Team USA's Anderson leads after first day of singles at 2018 World Men's Championships
November 25, 2018
HONG KONG - In case being named the Professional Bowlers Association Player of the Year wasn't enough to get Team USA's Andrew Anderson on the radar this week at the 2018 World Bowling Men's Championships, his performance Sunday in singles likely solidified his place among the players to watch.
In fact, Anderson's command of the 38-foot World Bowling Los Angeles oil pattern, which resulted in the tournament's first perfect game and a 245.5 average for six games, made him the top attraction on the opening squad at the South China Athletic Association Bowling Centre. He tops the standings with a 1,473 total.
Team USA's Kyle Troup also bowled well in singles and finished the day in second place, 105 pins behind Anderson, with 1,368. A couple challenging 10th frames and a few spare miscues kept Troup from making a run at the lead.
Malaysia's Rafiq Ismail is third with 1,361, and Niko Oksanen of Finland occupies the fourth spot with 1,310, a 218.33 average.
The other half of the 265-player field will take the lanes Monday for its six games of singles qualifying. Competition at the SCAA Bowling Center will get underway at 9 a.m. (Sunday at 8 p.m. Eastern), and the top four players overall will advance to the Dec. 1 singles semifinals based on their six-game pinfall totals.
Anderson admitted to being nervous as qualifying got underway, and understandably so, considering it was the first game of his career with the adult version of Team USA.
After starting with a 200 game, the 23-year-old right-hander got comfortable on the world stage and rattled off games of 279, 278 and 300. He closed with 201 and 215.
"This definitely was an amazing start to my Team USA career, and I don't think you could've written it up any better," said Anderson, who was named PBA Player of the Year a few days before the start of the World Championships. "The first game didn't go as well as I would've liked, but if the first shot of any tournament is hard, the first game representing your country is even harder. Once I got comfortable, I was able to get some breaks and momentum, and that helped. I did leave some pins out there during the block, but those middle three games - that was pretty cool."
Anderson, along with teammate EJ Tackett, bowled on the first of the four singles squads, and the things they encountered, good or bad, can be used to help determine the game plan for the rest of their teammates.
What happened on the opening squad certainly played into the success Troup had, and the day as a whole should provide some insight for Chris Barnes and Tommy Jones, who will hit the lanes for Monday's first squad.
"It was very impressive how Andrew got into a rhythm today, and he was able to get his swing really long and loose, which led to great ball reaction," Team USA head coach Rod Ross said. "His ball reaction then kept his swing loose, and that combination helped him pull away from the field. Because of what he did, the bowlers on the second squad attacked the lanes a little differently, so the transition was different. Kyle saw that and bowled well, too, which is great. Now, we'll take what we learned and see what happens tomorrow. Every squad will be a little different because all teams are evaluating and making changes, just like we are."
Just being selected as one of the six players to represent Team USA at the 2018 World Men's Championships was incredibly meaningful for Anderson, and the magnitude of the opportunity is not lost on the three-time Junior Team USA member.
Now, he'll watch his teammates in singles and wait to see if his score is enough to earn a spot in the semifinals. Then, the goal will be to carry his momentum into doubles, trios and team, with the ultimate goal being to help the United States successfully defend its team title.
"I guess the way I'm looking at this is that a lot of really talented bowlers were not able to come, in order for me to here, so I put a lot of work in to be ready, and I'm going to try to represent the team the best I can," Anderson said. "It's so hard to not be emotional with the USA on your back. You're representing not only yourself, but also your team and your country, and that's something pretty special. To start it off this way means a lot."
Tackett finished the day in 13th place with a 1,261 total, while left-hander Jakob Butturff, a member of the gold-medal-winning team in 2017, was 32nd with 1,194. Butturff bowled with Troup on the day's second squad.
The United States did not medal in singles last year at the Combined World Championships in Las Vegas.
Defending champion Xander van Mazijk of the Netherlands is back in the field this year and finished Sunday tied for 58th place with a 1,149.
All competitors at the 2018 World Men's Championships will compete for medals in singles, doubles, trios, team, all-events and Masters competition. The tournament will conclude Dec. 5.
All qualifying rounds at the 2018 World Men's Championships are being livestreamed by World Bowling, and all medal rounds will be broadcast to the United States and Canada by FloBowling. A FloBowling subscription will be required to watch the medal rounds.
