California duo rolls to doubles lead at 2026 USBC Open Championships
March 30, 2026
RENO, Nev. – Good things have happened for Christopher Davidson and Brandon Bates of Fair Oaks, California, since they decided to pair together for doubles at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships.
Their first effort took place at last year’s event in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which resulted in Bates connecting for 300 during his first game of doubles.
On Sunday, the duo tossed 524 in their final game at the National Bowling Stadium to take over the lead in Regular Doubles at the 2026 event with a 1,433 total. Nicholas Heilman of La Crosse, Wisconsin, and Andy Mills of Oak Creek, Wisconsin, previously held the top spot with 1,421.
Davidson, a 34-year-old right-hander, had games of 203, 243 and 279 for a 725 series. Bates, a 33-year-old left-hander, posted scores of 236, 227 and 245 for 708.
The final push toward the top of the standings included both Davidson and Bates posting seven straight strikes to start Game 3. Bates left a 10 pin and converted the spare in the eighth and struck in the ninth, while Davidson rolled two more strikes to have his own chance at perfection.
Davidson left a 4 pin on his first delivery to end his string, but he covered the spare and struck on his fill ball. Bates' first offering in the 10th left the 3-5-6 standing, but he was only able to knock down one more on the spare attempt.
“It wasn’t very easy, so kudos to him for (rolling 300) last year,” said Davidson, who made his 11th appearance at the USBC Open Championships. “It was a little more pressure than I felt before, but it was really awesome. This is what we’re going for every single year – to find success in doubles. It’s only our second year bowling together, but it’s been our goal. We’ve been saying for the last month or so that we were going to go out and do it, so to actually go out and do it feels pretty good.”
Even though they’re looking to hit different sides of the pocket, the part of the lane both were playing mirrored close to the same line.
“We’re on different sides of the lane, but we were in similar areas,” said Bates, making his 10th tournament appearance. “We’re able to bounce ideas off each other in that aspect. The game plan we put together paid off, and we executed it.
“After about the fifth frame of the last game, there wasn’t as much communication because we were both locked in to where we were at, so we just had to keep it going. I had one jump on me in the eighth, and in the 10th frame, I had a little mishap. It happens. Chris was able to fill up the 10th to get us where we are at. Last year, shooting the 300 was amazing, and I thought that was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. To be back in the spotlight again is awesome, and we’re super stoked to get to the top of the leaderboard.”
The two competitors bowl quite a bit together back in California, so the on-lane chemistry and camaraderie is natural.
They made sure to get to Reno early as well to get in a session at the Bowlers Journal Championships, which uses the same oil pattern featured for doubles and singles at the Open Championships.
“We made our way here early to bowl the Bowlers Journal and get some practice in,” Davidson said. “We both bowl with each other a ton, so we know each other’s games and equipment very well. We’ve had a lot of experience bowling with each other and trust each other, and I think that’s the most important thing.
“This is the one tournament we are eyeing every single year – specifically the doubles portion. It means everything to leave with the lead.”
In addition to sharing the experience with Davidson, Bates also was able to enjoy the moment alongside his wife, Amber Vega.
Their son, Holland, turned 1 in February, and Bates is excited to be able to share these stories with him when he gets a little older, too.
“My wife is here and was able to watch us do that, and having her here is amazing,” Bates said. “It will be fun to talk to my son about this later in life, too. I can tell him that his pop was the man at one point.”
Davidson finished the 2026 Open Championships with 652 in singles and 622 in team for an all-events score of 1,999. Bates added 676 in singles and 599 in team for 1,983. Brandon Drummond of Loganville, Georgia, leads Regular All-Events with 2,078.
Regular Doubles features pairs with combined entering averages of 363 and above.
The Open Championships is celebrating its 122nd edition in 2026 and making its 15th trip to Reno, Nevada. The 2026 event is scheduled to feature more than 55,000 bowlers and 11,000 five-player teams competing across 128 consecutive days at the National Bowling Stadium.
Follow the action from the tournament’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Their first effort took place at last year’s event in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which resulted in Bates connecting for 300 during his first game of doubles.
On Sunday, the duo tossed 524 in their final game at the National Bowling Stadium to take over the lead in Regular Doubles at the 2026 event with a 1,433 total. Nicholas Heilman of La Crosse, Wisconsin, and Andy Mills of Oak Creek, Wisconsin, previously held the top spot with 1,421.
Davidson, a 34-year-old right-hander, had games of 203, 243 and 279 for a 725 series. Bates, a 33-year-old left-hander, posted scores of 236, 227 and 245 for 708.
The final push toward the top of the standings included both Davidson and Bates posting seven straight strikes to start Game 3. Bates left a 10 pin and converted the spare in the eighth and struck in the ninth, while Davidson rolled two more strikes to have his own chance at perfection.
Davidson left a 4 pin on his first delivery to end his string, but he covered the spare and struck on his fill ball. Bates' first offering in the 10th left the 3-5-6 standing, but he was only able to knock down one more on the spare attempt.
“It wasn’t very easy, so kudos to him for (rolling 300) last year,” said Davidson, who made his 11th appearance at the USBC Open Championships. “It was a little more pressure than I felt before, but it was really awesome. This is what we’re going for every single year – to find success in doubles. It’s only our second year bowling together, but it’s been our goal. We’ve been saying for the last month or so that we were going to go out and do it, so to actually go out and do it feels pretty good.”
Even though they’re looking to hit different sides of the pocket, the part of the lane both were playing mirrored close to the same line.
“We’re on different sides of the lane, but we were in similar areas,” said Bates, making his 10th tournament appearance. “We’re able to bounce ideas off each other in that aspect. The game plan we put together paid off, and we executed it.
“After about the fifth frame of the last game, there wasn’t as much communication because we were both locked in to where we were at, so we just had to keep it going. I had one jump on me in the eighth, and in the 10th frame, I had a little mishap. It happens. Chris was able to fill up the 10th to get us where we are at. Last year, shooting the 300 was amazing, and I thought that was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. To be back in the spotlight again is awesome, and we’re super stoked to get to the top of the leaderboard.”
The two competitors bowl quite a bit together back in California, so the on-lane chemistry and camaraderie is natural.
They made sure to get to Reno early as well to get in a session at the Bowlers Journal Championships, which uses the same oil pattern featured for doubles and singles at the Open Championships.
“We made our way here early to bowl the Bowlers Journal and get some practice in,” Davidson said. “We both bowl with each other a ton, so we know each other’s games and equipment very well. We’ve had a lot of experience bowling with each other and trust each other, and I think that’s the most important thing.
“This is the one tournament we are eyeing every single year – specifically the doubles portion. It means everything to leave with the lead.”
In addition to sharing the experience with Davidson, Bates also was able to enjoy the moment alongside his wife, Amber Vega.
Their son, Holland, turned 1 in February, and Bates is excited to be able to share these stories with him when he gets a little older, too.
“My wife is here and was able to watch us do that, and having her here is amazing,” Bates said. “It will be fun to talk to my son about this later in life, too. I can tell him that his pop was the man at one point.”
Davidson finished the 2026 Open Championships with 652 in singles and 622 in team for an all-events score of 1,999. Bates added 676 in singles and 599 in team for 1,983. Brandon Drummond of Loganville, Georgia, leads Regular All-Events with 2,078.
Regular Doubles features pairs with combined entering averages of 363 and above.
The Open Championships is celebrating its 122nd edition in 2026 and making its 15th trip to Reno, Nevada. The 2026 event is scheduled to feature more than 55,000 bowlers and 11,000 five-player teams competing across 128 consecutive days at the National Bowling Stadium.
Follow the action from the tournament’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts.