RENO, Nev. - Ben Ingram of Gainesville, Ga., may have looked calm as he made a run at perfection at the USBC Open Championships on Friday, but he admitted that his legs were shaking, and he was just hoping to keep his final shot on the lane.

Ingram's final offering did stay on the lane, but it crept a little high. The revolutions created by his no-thumb delivery did create some extra pin action, however, and he left only the 10 pin for the fifth 299 of the 2011 tournament.

"I've shot 300 before, so I knew the best thing for me in that situation was to speed up my ball and try to relax my shoulder," said Ingram, who made his fourth Open Championships appearance. "My legs were shaking, but I knew if could keep the ball to the right and didn't pull it, it would make it back."

Ingram only puts his ring finger and pinky in the ball, something he started about 15 years ago when he realized that his more traditional no-thumb release created more revs than he desired. By using different fingers, he's able to cut down on the revolutions and get the ball farther down the lane.

"The last shot looked good to me, but I just didn't get the carry," Ingram said. "I am happy, though. I think anyone would be happy with a 299 here."

The 35-year-old right-hander's bid for the seventh 300 game of this year's event came after games of 161 and 192 for a 652 singles series.

Ingram struggled in his first eight games at the National Bowling Stadium this year and spent much of his time fishing for the best route to the pocket. He started with 473 in team and improved to 538 in doubles before everything clicked halfway through his second game of singles.

"I tried a lot of different lines and finally decided to play outside with an aggressive ball and just throw it harder," said Ingram, who bowls regularly at Gainesville Bowling Center and finished this year's Open Championships campaign with a career-best 1,663 all-events total. "I moved to a more down and in shot in the second game of singles and finished strong, so I decided to stay there, and it worked out."

In four trips to the Open Championships, Ingram has been to Reno three times and Albuquerque, N.M., once. He now is looking forward to next year's tournament being a little closer to home in Baton Rouge, La.

"Even though I struggled a lot this time, I finished on a good note, and I'm looking forward to coming back next year," Ingram said. "Having it closer to Georgia will be nice because we can drive. I really enjoy this tournament and the people I bowl with. It's a great atmosphere, and I plan to bowl every year from now on."

Click here to watch video highlights from the 2011 Open Championships.

Presenting sponsors for the 2011 USBC Open Championships are Circus Circus, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno. Other sponsors include Sands Regency Casino Hotel, official brackets sponsor, Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, Humana, official registration sponsor, US Steltronic, official scoring system, and supporting sponsors Storm Bowling Products, UPS, Nationwide Insurance, Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa, Harrah's Reno Casino and Hotel and Peppermill Hotel Casino.