Colorado bowler flirts with perfection, leaves 2021 USBC Open Championships with singles lead
May 25, 2021
By Sam Neves
USBC Communications
LAS VEGAS - Stepping up in his final frame of singles with a shot to etch his name in the record book at the at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, Rick Schafer of Arvada, Colorado, didn't make the shot he wanted.
The 43-year-old right-hander from Arvada, Colorado, came within one strike of the first 800 series of the 2021 tournament and was three strikes from becoming the 37th bowler in history with a 300 game and 800 series on the championship lanes.
Schafer followed games of 243 and 277 with nine consecutive strikes, before a 10 pin ended his run at the double milestone.
He made the spare and struck on his fill ball for 279 and a 799 series, which was enough to pass Zachary Woelfel of Burlington, Wisconsin, who previously held the lead in Regular Singles with 768.
"I didn't realize I struck that much," said Schafer, who struck 31 times in singles, including on 21 of his last 23 chances. "I just knew I didn't get the one I wanted. I got a little too amped up."
Schafer, who makes his living as an owner and operator of Leave Your Mark Pro Shop inside Holiday Lanes in Lakewood, Colorado, is no stranger to the Open Championships, with 2021 being his 22nd appearance.
He has had success on the national stage before, winning the 2011 Bowling This Month tournament, a side event held each year in conjunction with the Open Championships, but he admitted that leaving town with the Regular Singles lead is a whole different feeling.
"As much as I wanted the 800, taking the singles lead feels incredible," Schafer said.
The best series of his two decades at the Open Championships before Tuesday's stop at the South Point Bowling Center also came in singles, a 739 set at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada, in 2013.
Schafer rounded out his 2021 campaign with 673 in team and a 630 in the doubles for a 2,102 all-events total, also a career-best, and good for fifth place in the Regular All-Events standings. Team USA member Michael Martell of Brooklyn, New York, leads with 2,194.
The Regular Division is for bowlers with entering tournament averages of 176 and above.
The 2021 Open Championships marks the first time the event is being held across two venues, with all team competition taking place at the South Point Bowling Plaza and all doubles and singles action being contested at the South Point Bowling Center.
The tournament will run for 79 consecutive days from May 1-July 18.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships Facebook page.
USBC Communications
LAS VEGAS - Stepping up in his final frame of singles with a shot to etch his name in the record book at the at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, Rick Schafer of Arvada, Colorado, didn't make the shot he wanted.
The 43-year-old right-hander from Arvada, Colorado, came within one strike of the first 800 series of the 2021 tournament and was three strikes from becoming the 37th bowler in history with a 300 game and 800 series on the championship lanes.
Schafer followed games of 243 and 277 with nine consecutive strikes, before a 10 pin ended his run at the double milestone.
He made the spare and struck on his fill ball for 279 and a 799 series, which was enough to pass Zachary Woelfel of Burlington, Wisconsin, who previously held the lead in Regular Singles with 768.
"I didn't realize I struck that much," said Schafer, who struck 31 times in singles, including on 21 of his last 23 chances. "I just knew I didn't get the one I wanted. I got a little too amped up."
Schafer, who makes his living as an owner and operator of Leave Your Mark Pro Shop inside Holiday Lanes in Lakewood, Colorado, is no stranger to the Open Championships, with 2021 being his 22nd appearance.
He has had success on the national stage before, winning the 2011 Bowling This Month tournament, a side event held each year in conjunction with the Open Championships, but he admitted that leaving town with the Regular Singles lead is a whole different feeling.
"As much as I wanted the 800, taking the singles lead feels incredible," Schafer said.
The best series of his two decades at the Open Championships before Tuesday's stop at the South Point Bowling Center also came in singles, a 739 set at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada, in 2013.
Schafer rounded out his 2021 campaign with 673 in team and a 630 in the doubles for a 2,102 all-events total, also a career-best, and good for fifth place in the Regular All-Events standings. Team USA member Michael Martell of Brooklyn, New York, leads with 2,194.
The Regular Division is for bowlers with entering tournament averages of 176 and above.
The 2021 Open Championships marks the first time the event is being held across two venues, with all team competition taking place at the South Point Bowling Plaza and all doubles and singles action being contested at the South Point Bowling Center.
The tournament will run for 79 consecutive days from May 1-July 18.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships Facebook page.