Missouri duo moves into Regular Doubles lead at USBC Open Championships
02/24/10
Larry Pratt (left) of Raymore, Mo., hasn't been to the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships in more than 20 years, but it definitely didn't show when he made his return to the tournament lanes this week.
The 45-year-old left-hander and fellow southpaw Greg Benefield (right) of Lee's Summit, Mo., moved into the Regular Doubles lead with a 1,255 total at the National Bowling Stadium on Tuesday. Justin Gibbons of Lawrenceville, Ga., and Leigh Trostel of Cumming, Ga., previously held the lead with 1,237.
While bowlers sometimes get burned out and take time off hoping to return to the lanes refreshed and ready to shoot high scores, Pratt's hiatus from the Open Championships simply was because he worked nights, and his schedule wouldn't allow him to travel much.
After being promoted to a management role at Roberts Dairy, Pratt was able to take time off and join Benefield at the Open Championships. The two bowl doubles together whenever they can and were excited to pair up on bowling's biggest stage.
Benefield, 52, led the way with games of 236, 209 and 223 for a 668 effort, while Pratt contributed 184, 205 and 198 for 587.
"We communicate very well," said Pratt, who bowls regularly at Blue Springs Bowl and made his fourth overall Open Championships appearance. "Greg saw that I needed to make a move, so I moved two boards left with my feet and target, and I was able to square up."
Pratt and Benefield have a combined 78 years of bowling experience, mostly in their home state, and stuck with their normal routine before making their way to the Open Championships.
"We both bought new equipment before we made the trip," said Benefield, who finished 14th in Regular Singles in 2008 and made his fifth tournament appearance this year. "We also bowl twice a week, and plenty of tournaments on the weekend, so we get plenty of time on the lanes."
On Monday, Pratt (585) and Benefield (546) led the all-lefty Big Dogs 2 into eighth place in Regular Team with 2,840. Pandorum (pictured right) of Buford, Ga., leads with 3,063.
Benefield added 614 in singles for 1,828 all-events total, while Pratt finished with 621 in singles for 1,739. William Banks of Laurel Hill, N.C., leads Regular All-Events with 1,986.
Julie Wahman (pictured) of Dexter, Iowa, took the lead in Classified Singles with a 591 series at the National Bowling Stadium on Monday afternoon.
The 40-year-old right-hander posted games of 194, 211 and 186 to break a tie on the leaderboard. Lee Baird of Brownwood, Texas, and Larry Grafreed of Chicago previously shared the lead with 570.
The Open Championships first allowed women to compete in 1994, and they've had a growing presence on the lanes ever since. More than 12 percent of the event's participants are women, and many have graced the leaderboard over the years. So far, five women have gone on to claim tournament titles.
On Sunday, Wahman shot 477 to help her team, Stuart Bowl 3, into the Classified Team lead with 2,573. She added 484 in doubles, for a 1,552 total, which is good for seventh place in Classified All-Events. Baird leads with 1,648.
"It's exciting," said Wahman, who made her third Open Championships appearance. "It's exciting because this was a men's tournament for so long. I always make it a goal to try and beat my husband, and today, I did."
Presenting sponsors for the 2010 USBC Open Championships are Circus Circus, Eldorado and Silver Legacy Hotel/Casinos in Reno, Nev. Other sponsors include Sands Regency Casino Hotel, official brackets sponsor, Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, US Steltronic, official scoring system, and supporting sponsors Storm Bowling Products, UPS, Nationwide Insurance, Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa, Harrah's Reno Casino and Hotel and Peppermill Hotel Casino.
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National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., United States (Feb. 20 - July 5, 2010)
Top 10 division leaders with hometown and pinfalls
1, Pandorum (Leigh Trostel, Darin Belsito, Settee Johnson, Mark McClung, Justin Gibbons), Buford, Ga., 3,063. 2, CMS Concrete 2, Nashua, N.H., 3,049. 3, Macanudos, Auburn, Ga., 2,961. 4, Dr. Hooks Pro Shop, Kalamazoo, Mich., 2,928. 5, Bountiful Gardens, Hamlet, N.C., 2,926. 6, TEXA Tonka Lanes-GRN1, Minneapolis, 2,900. 7, M R B 2, Bloomington, Ill., 2,866. 8, Big Dogs 2, Lee's Summit, Mo., 2,840. 9, Yeah Baby, John's Creek, Ga., 2,775. 10, Bowlers Annex, Nashua, N.H., 2,743.
