RENO, Nev. - Before heading into the 2011 USBC Open Championships this week, Casey Murphy of Nixa, Mo., wanted to get warmed up on a challenging lane condition and found that opportunity at the nearby Storm Bowlers Journal Championships presented by USBC.

The Bowlers Journal Championships is contested on a USBC Sport-certified lane condition, and not only did Murphy get the tune-up he was hoping for, he also cruised into the lead Open Singles with a 990 four-game total at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino on Wednesday.

"I try to bowl at the Bowlers Journal every year before we bowl the Open Championships," said Murphy, who bowls out of Enterprise Park Lanes in Springfield, Mo., and made his 11th Open Championships appearance. "I like to use it as a warm-up, and I've had some good scores in the past, so we enjoy going there."

Murphy bowled three squads at the 2010 Bowlers Journal Championships and even made a run at the lead, but he saved his best performance for this year and posted games of 267, 277, 187 and 259. Nicholas Dean of New Bedford, Mass., previously held the lead with 963.

"I started off great the first game," Murphy said. "Then when I moved to the second pair, it was much tighter, but I was able to make the adjustment. When I went to the third pair, I didn't make the move back fast enough, as it played like the first pair. On the last lanes, I had the same look as I did at the beginning, so I was able to finish strong."

Murphy and his group were happy to get to Reno this year, however, as they live just north of Joplin, Mo., which was devastated by a tornado this week.

"We could actually see the storms to the south," Murphy said. "We were very concerned that the storm would turn toward us. Knowing that our homes are safe and getting here to Reno to bowl is great. It puts everything into perspective. We're all just so thankful. Our hearts go out to our friends in Joplin."

Murphy, who bowled collegiately at Missouri State University, capped off his 2011 Open Championships campaign with 662 in singles, 655 in doubles and 651 in team for a 1,968 all-events total.

The Bowlers Journal Championships is being held alongside the Open Championships for the 65th year. It is being contested at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino, and competition runs daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 

Click here to watch highlights from the 2011 Open Championships