RENO, Nev. - When Theodore Haefner Jr. of Salem, N.J., left the 2009 USBC Open Championships, he was looking forward to reaching 50 years of participation in 2010.

Unfortunately, due to a death in the family and schedule conflicts, Haefner's milestone appearance had to be postponed until this year's event at the National Bowling Stadium.

After two years of anticipation, Haefner became the 130th bowler the tournament's 108-year history to compete for the 50th time Monday. He is the first of 14 bowlers who will reach the plateau this year.

"I didn't expect everything that happened," said Haefner, who received a plaque, chevron and diamond lapel pin after an escorted solo march down Center Aisle. "The ceremony was very nice, and I had a lot of fun. I enjoyed every minute of it."

The 83-year-old right-hander made his Open Championships debut at the 1960 event in Toledo, Ohio, and is the only member of his original team still competing, and he is very thankful for his current teammates, because without them, he may not have reached 50 years.

"I'm the last of the original crew that went to the Open Championships in 1960," said Haefner, who rolled a 429 series in team Monday. "Two of them reached 25 years of participation and then stopped coming. We originally had four teams that went each year, and then it dropped to three. Now, we are down to one and I have to thank them for sticking with me. They kept pushing me to reach 50 years, so without them I wouldn't be here."

Before last year, the only tournament Haefner missed was the 1964 event in Oakland, Calif. His wife, Dorothy, has accompanied him 34 times during their 36-year marriage.

"It was sentimental for me," Dorothy said. "The ceremony was very nice. I know that his teammates continued to come to the tournament to support him, so this means a lot."

Haefner's Open Championships career has spanned five decades and taken him to 33 cities in 22 states. Traveling is one of his favorite memories of the Open Championships.

"I really enjoy the traveling," Haefner said. "It was really nice to be able to visit different cities during my years. I may not have ever visited places like Corpus Christi (Texas) or Billings (Mont.) if I wasn't bowling. I particularly remember Miami Beach (Fla.). We had a lot of fun there."

When Haefner began his Open Championships journey, he did not think about the possibility of reaching 50 years of participation. Once he reached 40 years he began to realistically think about achieving the goal.

"I had never thought about 50 years until I made it to my 40th tournament," Haefner said. "It became a goal of mine after that, and I have to thank my teammates for helping me achieve my goal."

In 50 Open Championships appearances, Haefner has knocked down a total of 73,580 pins for an average of 166.8.

Presenting sponsors for the 2011 USBC Open Championships are Circus Circus, Eldorado Hotel Casino and Silver Legacy Resort Casino in Reno, Nev. 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.