RENO, Nev. - With his late mother on his mind, Darin Wagner of Puyallup, Wash., accomplished a goal he set even before his first USBC Open Championships appearance in 2007.

The 43-year-old right-hander opened his singles event Sunday night with 12 consecutive strikes for the 47th 300 game of the 2011 Open Championships at the National Bowling Stadium.

He continued on his torrid pace as he started the next game with seven more strikes before a 10 pin cost him a chance to become just the second bowler in tournament history to record back-to-back 300s (Ron Bahr, 2003). He finished with 247 and added a 231 game for a 778 total. Matt Weggen of Muscatine, Iowa, leads Regular Singles with 826.

"It's amazing," said Wagner, who made his fifth Open Championships appearance. "It's kind of like a dream come true. My dad, Gene, is 81, and he drove down with us. Ironically, he said it would be kind of cool if I shot 300. It was an emotional roller coaster, though, because I always wanted to do it for my mom, who passed away two years ago from cancer. I felt like she was with me. That kept me calm, especially on the last shots."

Since losing his mother, Wagner wanted the opportunity to dedicate an achievement of this magnitude to her.

Wagner also knew he had an opportunity for more tournament history as the strikes began to accumulate, but his main focus was on taking it one frame at a time.

"I just wanted to continue to make good shots," said Wagner, who bowls league at Paradise Village. "I basically went frame by frame. I didn't look at the scoreboard. I tried to make good shots each time. I wanted to keep striking. I was happy I was able to maintain my composure and consistency. My teammates really helped me calm down."

Along with shooting 300, Wagner always looks forward to improving as a bowler, especially at the Open Championships.

"The 300 was a goal," Wagner said. "I always come here to bowl well. I would like to get an eagle someday, too. But, I just want to get better. With the experience I've gained within the last five years, I want to be able to maintain consistency and be competitive. All I've wanted to do is be a good bowler."

Wagner added 671 in doubles and 605 in team for a career-best 2,054 all-events total. His best effort prior to this year was 1,775 in his debut, also at the Stadium. Weggen leads Regular All-Events this year with 2,268.

Click here to watch video highlights from the 2011 Open Championships.
Presenting sponsors for the 2011 USBC Open Championships are Circus Circus, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno. Other sponsors include Sands Regency Casino Hotel, official brackets sponsor, Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, Humana, official registration sponsor, US Steltronic, official scoring system, and supporting sponsors Storm Bowling Products, UPS, Nationwide Insurance, Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa, Harrah's Reno Casino and Hotel and Peppermill Hotel Casino.