Minnesota bowler turns 20, takes lead at 2026 USBC Open Championships
March 19, 2026
RENO, Nev. – It never hurts to have birthday vibes working in your favor.
Carson Mulroy of Belle Plaine, Minnesota, celebrated his 20th birthday on Wednesday during his trip to Reno for the 2026 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, and he picked up his own present Thursday by delivering three solid games to take the lead in Standard Singles with a 668 series.
The two-hander rolled games of 207, 249 and 212 to make his way to the top of the leaderboard, just passing Terry Rummler II of Crystal River, Florida. Rummler was bowling on the same squad Thursday as Mulroy and briefly held the lead with 661.
Although the singles lead only last for a couple of minutes for Rummler, he was able to secure the top spot in Standard All-Events with a total of 1,809.
Mulroy admitted his performance during his team event Wednesday didn’t go as well as he would’ve liked, but he still had confidence coming into Thursday’s sets.
He posted 607 in doubles, and a ball change late in that set allowed him to get comfortable in singles and start seeing the pins fall his way – as they should during your birthday week.
“In the third game of doubles, I switched to a (Roto Grip) Hyper Drive and was able to carry it on to singles,” Mulroy said. “I didn’t have to move much after that, which helped me put together some big numbers. I also carried way more.”
Mulroy made his tournament debut last year in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and while he was taking in the championship atmosphere inside of the Raising Cane’s River Center, he was able to take away a couple things from the experience as well.
“Coming from a small town, it was a unique and cool experience,” Mulroy said. “I learned that you had to grind out a lot of spares, and I had a lot of opens last year. I couldn’t keep myself in the right mindset. Today, I was very focused and just kept hitting my target.
“It’s definitely a challenge. If you practice enough on Sport shots, that’ll help you get in the right mindset. Spares are hard on a Sport shot, but I only had one open in singles. That's a huge reason why I’m at where I’m at on the leaderboard. You have to work on your spares.”
Looking ahead, Mulroy hopes to test his skills on the Professional Bowlers Association Regional Tour in the Midwest and plans to continue to coach the next generation of bowlers in his local area.
He finished his second tournament appearance with 1,773 for all-events after posting 498 in team.
In addition to his 661 in singles, Rummler added 589 in team and 559 in doubles to become the first competitor at the 2026 Open Championships to reach 1,800 in the Standard Division.
The Standard Division features bowlers with entering averages of 161-181.
The Open Championships is celebrating its 122nd edition in 2026 and making its 15th trip to Reno, Nevada. The 2026 event is scheduled to feature more than 55,000 bowlers and 11,000 five-player teams competing across 128 consecutive days at the National Bowling Stadium.
Follow the action from the tournament’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Carson Mulroy of Belle Plaine, Minnesota, celebrated his 20th birthday on Wednesday during his trip to Reno for the 2026 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, and he picked up his own present Thursday by delivering three solid games to take the lead in Standard Singles with a 668 series.
The two-hander rolled games of 207, 249 and 212 to make his way to the top of the leaderboard, just passing Terry Rummler II of Crystal River, Florida. Rummler was bowling on the same squad Thursday as Mulroy and briefly held the lead with 661.
Although the singles lead only last for a couple of minutes for Rummler, he was able to secure the top spot in Standard All-Events with a total of 1,809.
Mulroy admitted his performance during his team event Wednesday didn’t go as well as he would’ve liked, but he still had confidence coming into Thursday’s sets.
He posted 607 in doubles, and a ball change late in that set allowed him to get comfortable in singles and start seeing the pins fall his way – as they should during your birthday week.
“In the third game of doubles, I switched to a (Roto Grip) Hyper Drive and was able to carry it on to singles,” Mulroy said. “I didn’t have to move much after that, which helped me put together some big numbers. I also carried way more.”
Mulroy made his tournament debut last year in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and while he was taking in the championship atmosphere inside of the Raising Cane’s River Center, he was able to take away a couple things from the experience as well.
“Coming from a small town, it was a unique and cool experience,” Mulroy said. “I learned that you had to grind out a lot of spares, and I had a lot of opens last year. I couldn’t keep myself in the right mindset. Today, I was very focused and just kept hitting my target.
“It’s definitely a challenge. If you practice enough on Sport shots, that’ll help you get in the right mindset. Spares are hard on a Sport shot, but I only had one open in singles. That's a huge reason why I’m at where I’m at on the leaderboard. You have to work on your spares.”
Looking ahead, Mulroy hopes to test his skills on the Professional Bowlers Association Regional Tour in the Midwest and plans to continue to coach the next generation of bowlers in his local area.
He finished his second tournament appearance with 1,773 for all-events after posting 498 in team.
In addition to his 661 in singles, Rummler added 589 in team and 559 in doubles to become the first competitor at the 2026 Open Championships to reach 1,800 in the Standard Division.
The Standard Division features bowlers with entering averages of 161-181.
The Open Championships is celebrating its 122nd edition in 2026 and making its 15th trip to Reno, Nevada. The 2026 event is scheduled to feature more than 55,000 bowlers and 11,000 five-player teams competing across 128 consecutive days at the National Bowling Stadium.
Follow the action from the tournament’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts.