Indiana bowler perfect at 2011 OC
April 18, 2011
RENO, Nev. - Dylan Murphy of Indianapolis rolled the third perfect game of the day and 12th overall at the 2011 USBC Open Championships on Sunday.
Following the efforts of T.J. Schmidt of Osceola, Ind., and Steve Harms of West Valley City, Utah, who rolled 300 games earlier in the day, Murphy found perfection in his first game of his singles and followed it with games of 192 and 178 for a 670 series. Edward Rede of El Paso, Texas, leads Regular Singles with 814.
"This is maybe my biggest accomplishment so far," said Murphy, who made his eighth Open Championships appearance. "As happy as I am for it, though, it's a little disappointing that it happened the first game of singles, and I couldn't put anything with it."
The 28-year-old right-hander has shot 300 before, but never at the Open Championships. Murphy tried not to let the magnitude of the tournament stand in the way of his opportunity.
"The atmosphere was a little different," said Murphy, who bowls league at Expo Bowl. "The biggest part was that the right lane was hooking more. There was a group from Montana that just finished bowling their team event, and they mentioned the right lane was hooking more. Also, bowling with an experienced lane man like Matt Miller, who is able to see ball reaction a little differently, helped. It was nice to have a shoulder to lean on."
Murphy bowls with a group of two teams from Indianapolis, Backhaul Direct Lumper and Comcheck. The group includes 2001 Regular Singles champion, Nick Hoagland. Murphy credits Hoagland's preparation for his own success at the Open Championships.
"We had a weekly practice session with Nick," Murphy said. "Whether it was for the state tournament, or this tournament, he ran the lanes every Wednesday night. His knowledge is a really big factor in my success. I have been bowling with him for the last three years, and it's been great. Last year was my best year (1,933), and this year I shot 300. Nick's a good one to bowl with. His mentality and preparation really help out."
Along with Hoagland, Murphy has etched his name into the history books and forever will be recognized for his achievement.
"I think that's probably the biggest part," said Murphy, who is an operations manager for IMC Credit Services. "It's kind of nice bowling with this group because every year, you hear Hoagland's name. He's the guy, and he's got the eagle next to his name. And that's what everybody wants at some point. Now, at least in the squad room, I can hear my name alongside his. He told me that's something they can't take away from me, and that's special."
Murphy added 674 in doubles and 583 in team for a 1,927 all-events total.
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.
Following the efforts of T.J. Schmidt of Osceola, Ind., and Steve Harms of West Valley City, Utah, who rolled 300 games earlier in the day, Murphy found perfection in his first game of his singles and followed it with games of 192 and 178 for a 670 series. Edward Rede of El Paso, Texas, leads Regular Singles with 814.
"This is maybe my biggest accomplishment so far," said Murphy, who made his eighth Open Championships appearance. "As happy as I am for it, though, it's a little disappointing that it happened the first game of singles, and I couldn't put anything with it."
The 28-year-old right-hander has shot 300 before, but never at the Open Championships. Murphy tried not to let the magnitude of the tournament stand in the way of his opportunity.
"The atmosphere was a little different," said Murphy, who bowls league at Expo Bowl. "The biggest part was that the right lane was hooking more. There was a group from Montana that just finished bowling their team event, and they mentioned the right lane was hooking more. Also, bowling with an experienced lane man like Matt Miller, who is able to see ball reaction a little differently, helped. It was nice to have a shoulder to lean on."
Murphy bowls with a group of two teams from Indianapolis, Backhaul Direct Lumper and Comcheck. The group includes 2001 Regular Singles champion, Nick Hoagland. Murphy credits Hoagland's preparation for his own success at the Open Championships.
"We had a weekly practice session with Nick," Murphy said. "Whether it was for the state tournament, or this tournament, he ran the lanes every Wednesday night. His knowledge is a really big factor in my success. I have been bowling with him for the last three years, and it's been great. Last year was my best year (1,933), and this year I shot 300. Nick's a good one to bowl with. His mentality and preparation really help out."
Along with Hoagland, Murphy has etched his name into the history books and forever will be recognized for his achievement.
"I think that's probably the biggest part," said Murphy, who is an operations manager for IMC Credit Services. "It's kind of nice bowling with this group because every year, you hear Hoagland's name. He's the guy, and he's got the eagle next to his name. And that's what everybody wants at some point. Now, at least in the squad room, I can hear my name alongside his. He told me that's something they can't take away from me, and that's special."
Murphy added 674 in doubles and 583 in team for a 1,927 all-events total.
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.