO, Nev. - Tim Foy Jr. of Seaford, Delaware, is having a memorable week at the National Bowling Stadium, and his momentum continued Sunday night in the pre-tournament qualifier for the 2021
The 34-year-old two-hander averaged more than 236 to pace the 53-player PTQ field with a 1,893 total for his eight games, including a 276 finish.
The 43 players advancing from the PTQ will round out the 108-competitor field for the U.S. Open, which kicks off Tuesday, after a full day of practice squads Monday.
The other 65 bowlers scheduled to compete this week earned direct entry into the event based on their on-lane performances throughout 2020 and in other top-tier events.