Doubles
1, Larry Pratt, Raymore, Mo./Greg Benefield, Lee's Summit, Mo., 1,255. 2, Justin Gibbons, Lawrenceville, Ga./Leigh Trostel, Cumming, Ga., 1,237. 3, Robert Brimm, Bloomington, Ill./Robert Brewe III, Normal, Ill., 1,216. 4, Glen Dingmann, St. Cloud, Minn./Drew Elness, Sauk Rapids, Minn., 1,207. 5, Richard Toner Jr./Eddie Graham, Tampa, Fla., 1,206. 6, Dan Smith, Lawrenceville, Ga./Darin Belsito, Oakwood, Ga., 1,205. 7, Michael Snead, Rockingham, N.C./William Banks, Laurel Hill, N.C., 1,201. 8, Jason Gibson/Brandon Gibson, Kalamazoo, Mich., 1,199. 9, Steven Vance, Stone Mountain, Ga./John Chisena, Atlanta, 1,184. 10, Brian Smith, Tewksbury, Mass./Steve Ramey, North Chelmsford, Mass., 1,173.
Singles
1, Steven Vance, Stone Mountain, Ga., 729. 2, Steve Blanchet, Lawrence, Mass., 715. 3, Darin Belsito, Oakwood, Ga., 705. 4, Dan Smith, Lawrenceville, Ga., 685. 5, John Gibbons, Atlanta, 682. 6, Kelvin Wiggins, Rocky Mount, N.C., 678. 7, Michael Walther, Sartell, Minn., 676. 8, Ed Ilano, Auburn, Ga., 671. 9, Chad Crayton, Burlington, Wis., 660. 10, Russell Michaud, Hudson, N.H., 653.
All-Events
1, William Banks, Laurel Hill, N.C., 1,986. 2, Justin Gibbons, Lawrenceville, Ga., 1,939. 3, Steve Blanchet, Lawrence, Mass., 1,920. 4, Steven Vance, Stone Mountain, Ga., 1,913. 5, Dan Smith, Lawrenceville, Ga., 1,897. 6, Russell Michaud, Hudson, N.H., 1,880. 7, Ryan Utterback, Clinton, Ill., 1,871. 8, Tyler Wilds, Three Rivers, Mich., 1,868. 9, Matt Bailey, Grand Junction, Colo., 1,855. 10, Darin Belsito, Oakwood, Ga., 1,851.
Team All-Events
1, Big Dogs 2, (Doug Vergouven, James Kent Jr., Jim Anderson, Larry Pratt, Greg Benefield), Lee's Summit, Mo., 8,857. 2, Pandorum, Buford, Ga., 8,852. 3 (tie), Macanudos, Auburn, Ga. and CMS Concrete 2, Nashua, N.H., 8,809. 5, Dr. Hooks Pro Shop, Kalamazoo, Mich., 8,680. 6, Bountiful Gardens, Hamlet, N.C., 8,668. 7, M R B 2, Bloomington, Ill., 8,410. 8, TEXA Tonka Lanes-GRN1, Minneapolis, 8,400. 9, Cold Spring Lanes 2, Sartell, Minn., 8,310. 10, CMS Concrete 1, Nashua, N.H., 8,220.
Team
1, Stuart Bowl 3 (Brian Allsup, Julie Wahman, Jeff Henderson, Gregg Wahman, Gregg Wahman, Jr.), Stuart, Iowa, 2,573. 2, 3 Jokers & 2 Queens, Buford, Ga., 2,536. 3, Stuart Bowl Pro Shop, Stuart, Iowa, 2,519. 4, Stuart Bowl 1, Stuart, Iowa, 2,466. 5, Fairbault Food, Cokato, Minn., 2,451. 6, We Ken Two, Carrington, N.D., 2,446. 7, Doug's Tax Service, Corning, Ga., 2,424. 8, Canadian Crankers, Normal, Ill., 2,423. 9, T-Rays, Jamestown, N.D., 2,390. 10, Holt Motors, Cokato, Minn., 2,380.