For more information on the 2018 World Men's Championships, visit 2018wmc.worldbowling.org.
In fact, Anderson's command of the 38-foot World Bowling Los Angeles oil pattern, which resulted in the tournament's first perfect game and a 245.5 average for six games, made him the top attraction on the opening squad at the South China Athletic Association Bowling Centre. He tops the standings with a 1,473 total.
Team USA's Kyle Troup also bowled well in singles and finished the day in second place, 105 pins behind Anderson, with 1,368. A couple challenging 10th frames and a few spare miscues kept Troup from making a run at the lead.
Malaysia's Rafiq Ismail is third with 1,361, and Niko Oksanen of Finland occupies the fourth spot with 1,310, a 218.33 average.
The other half of the 265-player field will take the lanes Monday for its six games of singles qualifying. Competition at the SCAA Bowling Center will get underway at 9 a.m. (Sunday at 8 p.m. Eastern), and the top four players overall will advance to the Dec. 1 singles semifinals based on their six-game pinfall totals.
Anderson admitted to being nervous as qualifying got underway, and understandably so, considering it was the first game of his career with the adult version of Team USA.
After starting with a 200 game, the 23-year-old right-hander got comfortable on the world stage and rattled off games of 279, 278 and 300. He closed with 201 and 215.
"This definitely was an amazing start to my Team USA career, and I don't think you could've written it up any better," said Anderson, who was named PBA Player of the Year a few days before the start of the World Championships. "The first game didn't go as well as I would've liked, but if the first shot of any tournament is hard, the first game representing your country is even harder. Once I got comfortable, I was able to get some breaks and momentum, and that helped. I did leave some pins out there during the block, but those middle three games - that was pretty cool."
Anderson, along with teammate EJ Tackett, bowled on the first of the four singles squads, and the things they encountered, good or bad, can be used to help determine the game plan for the rest of their teammates.
What happened on the opening squad certainly played into the success Troup had, and the day as a whole should provide some insight for Chris Barnes and Tommy Jones, who will hit the lanes for Monday's first squad.
"It was very impressive how Andrew got into a rhythm today, and he was able to get his swing really long and loose, which led to great ball reaction," Team USA head coach Rod Ross said. "His ball reaction then kept his swing loose, and that combination helped him pull away from the field. Because of what he did, the bowlers on the second squad attacked the lanes a little differently, so the transition was different. Kyle saw that and bowled well, too, which is great. Now, we'll take what we learned and see what happens tomorrow. Every squad will be a little different because all teams are evaluating and making changes, just like we are."
Just being selected as one of the six players to represent Team USA at the 2018 World Men's Championships was incredibly meaningful for Anderson, and the magnitude of the opportunity is not lost on the three-time Junior Team USA member.
Now, he'll watch his teammates in singles and wait to see if his score is enough to earn a spot in the semifinals. Then, the goal will be to carry his momentum into doubles, trios and team, with the ultimate goal being to help the United States successfully defend its team title.
"I guess the way I'm looking at this is that a lot of really talented bowlers were not able to come, in order for me to here, so I put a lot of work in to be ready, and I'm going to try to represent the team the best I can," Anderson said. "It's so hard to not be emotional with the USA on your back. You're representing not only yourself, but also your team and your country, and that's something pretty special. To start it off this way means a lot."
Tackett finished the day in 13th place with a 1,261 total, while left-hander Jakob Butturff, a member of the gold-medal-winning team in 2017, was 32nd with 1,194. Butturff bowled with Troup on the day's second squad.
The United States did not medal in singles last year at the Combined World Championships in Las Vegas.
Defending champion Xander van Mazijk of the Netherlands is back in the field this year and finished Sunday tied for 58th place with a 1,149.
All competitors at the 2018 World Men's Championships will compete for medals in singles, doubles, trios, team, all-events and Masters competition. The tournament will conclude Dec. 5.
All qualifying rounds at the 2018 World Men's Championships are being livestreamed by World Bowling, and all medal rounds will be broadcast to the United States and Canada by FloBowling. A FloBowling subscription will be required to watch the medal rounds.
For more information on the 2018 World Men's Championships, visit 2018wmc.worldbowling.org.