Indiana’s Karlin leads Regular Singles at 2025 USBC Open Championships
May 01, 2025
BATON ROUGE, La. – Following the advice he delivers to his student-athletes at Indiana Wesleyan University as the bowling program’s head coach, Chris Karlin focused on the shot in front of him as he secured the lead in Regular Singles on Wednesday at the 2025 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships.
Karlin, of Huntington, Indiana, rolled games of 258, 265 and 266 at the Raising Cane’s River Center to take the top spot by three pins with a 789 series. Jeffrey Grego of Fort Wayne, Indiana, had led since April 11 with 786.
The 40-year-old right-hander found himself in must-strike territory early in Game 3. After starting with a double, a 7-10 split popped up in the third frame. After covering one of the two pins, the path to the lead didn’t leave many outs – Karlin needed the next eight strikes for a chance to surpass Grego’s number.
Karlin never missed after the 7-10, closing his set with nine strikes. He finished the series with 31 strikes on 36 deliveries.
Wednesday’s performance in singles was preceded by a rough start in doubles at the River Center. Karlin had started the day with games of 128 and 157, but he started seeing the right picture during his final game, finishing with 216 for a 501 series. He improved by 288 pins in singles.
Watch the video below to learn more about Karlin’s day at the River Center and how he has worked to set an example after a health scare last August.
He took over the role as the head coach at Indiana Wesleyan for the 2024-2025 season, and both the men’s and women’s team advanced to the postseason to compete in the sectional qualifiers for the 2025 Intercollegiate Team Championships.
Karlin wrapped up his eighth appearance at the USBC Open Championships with an all-events total of 1,895 – his top overall score at the tournament. He added 605 during his team event Tuesday.
The Open Championships is celebrating its third trip to Baton Rouge in 2025 and scheduled to feature more than 58,000 bowlers and 11,600 five-player teams competing across 150 consecutive days at the River Center.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.
Karlin, of Huntington, Indiana, rolled games of 258, 265 and 266 at the Raising Cane’s River Center to take the top spot by three pins with a 789 series. Jeffrey Grego of Fort Wayne, Indiana, had led since April 11 with 786.
The 40-year-old right-hander found himself in must-strike territory early in Game 3. After starting with a double, a 7-10 split popped up in the third frame. After covering one of the two pins, the path to the lead didn’t leave many outs – Karlin needed the next eight strikes for a chance to surpass Grego’s number.
Karlin never missed after the 7-10, closing his set with nine strikes. He finished the series with 31 strikes on 36 deliveries.
Wednesday’s performance in singles was preceded by a rough start in doubles at the River Center. Karlin had started the day with games of 128 and 157, but he started seeing the right picture during his final game, finishing with 216 for a 501 series. He improved by 288 pins in singles.
Watch the video below to learn more about Karlin’s day at the River Center and how he has worked to set an example after a health scare last August.
He took over the role as the head coach at Indiana Wesleyan for the 2024-2025 season, and both the men’s and women’s team advanced to the postseason to compete in the sectional qualifiers for the 2025 Intercollegiate Team Championships.
Karlin wrapped up his eighth appearance at the USBC Open Championships with an all-events total of 1,895 – his top overall score at the tournament. He added 605 during his team event Tuesday.
The Open Championships is celebrating its third trip to Baton Rouge in 2025 and scheduled to feature more than 58,000 bowlers and 11,600 five-player teams competing across 150 consecutive days at the River Center.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.