Doubles
1, Charles Horstmann, Howard Lake, Minn./Jesse Carlson, Belle Plaine, Minn., 1,079. 2, Gary Hagemann/Ann Horstmann, Howard Lake, Minn., 1,066. 3, Prentiss Cross/Judi Spencer, Waco, Texas, 1,056. 4, Ron Carlson, Cokato, Minn./Rick Carlson, Delano, Minn., 1,052. 5, Kathryn Haferkamp, Clifton, Texas/Steve Wade, Waco, Texas, 1,047. 6, Loren Howard, Grand Forks, N.D./Michael Kvislen, Finley, N.D., 1,046. 7, Lisa Mazzanti, San Antonio/Janet Pollock, New Braunfels, Texas, 1,031. 8, (tie) Jesse Downing/Debby Downing, Kenosha, Wis., and Gary Thornburg, Stuart, Iowa/Shawn Matthews, Swan, Iowa, 1,029. 10, Terry Wibstad/Terry Gruchalla, Jamestown, N.D., 1,025.
Singles
1, Julie Wahman, Dexter, Iowa, 591. 2, Randy Baucom, Des Moines, Wash., 581. 3 (tie), Lee Baird, Brownwood, Texas, and Larry Grafreed, Chicago, 570. 5, Daniel Phillips, Payette, Idaho, 564. 6, Mike McCurdy, Bridgewater, Iowa, 561. 7 (tie), Terry Gruchalla, Jamestown, N.D., and William Blackwell, Elizabethtown, Ky., 560. 9, Gary Wilson, Virden, Ill., 558. 10, Gary Pietz, West Point, Iowa, 554.
All-Events
1, Lee Baird, Brownwood, Texas, 1,648. 2, Steve Wade, Waco, Texas, 1,615. 3, Terry Gruchalla, Jamestown, N.D., 1,605. 4, Joel Olson, Greenfield, Iowa, 1,601. 5, Jesse Downing, Kenosha, Wis., 1,578. 6, Charles Horstmann, Howard Lake, Minn., 1,563. 7, Julie Wahman, Dexter, Iowa, 1,552. 8, Larry Grafreed, Chicago, 1,548. 9, Jim Butler, Storm Lake, Iowa, 1,547. 10, Prentiss Cross, Waco, Texas, 1,543.
United States
National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., United States (Feb. 20 - July 5, 2010)
Larry Pratt (left) of Raymore, Mo., hasn't been to the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships in more than 20 years, but it definitely didn't show when he made his return to the tournament lanes this week. The 45-year-old left-hander and fellow southpaw Greg Benefield (right) of Lee's Summit, Mo., moved into the Regular Doubles lead with a 1,255 total at the National Bowling Stadium on Tuesday. Justin Gibbons of Lawrenceville, Ga., and Leigh Trostel of Cumming, Ga., previously held the lead with 1,237.
While bowlers sometimes get burned out and take time off hoping to return to the lanes refreshed and ready to shoot high scores, Pratt's hiatus from the Open Championships simply was because he worked nights, and his schedule wouldn't allow him to travel much.
After being promoted to a management role at Roberts Dairy, Pratt was able to take time off and join Benefield at the Open Championships. The two bowl doubles together whenever they can and were excited to pair up on bowling's biggest stage.
Benefield, 52, led the way with games of 236, 209 and 223 for a 668 effort, while Pratt contributed 184, 205 and 198 for 587.
"We communicate very well," said Pratt, who bowls regularly at Blue Springs Bowl and made his fourth overall Open Championships appearance. "Greg saw that I needed to make a move, so I moved two boards left with my feet and target, and I was able to square up."
Pratt and Benefield have a combined 78 years of bowling experience, mostly in their home state, and stuck with their normal routine before making their way to the Open Championships.
"We both bought new equipment before we made the trip," said Benefield, who finished 14th in Regular Singles in 2008 and made his fifth tournament appearance this year. "We also bowl twice a week, and plenty of tournaments on the weekend, so we get plenty of time on the lanes." On Monday, Pratt (585) and Benefield (546) led the all-lefty Big Dogs 2 into eighth place in Regular Team with 2,840. Pandorum (pictured right) of Buford, Ga., leads with 3,063.
Benefield added 614 in singles for 1,828 all-events total, while Pratt finished with 621 in singles for 1,739. William Banks of Laurel Hill, N.C., leads Regular All-Events with 1,986.
