Last-minute decision pays off for Delaware bowlers at 2017 Bowlers Journal Championships
May 22, 2017
LAS VEGAS - After a late night of team competition at the 2017 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships that didn't go as well as he'd hoped, James Johnson III of Wilmington, Delaware, was anything but motivated to get an earlier-than-planned start Monday at the nearby Bowlers Journal Championships presented by USBC.
Johnson already was scheduled for the 3 p.m. squad at the Bowlers Journal Championships, but when the opportunity arose to bowl on an earlier squad with his friend Tim Foy Jr. of Seaford, Delaware, he thought twice, then agreed.
Not long after, the two celebrated their rise to the top of the Open Doubles standings at the South Point Bowling Center with a 1,520 total, while Johnson's fill-ball strike also secured the lead in Open Singles with a 799 total.
A strike to start his final frame would've given Johnson the first 800 series in singles at this year's Bowlers Journal, but he left a 2 pin on his first offering. He finished with games of 262, 279 and 258, and Foy added 237, 277 and 207 for a 721 set.
Sean Lavery-Spahr of Pasadena, Texas, previously held the lead in Open Singles with 798, while Casey Shephard of Portage, Michigan, and Andrew Klingler, Grand Rapids, Michigan, topped Open Doubles with 1,483.
"We bowled the late team squad last night, and things really didn't go as planned, so it was a very taxing day overall, and I was tired," said Johnson, a 32-year-old right-hander who started his seventh USBC Open Championships campaign with a 611 series. "I was only planning to bowl the one squad, but a friend of mine just happened to be in town at the same time, which rarely happens, and I wanted to bowl with him."
Johnson and Foy, a 30-year-old right-hander who tied for ninth place at the 2016 USBC Masters, have bowled together for many years and know each other's games well. That, and constant communication during the set, were their keys to success Monday.
They also made sure to keep their goals reasonable and simply set their sights on this year's Open Doubles Instant Cash number, which is 1,260.
"We've bowled together a lot over the years, and we definitely felt like if we bowled together here, we could put up a good score," said Foy, who will be making his ninth Open Championships appearance Tuesday and Wednesday. "When we both got into the 270s the second game, I knew we had a chance. Obviously, you bowl because you want to win, but trying too hard to shoot a huge score sometimes turns out worse. Our goal was the Instant Cash number, and anything more was going to be a bonus."
By competing in doubles and singles at the same time, the duo also qualified for the event's Dual Entry prize list. Johnson tops the Dual Entry standings, and Foy's set was just shy of the top 10.
Along the way, Johnson remained focused on making good shots and keeping his speed slow, two things he'll also want to do when he encounters the same oil pattern Monday night at the South Point Bowling Plaza for doubles and singles at the Open Championships.
"With as bad as I felt last night went for me, I couldn't be happier right now with how things went today, both technically and physically," Johnson said. "I didn't do too much scouting before bowling, so I wasn't really sure what the numbers were. I just wanted to make good shots and get all I could. This is a great feeling, and it really helps my confidence heading into doubles and singles over at the Plaza later tonight."
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Johnson already was scheduled for the 3 p.m. squad at the Bowlers Journal Championships, but when the opportunity arose to bowl on an earlier squad with his friend Tim Foy Jr. of Seaford, Delaware, he thought twice, then agreed.
Not long after, the two celebrated their rise to the top of the Open Doubles standings at the South Point Bowling Center with a 1,520 total, while Johnson's fill-ball strike also secured the lead in Open Singles with a 799 total.
A strike to start his final frame would've given Johnson the first 800 series in singles at this year's Bowlers Journal, but he left a 2 pin on his first offering. He finished with games of 262, 279 and 258, and Foy added 237, 277 and 207 for a 721 set.
Sean Lavery-Spahr of Pasadena, Texas, previously held the lead in Open Singles with 798, while Casey Shephard of Portage, Michigan, and Andrew Klingler, Grand Rapids, Michigan, topped Open Doubles with 1,483.
"We bowled the late team squad last night, and things really didn't go as planned, so it was a very taxing day overall, and I was tired," said Johnson, a 32-year-old right-hander who started his seventh USBC Open Championships campaign with a 611 series. "I was only planning to bowl the one squad, but a friend of mine just happened to be in town at the same time, which rarely happens, and I wanted to bowl with him."
Johnson and Foy, a 30-year-old right-hander who tied for ninth place at the 2016 USBC Masters, have bowled together for many years and know each other's games well. That, and constant communication during the set, were their keys to success Monday.
They also made sure to keep their goals reasonable and simply set their sights on this year's Open Doubles Instant Cash number, which is 1,260.
"We've bowled together a lot over the years, and we definitely felt like if we bowled together here, we could put up a good score," said Foy, who will be making his ninth Open Championships appearance Tuesday and Wednesday. "When we both got into the 270s the second game, I knew we had a chance. Obviously, you bowl because you want to win, but trying too hard to shoot a huge score sometimes turns out worse. Our goal was the Instant Cash number, and anything more was going to be a bonus."
By competing in doubles and singles at the same time, the duo also qualified for the event's Dual Entry prize list. Johnson tops the Dual Entry standings, and Foy's set was just shy of the top 10.
Along the way, Johnson remained focused on making good shots and keeping his speed slow, two things he'll also want to do when he encounters the same oil pattern Monday night at the South Point Bowling Plaza for doubles and singles at the Open Championships.
"With as bad as I felt last night went for me, I couldn't be happier right now with how things went today, both technically and physically," Johnson said. "I didn't do too much scouting before bowling, so I wasn't really sure what the numbers were. I just wanted to make good shots and get all I could. This is a great feeling, and it really helps my confidence heading into doubles and singles over at the Plaza later tonight."
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