June 2017 -
17
Oregon Bowlers Connect For 300 Games at
2017 USBC Open Championships
By
nd
LAS VEGAS -
In any sport, the ability to take
advantage when an opportunity presents itself is
a key to finding continued success.
A pair of Oregon bowlers did that this weekend
at the 2017
as Kevin Croucher of
Grants Pass, Oregon, and Thomas Ault Jr. of
Portland, Oregon, added their names to the
short list of competitors who have recorded 300
games this year at the South Point Bowling
Plaza.
For the past week, Croucher has showcased
his ability on the lanes in Las Vegas by advancing to the stepladder finals of the
2017 Super Senior Classic and making the cut into match play at the USBC Senior
Masters, both at the nearby Sam's Town Bowling Center.
The 61-year-old right-hander then made his way to the Bowling Plaza, where a
combination of skill and a little luck, earned him a place in the USBC Open Champi-
onships record book.
While making his run at the seventh perfect game of the 2017 event, Croucher
capitalized on a Brooklyn strike on his 11th offering. He followed the fortunate break
with a shot that left little doubt he'd become the owner of a 300 on bowling's biggest
stage.
The 300 came between games of 188 and 175 for a 663 series and helped Sign
Producers of Winter Garden, Florida, to a 2,860 total. Team NABR of Fairport, New
York, leads Regular Team with 3,266.
Croucher had a game plan coming into Saturday, but despite just three strikes in
the opening game, he stuck with it and adjusted his ball speed.
"I used urethane the first game, and the idea was to use urethane the entire time,"
said Croucher, who made his 15th Open Championships appearance. "I couldn't
carry the first game, so I slowed it down a little bit to help create some carry. I've
had a lot of 300s, so I was just trying to repeat my shot. On the 11th one, I missed
left and got lucky. I wanted to come back and put the last one in the pocket, and I
made a good shot."
Croucher, the 2007 Professional Bowlers Association Tour Senior Decatur Open
champion, now is looking forward to the Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open, pre-
sented by Storm, which kicks off Monday with the opening round of qualifying at Las
Vegas' Suncoast Bowling Center.
"It's been a long week, but I have no complaints," said Croucher, who finished
fourth at the Super Senior Classic and tied for 49th at the Senior Masters. "I've been
able to find some success at each event, and I'm throwing the ball pretty well. Add-
ing the 300 was cool, and I hope this run continues at the U.S. Open."
Once you find success at the Open Championships, you want to relive that mo-
ment year after year.
In Ault's case, it took nine years to get back into
the spotlight, but it was well worth the wait for the
40-year-old right-hander.
Joining Croucher in the record book also re-
quired some luck for Ault, however, as it took a
last-second trip of the 9 pin Sunday afternoon to
cap off the eighth 300 of the 2017 Open Champi-
onships.
Ault, a Regular Team champion at the 2008 tournament in Albuquerque, New
Mexico, excelled individually this year, sandwiching his perfect effort between
games of 193 and 243 for a 736 singles series. He added 700 in team and 633 in
doubles for a career-best 2,069 all-events total, which is tied for 10th place in Regu-
lar All-Events this year.
"I wish I had a better first game in singles, but I was able to shoot a 730 series with
a 190 first game," said Ault, who made his 15th Open Championships appearance.
"The transition was very awkward between doubles and singles. I was throwing two
different balls on the pair. It was a telltale sign of the carrydown on the right lane
compared to the left one."
When Ault's team rallied together in 2008, there was a sense of camaraderie and
the chance to share that moment, but the path to individual success is a little differ-
ent, even with friends and teammates there for support.
"I started thinking about that in the seventh or eighth frame and felt like a pitcher
going for a no-no (no-hitter), and my teammates on the pair and the pair next to
ours, were just staying away," said Ault, a five-time Professional Bowlers Associa-
tion regional champion who regularly bowls at Portland's KingPins Family Entertain-
ment Center. "They did not say anything to me and just let me stay with my pre-shot
routine until that game was over and I was able to deliver two and a half good shots
that all carried."
USBC Open Championship
Classified Leader Board Gets
New Look At South Point
Bowling Plaza
By Aaron Smith
The Classified Division at the 2017 USBC Open
Championships got new leaders in singles and doubles
this week.
Patience and dedication proved virtuous for Robert
Linder of Henderson, Colorado, as he turned in a ca-
reer-best performance on his way to the lead in Classi-
fied Singles with a 634 total.
The 68-year-old right-hander rolled games of 210, 221
and 203 at the South Point Bowling Plaza on June 6,
surpassing Nick Stenberg of Big Timber, Montana, who
previously held the lead with 621.
Linder, who made his 21st Open Championships ap-
pearance, recorded his second 600 series on the
championship lanes. His big set also helped him move
into the top 15 in Classified All-Events. He added 511
in team and 482 in doubles for a 1,627 total, which is
good for 14th place. Stenberg leads Classified All-
Events with 1,733.
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS WEEKLY GLANCE
(For June 7 - June 13, 2017)
"This means a whole lot to me," said Linder, who rolled
a 602 series in doubles at the 1998 event in Reno, Ne-
vada. "I've been coming here for more than 20 years,
and I finally accomplished something I've always
wanted to do. It would mean a whole lot if it held up. I'd
be honored to be a champion at this event."
In Classified Doubles, Ted Fleming of Mountain
Home, Idaho, and Paul Davis of Emmett, Idaho, didn't
know they were so close to the lead, which worked out
for the best, as they got just enough to earn a share for
the top spot with a 1,105 total.
Both Fleming and Davis were working on doubles
heading into the final frame. After each spared to start
the 10th, count on their fill balls would determine
whether or not they could get to the lead.
Davis stepped up first and toppled nine pins, and,
though Fleming missed his target to the right, he was
able to knock over seven pins, leaving the 1-2-4 combi-
nation standing, but getting just enough to secure a
share of the lead.
Fleming, a 38-year-old right-hander, led the way with
games of 179, 181 and 211 for a 571 series, and
Davis, a 68-year-old right-hander, added 149, 201 and
184 for 534.
Classified Singles includes bowlers with entering av-
erages of 180 and below, and Classified Doubles in-
cludes pairs with combined entering averages of 360 or
less.
2018 USBC Open
Championships
March 31-July 7
(last day of team competition)
OnCenter Convention Center
800 S. State St., Syracuse, NY 13202
