Iowa bowler makes a memorable return to USBC Open Championships
March 23, 2015
EL PASO, Texas - Mike Pelham of Clinton, Iowa, made the most of his long-awaited return to the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, where he moved into the lead in Regular Singles at the El Paso Convention Center on Monday.
The 36-year-old right-hander made his tournament debut at the 1997 event in Huntsville, Alabama, but a variety of reasons kept him from his follow-up appearance on the sport's biggest stage. When an opportunity arose to join an established group, he jumped at the chance.
Pelham finished his 2015 USBC Open Championships appearance with games of 266, 244 and 238 for a 748 singles series, 321 pins better than his debut nearly two decades ago, and moved past Ken Duffield of Platteville, Wisconsin, who held the Regular Singles lead for just 24 hours with 739.
"We bowled in 1997, and the guy who was the captain decided it was his final year," Pelham said. "It kind of fell apart, and nobody took the reins to keep it going. Since then, I really haven't had the opportunity to go. The guys that come here from Clinton are a pretty tight-knit group, and the same guys go each year, so when Doug Pennock put together a team with his sons and offered me a spot, I decided to go again after all of these years."
The tournament landscape has changed a lot in the 18 years Pelham was away, and he was able to take advantage of one of the newest features, the Showcase Lanes, to compete in the Bowlers Journal Championships presented by USBC. Visiting the on-site side event helped him re-familiarize himself with the high ceilings and convention-center setting.
"It's definitely a huge difference from back home, so we came to town a day early," Pelham said. "We bowled the Bowlers Journal to get acclimated to the surroundings, and I think that helped a lot. I didn't have to overcome that feeling during team event yesterday, so I felt pretty comfortable out there."
Pelham started Monday's competition with a 606 set in doubles and was able to get into his comfort zone as he moved farther left throughout the day.
"I was the only guy playing deep on the pair," said Pelham, who added 591 in team for a 1,945 all-events total, which is sixth overall. "The guys to the right of me ended up burning up a spot around 10 downlane. There's not a lot of oil in the middle, so you can't miss left, but you can get it downlane if you have enough angle. I kept creeping left and hitting that spot and was fortunate enough to catch a few breaks."
Stepping up in the 10th frame, Pelham needed a mark to secure the lead and left a 10 pin on his first delivery. He completed his clean set with the conversion and just had to keep the ball on the lane on his final shot to move into the top spot in the standings.
"The scores added up a little different than at home, so I knew I was close after leaving the 10 pin," Pelham said. "I never really dreamed of being in the top 10, let alone leading at any point, so I already was happy and really wasn't nervous on the spare. When I saw that I just needed count to take the lead, it was unreal. I was a little shaky on the last shot."
Pelham was met after that final shot by a cheer from his teammates heard throughout the El Paso Convention Center. Now, he can reflect on a moment he won't forget.
"It's unbelievable," Pelham said. "I kept reading about how tough the shot was this year, and I'm more of a power player, so I thought I was going to have a tough time. I just hoped to stay around the pocket and leave spares I could make. I never dreamed it would have broken down and came to me the way it did. It was a perfect scenario. I could play in and throw my A game. It couldn't work out any better."
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open/Women's Championships page.
The 36-year-old right-hander made his tournament debut at the 1997 event in Huntsville, Alabama, but a variety of reasons kept him from his follow-up appearance on the sport's biggest stage. When an opportunity arose to join an established group, he jumped at the chance.
Pelham finished his 2015 USBC Open Championships appearance with games of 266, 244 and 238 for a 748 singles series, 321 pins better than his debut nearly two decades ago, and moved past Ken Duffield of Platteville, Wisconsin, who held the Regular Singles lead for just 24 hours with 739.
"We bowled in 1997, and the guy who was the captain decided it was his final year," Pelham said. "It kind of fell apart, and nobody took the reins to keep it going. Since then, I really haven't had the opportunity to go. The guys that come here from Clinton are a pretty tight-knit group, and the same guys go each year, so when Doug Pennock put together a team with his sons and offered me a spot, I decided to go again after all of these years."
The tournament landscape has changed a lot in the 18 years Pelham was away, and he was able to take advantage of one of the newest features, the Showcase Lanes, to compete in the Bowlers Journal Championships presented by USBC. Visiting the on-site side event helped him re-familiarize himself with the high ceilings and convention-center setting.
"It's definitely a huge difference from back home, so we came to town a day early," Pelham said. "We bowled the Bowlers Journal to get acclimated to the surroundings, and I think that helped a lot. I didn't have to overcome that feeling during team event yesterday, so I felt pretty comfortable out there."
Pelham started Monday's competition with a 606 set in doubles and was able to get into his comfort zone as he moved farther left throughout the day.
"I was the only guy playing deep on the pair," said Pelham, who added 591 in team for a 1,945 all-events total, which is sixth overall. "The guys to the right of me ended up burning up a spot around 10 downlane. There's not a lot of oil in the middle, so you can't miss left, but you can get it downlane if you have enough angle. I kept creeping left and hitting that spot and was fortunate enough to catch a few breaks."
Stepping up in the 10th frame, Pelham needed a mark to secure the lead and left a 10 pin on his first delivery. He completed his clean set with the conversion and just had to keep the ball on the lane on his final shot to move into the top spot in the standings.
"The scores added up a little different than at home, so I knew I was close after leaving the 10 pin," Pelham said. "I never really dreamed of being in the top 10, let alone leading at any point, so I already was happy and really wasn't nervous on the spare. When I saw that I just needed count to take the lead, it was unreal. I was a little shaky on the last shot."
Pelham was met after that final shot by a cheer from his teammates heard throughout the El Paso Convention Center. Now, he can reflect on a moment he won't forget.
"It's unbelievable," Pelham said. "I kept reading about how tough the shot was this year, and I'm more of a power player, so I thought I was going to have a tough time. I just hoped to stay around the pocket and leave spares I could make. I never dreamed it would have broken down and came to me the way it did. It was a perfect scenario. I could play in and throw my A game. It couldn't work out any better."
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open/Women's Championships page.