Curtis Odom takes all-events lead at 2014 Open Championships
March 09, 2014
RENO, Nev. - Former Professional Bowlers Association standout Curtis Odom of Coldwater, Mich., has found regular success at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, and it continued Sunday as he moved into the top spot in Regular All-Events at the 2014 edition of the tournament.
The 55-year-old right-hander put up sets of 741 in singles, 707 in team and 628 in doubles for an all-events tally of 2,076, surpassing the 2,001 total posted by Terrence Blevins of Chicago on Saturday. Odom's singles effort was enough to move him into second place behind Blevins, who leads with 783.
Odom credited his success at the National Bowling Stadium this weekend to being prepared with the right equipment and staying aggressive and ahead of the moves on the two different Sport Bowling-certified conditions.
"I was trying to stay ahead of the shot, make the right adjustments and ball changes when I needed to and stay aggressive," said Odom, the 1996 PBA Steve Nagy Sportsmanship Award winner. "Sometimes, especially in team event, I have a tendency to not be as aggressive as I should because the conditions might be a little tight, and I try to help the ball react. I drilled four new balls before coming out here, and Brian Shidler really helped me by laying them out. I also got some help from Mark Anderson while I was here. Having the right equipment, layout, surfaces and feel for the bowling ball eliminates a lot of the things you have to worry about, so you can just go out and make good shots."
At the 2011 USBC Open Championships, also at the NBS, Odom added his name to the tournament record books by rolling the first perfect game of the tournament. The 78-lane venue continues to be a favorite of the eight-time PBA regional champion.
"I've done well here over the years," said Odom, who made his 23rd Open Championships appearance. "Other sports have their arenas and stadiums, and this is ours. It's the crown jewel of our sport. You have to try and embrace it and do the best you can."
With his scores in the books and his name at the top of the leaderboard, Odom already is looking forward to next year's tournament in El Paso, Texas.
"It's great (to be leading)," Odom said. "I started bowling with this group from home in 2007 and did pretty well. I finished 27th in all-events with 2,089. I was very pleased with that, and to shoot a score close to that, especially here, is very special to me. I don't bowl a lot of big tournaments anymore, so this is my big event each year. I'll be looking forward to next year's tournament starting tomorrow."
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open/Women's Championships page.
Presenting sponsors for the 2014 USBC Open Championships include Circus Circus Reno, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno.
The 55-year-old right-hander put up sets of 741 in singles, 707 in team and 628 in doubles for an all-events tally of 2,076, surpassing the 2,001 total posted by Terrence Blevins of Chicago on Saturday. Odom's singles effort was enough to move him into second place behind Blevins, who leads with 783.
Odom credited his success at the National Bowling Stadium this weekend to being prepared with the right equipment and staying aggressive and ahead of the moves on the two different Sport Bowling-certified conditions.
"I was trying to stay ahead of the shot, make the right adjustments and ball changes when I needed to and stay aggressive," said Odom, the 1996 PBA Steve Nagy Sportsmanship Award winner. "Sometimes, especially in team event, I have a tendency to not be as aggressive as I should because the conditions might be a little tight, and I try to help the ball react. I drilled four new balls before coming out here, and Brian Shidler really helped me by laying them out. I also got some help from Mark Anderson while I was here. Having the right equipment, layout, surfaces and feel for the bowling ball eliminates a lot of the things you have to worry about, so you can just go out and make good shots."
At the 2011 USBC Open Championships, also at the NBS, Odom added his name to the tournament record books by rolling the first perfect game of the tournament. The 78-lane venue continues to be a favorite of the eight-time PBA regional champion.
"I've done well here over the years," said Odom, who made his 23rd Open Championships appearance. "Other sports have their arenas and stadiums, and this is ours. It's the crown jewel of our sport. You have to try and embrace it and do the best you can."
With his scores in the books and his name at the top of the leaderboard, Odom already is looking forward to next year's tournament in El Paso, Texas.
"It's great (to be leading)," Odom said. "I started bowling with this group from home in 2007 and did pretty well. I finished 27th in all-events with 2,089. I was very pleased with that, and to shoot a score close to that, especially here, is very special to me. I don't bowl a lot of big tournaments anymore, so this is my big event each year. I'll be looking forward to next year's tournament starting tomorrow."
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open/Women's Championships page.
Presenting sponsors for the 2014 USBC Open Championships include Circus Circus Reno, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno.