Arizona bowler takes lead in Standard All-Events at 2023 Open Championships
March 29, 2023
RENO, Nev. – Kevin Smith of Gilbert, Arizona, rolled his way to the top spot in Standard All-Events on Tuesday evening at the National Bowling Stadium.
Smith, who made his 10th appearance at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, put up his best performance yet at the tournament. After starting with a 549 series in team, Smith improved each set and followed with a 626 in doubles and 630 in singles to get to 1,805 and take over the lead by three pins.
Rick Stone of Clackamas, Oregon, had been leading Standard All-Events since March 5 with 1,802.
Smith, a 48-year-old left-hander, rolled five consecutive games of 200 or higher to start doubles and singles, including a 257 effort in Game 2 of singles. He ran into two opens in the middle of Game 3, but a stretch of three consecutive strikes across the seventh, eighth and ninth frames helped push him to the lead.
In looking at his game plan this year in Reno, Smith said, “I just stuck to what I thought was going to work, instead of seeing what other people were doing.”
Smith, who originally is from upstate New York, likes to use his time at the USBC Open Championships to reconnect and bowl with some of his friends.
“We’ve been the same group for about 12 years or so,” said Smith, an Information Technology Director that bowls out of Mesa East Bowl in Mesa, Arizona. “One of us have missed for one reason or another once or twice, but we are the same core group going back to 2010.”
When he was asked about the potential of seeing his name on top of the leaderboard at the conclusion of the 2023 Open Championships, Smith simply stated, “That would just be amazing.”
Standard All-Events features bowlers with entering averages of 156-175.
The 2023 Open Championships kicked off March 4 and will conclude July 24. The 143-day tournament will feature more than 9,700 five-player teams and nearly 50,000 bowlers making their way to compete in The Biggest Little City in the World.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.
Smith, who made his 10th appearance at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, put up his best performance yet at the tournament. After starting with a 549 series in team, Smith improved each set and followed with a 626 in doubles and 630 in singles to get to 1,805 and take over the lead by three pins.
Rick Stone of Clackamas, Oregon, had been leading Standard All-Events since March 5 with 1,802.
Smith, a 48-year-old left-hander, rolled five consecutive games of 200 or higher to start doubles and singles, including a 257 effort in Game 2 of singles. He ran into two opens in the middle of Game 3, but a stretch of three consecutive strikes across the seventh, eighth and ninth frames helped push him to the lead.
In looking at his game plan this year in Reno, Smith said, “I just stuck to what I thought was going to work, instead of seeing what other people were doing.”
Smith, who originally is from upstate New York, likes to use his time at the USBC Open Championships to reconnect and bowl with some of his friends.
“We’ve been the same group for about 12 years or so,” said Smith, an Information Technology Director that bowls out of Mesa East Bowl in Mesa, Arizona. “One of us have missed for one reason or another once or twice, but we are the same core group going back to 2010.”
When he was asked about the potential of seeing his name on top of the leaderboard at the conclusion of the 2023 Open Championships, Smith simply stated, “That would just be amazing.”
Standard All-Events features bowlers with entering averages of 156-175.
The 2023 Open Championships kicked off March 4 and will conclude July 24. The 143-day tournament will feature more than 9,700 five-player teams and nearly 50,000 bowlers making their way to compete in The Biggest Little City in the World.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.