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Iowa woman takes Classified Singles lead
Julie Wahman (pictured) of Dexter, Iowa, took the lead in Classified Singles with a 591 series at the National Bowling Stadium on Monday afternoon. The 40-year-old right-hander posted games of 194, 211 and 186 to break a tie on the leaderboard. Lee Baird of Brownwood, Texas, and Larry Grafreed of Chicago previously shared the lead with 570.
The Open Championships first allowed women to compete in 1994, and they've had a growing presence on the lanes ever since. More than 12 percent of the event's participants are women, and many have graced the leaderboard over the years. So far, five women have gone on to claim tournament titles.
On Sunday, Wahman shot 477 to help her team, Stuart Bowl 3, into the Classified Team lead with 2,573. She added 484 in doubles, for a 1,552 total, which is good for seventh place in Classified All-Events. Baird leads with 1,648.
"It's exciting," said Wahman, who made her third Open Championships appearance. "It's exciting because this was a men's tournament for so long. I always make it a goal to try and beat my husband, and today, I did."
Presenting sponsors for the 2010 USBC Open Championships are Circus Circus, Eldorado and Silver Legacy Hotel/Casinos in Reno, Nev. Other sponsors include Sands Regency Casino Hotel, official brackets sponsor, Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, US Steltronic, official scoring system, and supporting sponsors Storm Bowling Products, UPS, Nationwide Insurance, Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa, Harrah's Reno Casino and Hotel and Peppermill Hotel Casino.
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107th USBC Open Championships
National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., United States (Feb. 20 - July 5, 2010)
REGULAR DIVISION
Top 10 division leaders with hometown and pinfalls
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Team1, Pandorum (Leigh Trostel, Darin Belsito, Settee Johnson, Mark McClung, Justin Gibbons), Buford, Ga., 3,063. 2, CMS Concrete 2, Nashua, N.H., 3,049. 3, Macanudos, Auburn, Ga., 2,961. 4, Dr. Hooks Pro Shop, Kalamazoo, Mich., 2,928. 5, Bountiful Gardens, Hamlet, N.C., 2,926. 6, TEXA Tonka Lanes-GRN1, Minneapolis, 2,900. 7, M R B 2, Bloomington, Ill., 2,866. 8, Big Dogs 2, Lee's Summit, Mo., 2,840. 9, Yeah Baby, John's Creek, Ga., 2,775. 10, Bowlers Annex, Nashua, N.H., 2,743.
Doubles
1, Larry Pratt, Raymore, Mo./Greg Benefield, Lee's Summit, Mo., 1,255. 2, Justin Gibbons, Lawrenceville, Ga./Leigh Trostel, Cumming, Ga., 1,237. 3, Robert Brimm, Bloomington, Ill./Robert Brewe III, Normal, Ill., 1,216. 4, Glen Dingmann, St. Cloud, Minn./Drew Elness, Sauk Rapids, Minn., 1,207. 5, Richard Toner Jr./Eddie Graham, Tampa, Fla., 1,206. 6, Dan Smith, Lawrenceville, Ga./Darin Belsito, Oakwood, Ga., 1,205. 7, Michael Snead, Rockingham, N.C./William Banks, Laurel Hill, N.C., 1,201. 8, Jason Gibson/Brandon Gibson, Kalamazoo, Mich., 1,199. 9, Steven Vance, Stone Mountain, Ga./John Chisena, Atlanta, 1,184. 10, Brian Smith, Tewksbury, Mass./Steve Ramey, North Chelmsford, Mass., 1,173.
Singles
1, Steven Vance, Stone Mountain, Ga., 729. 2, Steve Blanchet, Lawrence, Mass., 715. 3, Darin Belsito, Oakwood, Ga., 705. 4, Dan Smith, Lawrenceville, Ga., 685. 5, John Gibbons, Atlanta, 682. 6, Kelvin Wiggins, Rocky Mount, N.C., 678. 7, Michael Walther, Sartell, Minn., 676. 8, Ed Ilano, Auburn, Ga., 671. 9, Chad Crayton, Burlington, Wis., 660. 10, Russell Michaud, Hudson, N.H., 653.
