Illinois bowler sets pace in Classified Division at 2025 Open Championships
March 03, 2025
BATON ROUGE, La. – There’s a lot of good information to take in from past trips to the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships – just ask Justin McManis.
McManis – who recently moved to Lanark, Illinois, from Vancouver, Washington – looked at what he learned last year in Las Vegas and decided to make some adjustments to the surface of his equipment for the 2025 event.
The change allowed the lanes to come to him during his singles set Monday, and the result helped him take the lead in both Classified Singles (636) and Classified All-Events (1,561) to help set the pace at the Raising Cane’s River Center.
The 2025 USBC Open Championships got underway Saturday with the first of more than 11,600 five-player teams making their way to Red Stick for the 121st edition of the event.
McManis rolled games of 204, 185 and 247 to post his top score at the Open Championships through four appearances by 130 pins, and he added 492 in team and 433 in doubles to also record his top all-events score at the tournament.
The 34-year-old right-hander used a late string of four strikes to finish his first game of singles strong. McManis started his final game with four strikes and did his best to keep his ball speed in check as he closed with the big game.
“I learned a lot from Las Vegas last year,” McManis said. “I added a little surface to my bowling ball. I was throwing the (Hammer) Scorpion Low Flare and put it at 1,500 grit. I struggled a bit in doubles, but in singles, my line opened up and it was awesome.
“I started to feel the pressure but just tried to keep myself calm and collected. I kept telling myself to slow down so I didn’t throw the ball too fast.”
McManis’ move to Illinois was to be closer to family, but he suspects his bowling family from the Pacific Northwest will be very invested to see how his score holds up – particularly in singles.
The winning total in Classified Singles at the 2024 Open Championships was 633 – posted by Jason Sarno of Erie, Colorado.
Although it’s a long way to the final day of the 2025 event (July 28), McManis is ready to see how his score will stack up against the competition.
“I think I will probably end up watching scores, but it won’t just be me,” McManis said. “Some of my friends from back home will be watching, and they’ll keep track of scores and let me know how I’m doing. The realization of how well I bowled still hasn’t quite set in yet, but it was a good day.”
The Open Championships is celebrating its third trip to Baton Rouge in 2025 and scheduled to feature more than 58,000 bowlers competing across 150 consecutive days at the River Center.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.
McManis – who recently moved to Lanark, Illinois, from Vancouver, Washington – looked at what he learned last year in Las Vegas and decided to make some adjustments to the surface of his equipment for the 2025 event.
The change allowed the lanes to come to him during his singles set Monday, and the result helped him take the lead in both Classified Singles (636) and Classified All-Events (1,561) to help set the pace at the Raising Cane’s River Center.
The 2025 USBC Open Championships got underway Saturday with the first of more than 11,600 five-player teams making their way to Red Stick for the 121st edition of the event.
McManis rolled games of 204, 185 and 247 to post his top score at the Open Championships through four appearances by 130 pins, and he added 492 in team and 433 in doubles to also record his top all-events score at the tournament.
The 34-year-old right-hander used a late string of four strikes to finish his first game of singles strong. McManis started his final game with four strikes and did his best to keep his ball speed in check as he closed with the big game.
“I learned a lot from Las Vegas last year,” McManis said. “I added a little surface to my bowling ball. I was throwing the (Hammer) Scorpion Low Flare and put it at 1,500 grit. I struggled a bit in doubles, but in singles, my line opened up and it was awesome.
“I started to feel the pressure but just tried to keep myself calm and collected. I kept telling myself to slow down so I didn’t throw the ball too fast.”
McManis’ move to Illinois was to be closer to family, but he suspects his bowling family from the Pacific Northwest will be very invested to see how his score holds up – particularly in singles.
The winning total in Classified Singles at the 2024 Open Championships was 633 – posted by Jason Sarno of Erie, Colorado.
Although it’s a long way to the final day of the 2025 event (July 28), McManis is ready to see how his score will stack up against the competition.
“I think I will probably end up watching scores, but it won’t just be me,” McManis said. “Some of my friends from back home will be watching, and they’ll keep track of scores and let me know how I’m doing. The realization of how well I bowled still hasn’t quite set in yet, but it was a good day.”
The Open Championships is celebrating its third trip to Baton Rouge in 2025 and scheduled to feature more than 58,000 bowlers competing across 150 consecutive days at the River Center.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.