Martell fires second 300 at USBC Open Championships
July 06, 2023
RENO, Nev. – Michael Martell of Brooklyn, New York, brought his own kind of fireworks to the National Bowling Stadium on July 4 as he became the 12th bowler to record a perfect game at the 2023 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships.
The 25-year-old left-hander, who posted a second-place finish at the 2023 USBC Masters in April, now joins a short list of 39 bowlers who have rolled multiple 300s at the Open Championships after finishing his singles set with 12 strikes. It was the fifth 300 in singles competition at the 2023 event.
His 300 on Tuesday came in just his third Open Championships appearance, and he also was able to connect for perfection during his team event at the 2021 event in Las Vegas.
“This is just my third trip to nationals, so to have two award scores in this short amount of time is truly awesome,” said Martell, who finished fifth in Regular All-Events at the 2021 event with a 2,194 total.
Martell did not have the start he would have liked for his singles event, and he was looking for a spark to regroup. After a 705 set in doubles, he started singles with games of 199 and 142. The perfect finish pushed him to a 641 series.
“To be honest, I was very mentally checked out after Game 2 of singles,” Martell said. “I just went 142 with a foul and a few open frames. I am genuinely surprised I was able to connect for 300 after that start. I have been really looking for that mental focus I had the week of the Masters and on television a few months ago, and I just haven’t been able to find it until tonight.”
Once he reached the ninth frame, the thought of finishing off the 300 began to become a reality for Martell as he regained the confidence he had lost just a few frames before in Game 2.
“Once I got into the 10th, I was really feeling like myself again,” said Martell, who had 634 in team Monday to finish with an all-events score of 1,980. “I knew I had a decent shot of finishing the game off.”
The Open Championships has become an annual tradition now for Martell, and he looks forward to bowling with his family and friends while continuing to chase down his first illustrious Eagle trophy.
“I like having the chance to bowl with my family, friends and girlfriend and have a good time and hope for some good scores to come out of it,” said Martell, a member of Team USA in 2020 and 2021. “Winning an Eagle is still the ultimate goal for me, and I hope to achieve that one day with the group of teammates I bowl with.”
The Regular Division features bowlers with entering averages of 176 and above.
The 2023 Open Championships kicked off March 4 and will conclude July 24. The 143-day tournament will feature more than 9,700 five-player teams and nearly 50,000 bowlers making their way to compete in The Biggest Little City in the World.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.
The 25-year-old left-hander, who posted a second-place finish at the 2023 USBC Masters in April, now joins a short list of 39 bowlers who have rolled multiple 300s at the Open Championships after finishing his singles set with 12 strikes. It was the fifth 300 in singles competition at the 2023 event.
His 300 on Tuesday came in just his third Open Championships appearance, and he also was able to connect for perfection during his team event at the 2021 event in Las Vegas.
“This is just my third trip to nationals, so to have two award scores in this short amount of time is truly awesome,” said Martell, who finished fifth in Regular All-Events at the 2021 event with a 2,194 total.
Martell did not have the start he would have liked for his singles event, and he was looking for a spark to regroup. After a 705 set in doubles, he started singles with games of 199 and 142. The perfect finish pushed him to a 641 series.
“To be honest, I was very mentally checked out after Game 2 of singles,” Martell said. “I just went 142 with a foul and a few open frames. I am genuinely surprised I was able to connect for 300 after that start. I have been really looking for that mental focus I had the week of the Masters and on television a few months ago, and I just haven’t been able to find it until tonight.”
Once he reached the ninth frame, the thought of finishing off the 300 began to become a reality for Martell as he regained the confidence he had lost just a few frames before in Game 2.
“Once I got into the 10th, I was really feeling like myself again,” said Martell, who had 634 in team Monday to finish with an all-events score of 1,980. “I knew I had a decent shot of finishing the game off.”
The Open Championships has become an annual tradition now for Martell, and he looks forward to bowling with his family and friends while continuing to chase down his first illustrious Eagle trophy.
“I like having the chance to bowl with my family, friends and girlfriend and have a good time and hope for some good scores to come out of it,” said Martell, a member of Team USA in 2020 and 2021. “Winning an Eagle is still the ultimate goal for me, and I hope to achieve that one day with the group of teammates I bowl with.”
The Regular Division features bowlers with entering averages of 176 and above.
The 2023 Open Championships kicked off March 4 and will conclude July 24. The 143-day tournament will feature more than 9,700 five-player teams and nearly 50,000 bowlers making their way to compete in The Biggest Little City in the World.
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships page.