First-time bowler at Open Championships takes lead in Classified Singles
June 07, 2023
RENO, Nev. – There certainly can be a lot to take in while making your first appearance at an event like the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships.
There’s the excitement of traveling across the country to compete, getting to the venue for the first time to experience the championship atmosphere and even walking down Center Aisle in a facility like the National Bowling Stadium – all before even rolling your first ball.
Brenden Davis of Acworth, Georgia, made his debut this week at the tournament, and while he worked through all the excitement and nerves, he also found something that he liked during his singles set. The 18-year-old two-hander was able to settle in and roll games of 207, 216 and 217 on the way to a 640 series to take the lead in Classified Singles at the 2023 event.
Steve Maley had led Classified Singles since March 16 with 615, and Davis became just the sixth bowler at the 2023 event to average 200 or higher in the Classified Division during singles competition.
Davis officially secured the lead with a strike to start his 10th frame Tuesday, and his father, Keith Davis, was the one who was able to break the news to him.
“I started tearing up,” Brenden Davis said. “I’m just very happy.”
Keith Davis, who made his ninth tournament appearance, knew his son had a chance at the top spot early in Game 3, but he wanted him to focus on executing his next delivery instead of worrying about chasing the leading number.
“I knew in about the third frame, and then he had a five bagger after that,” Keith Davis said. “We didn’t tell him. We kept it quiet and didn’t want him to think about it. I just wanted him to bowl and really just enjoy his experience here. I’m just proud of him. He did very well today.”
Coming into his first USBC Open Championships appearance, Brenden Davis had received some advice from his father on what the tournament experience could be like.
Although his first two events had some struggles along the way, he was able to find the right ball and right look in singles to start putting together some strikes.
“He told me not to stress out at all and just bowl like I did in juniors,” Brenden Davis said. “There were still some nerves coming in, and even though I shot pretty well the last three games, yesterday and this morning (in doubles) wasn’t that good.
“I found where I could play and where I couldn’t play with my (Roto Grip) Idol Pearl. I just threw what worked and tried to stay consistent the whole time.”
The Davis family competed as part of an 11-team group at this year’s Open Championships, so the support system was in place to help along the way and created some additional excitement as the word spread about Brenden’s performance.
With his first experience at the Open Championships in the books, both father and son are looking forward to continue the tradition at next year’s tournament in Las Vegas. They also hope to see Brenden’s name hanging from one of the on-site banners recognizing the champions from the 2023 event.
“It was interesting,” Brenden Davis said. “The lanes were not what I thought they’d be at all – either day. But, I just wanted to bowl for fun and do what I could to make everything work. I’d be very happy if I won.”
Brenden Davis added sets of 442 in team and 437 in doubles for an all-events total of 1,519 in his first appearance.
The Classified Division features bowlers with entering averages of 155 and below.
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.
There’s the excitement of traveling across the country to compete, getting to the venue for the first time to experience the championship atmosphere and even walking down Center Aisle in a facility like the National Bowling Stadium – all before even rolling your first ball.
Brenden Davis of Acworth, Georgia, made his debut this week at the tournament, and while he worked through all the excitement and nerves, he also found something that he liked during his singles set. The 18-year-old two-hander was able to settle in and roll games of 207, 216 and 217 on the way to a 640 series to take the lead in Classified Singles at the 2023 event.
Steve Maley had led Classified Singles since March 16 with 615, and Davis became just the sixth bowler at the 2023 event to average 200 or higher in the Classified Division during singles competition.
Davis officially secured the lead with a strike to start his 10th frame Tuesday, and his father, Keith Davis, was the one who was able to break the news to him.
“I started tearing up,” Brenden Davis said. “I’m just very happy.”
Keith Davis, who made his ninth tournament appearance, knew his son had a chance at the top spot early in Game 3, but he wanted him to focus on executing his next delivery instead of worrying about chasing the leading number.
“I knew in about the third frame, and then he had a five bagger after that,” Keith Davis said. “We didn’t tell him. We kept it quiet and didn’t want him to think about it. I just wanted him to bowl and really just enjoy his experience here. I’m just proud of him. He did very well today.”
Coming into his first USBC Open Championships appearance, Brenden Davis had received some advice from his father on what the tournament experience could be like.
Although his first two events had some struggles along the way, he was able to find the right ball and right look in singles to start putting together some strikes.
“He told me not to stress out at all and just bowl like I did in juniors,” Brenden Davis said. “There were still some nerves coming in, and even though I shot pretty well the last three games, yesterday and this morning (in doubles) wasn’t that good.
“I found where I could play and where I couldn’t play with my (Roto Grip) Idol Pearl. I just threw what worked and tried to stay consistent the whole time.”
The Davis family competed as part of an 11-team group at this year’s Open Championships, so the support system was in place to help along the way and created some additional excitement as the word spread about Brenden’s performance.
With his first experience at the Open Championships in the books, both father and son are looking forward to continue the tradition at next year’s tournament in Las Vegas. They also hope to see Brenden’s name hanging from one of the on-site banners recognizing the champions from the 2023 event.
“It was interesting,” Brenden Davis said. “The lanes were not what I thought they’d be at all – either day. But, I just wanted to bowl for fun and do what I could to make everything work. I’d be very happy if I won.”
Brenden Davis added sets of 442 in team and 437 in doubles for an all-events total of 1,519 in his first appearance.
The Classified Division features bowlers with entering averages of 155 and below.
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.