All-Events
1, William Banks, Laurel Hill, N.C., 1,986. 2, Justin Gibbons, Lawrenceville, Ga., 1,939. 3, Steve Blanchet, Lawrence, Mass., 1,920. 4, Steven Vance, Stone Mountain, Ga., 1,913. 5, Dan Smith, Lawrenceville, Ga., 1,897. 6, Russell Michaud, Hudson, N.H., 1,880. 7, Ryan Utterback, Clinton, Ill., 1,871. 8, Tyler Wilds, Three Rivers, Mich., 1,868. 9, Matt Bailey, Grand Junction, Colo., 1,855. 10, Darin Belsito, Oakwood, Ga., 1,851.
Team All-Events
1, Big Dogs 2, (Doug Vergouven, James Kent Jr., Jim Anderson, Larry Pratt, Greg Benefield), Lee's Summit, Mo., 8,857. 2, Pandorum, Buford, Ga., 8,852. 3 (tie), Macanudos, Auburn, Ga. and CMS Concrete 2, Nashua, N.H., 8,809. 5, Dr. Hooks Pro Shop, Kalamazoo, Mich., 8,680. 6, Bountiful Gardens, Hamlet, N.C., 8,668. 7, M R B 2, Bloomington, Ill., 8,410. 8, TEXA Tonka Lanes-GRN1, Minneapolis, 8,400. 9, Cold Spring Lanes 2, Sartell, Minn., 8,310. 10, CMS Concrete 1, Nashua, N.H., 8,220.
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CLASSIFIED DIVISION
Team
1, Stuart Bowl 3 (Brian Allsup, Julie Wahman, Jeff Henderson, Gregg Wahman, Gregg Wahman, Jr.), Stuart, Iowa, 2,573. 2, 3 Jokers & 2 Queens, Buford, Ga., 2,536. 3, Stuart Bowl Pro Shop, Stuart, Iowa, 2,519. 4, Stuart Bowl 1, Stuart, Iowa, 2,466. 5, Fairbault Food, Cokato, Minn., 2,451. 6, We Ken Two, Carrington, N.D., 2,446. 7, Doug's Tax Service, Corning, Ga., 2,424. 8, Canadian Crankers, Normal, Ill., 2,423. 9, T-Rays, Jamestown, N.D., 2,390. 10, Holt Motors, Cokato, Minn., 2,380.
Doubles
1, Charles Horstmann, Howard Lake, Minn./Jesse Carlson, Belle Plaine, Minn., 1,079. 2, Gary Hagemann/Ann Horstmann, Howard Lake, Minn., 1,066. 3, Prentiss Cross/Judi Spencer, Waco, Texas, 1,056. 4, Ron Carlson, Cokato, Minn./Rick Carlson, Delano, Minn., 1,052. 5, Kathryn Haferkamp, Clifton, Texas/Steve Wade, Waco, Texas, 1,047. 6, Loren Howard, Grand Forks, N.D./Michael Kvislen, Finley, N.D., 1,046. 7, Lisa Mazzanti, San Antonio/Janet Pollock, New Braunfels, Texas, 1,031. 8, (tie) Jesse Downing/Debby Downing, Kenosha, Wis., and Gary Thornburg, Stuart, Iowa/Shawn Matthews, Swan, Iowa, 1,029. 10, Terry Wibstad/Terry Gruchalla, Jamestown, N.D., 1,025.
Singles
1, Julie Wahman, Dexter, Iowa, 591. 2, Randy Baucom, Des Moines, Wash., 581. 3 (tie), Lee Baird, Brownwood, Texas, and Larry Grafreed, Chicago, 570. 5, Daniel Phillips, Payette, Idaho, 564. 6, Mike McCurdy, Bridgewater, Iowa, 561. 7 (tie), Terry Gruchalla, Jamestown, N.D., and William Blackwell, Elizabethtown, Ky., 560. 9, Gary Wilson, Virden, Ill., 558. 10, Gary Pietz, West Point, Iowa, 554.
All-Events
1, Lee Baird, Brownwood, Texas, 1,648. 2, Steve Wade, Waco, Texas, 1,615. 3, Terry Gruchalla, Jamestown, N.D., 1,605. 4, Joel Olson, Greenfield, Iowa, 1,601. 5, Jesse Downing, Kenosha, Wis., 1,578. 6, Charles Horstmann, Howard Lake, Minn., 1,563. 7, Julie Wahman, Dexter, Iowa, 1,552. 8, Larry Grafreed, Chicago, 1,548. 9, Jim Butler, Storm Lake, Iowa, 1,547. 10, Prentiss Cross, Waco, Texas, 1,543.
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