Oregonians take early lead in Standard Doubles at 2026 Open Championships
March 16, 2026
RENO, Nev. – Ron Cornelison of Corvallis, Oregon, and Justin Enos of Albany, Oregon, found themselves in the lead of Standard Doubles during the opening weekend of the 2026 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, contested in Reno, Nevada.
The two-handed duo had an OK start with 738 combined through the first two games Sunday at the National Bowling Stadium before finding their groove in the final game of doubles. Enos struck nine times in 11 shots for 258 while Cornelison added 227 for a final total of 1,223.
Enos led the pair with games of 197, 175 and 258 for a 630 series. Cornelison bounced back after a 147 start to finish with 219 and 227 for a 593 set.
“(I had) lots of confidence because of how much practice I put in over the last year,” said Enos, who was making his second appearance at the USBC Open Championships after debuting in 2025. “We really just did the best we could, and the practice really paid off for this.”
Both took different routes to find what worked best out on the lanes.
“I made more ball changes in that set than I have on any set ever just to keep up with the shot,” Cornelison said.
“I stuck with the same ball for every single game, just sort of fine-tuning where I needed to stand and hitting my target,” said Enos.
For Enos, it was another big step in his journey in bowling as he started at the end of 2023 and has put in the work to get himself to a good spot.
“I tried to bowl one-handed for two years and it wasn’t really working out with my shoulder on top of my bad technique. Then Ron said, ‘Hey, why don’t you try two-handed?’
“I put in a ton of work, and I look a lot different than I did a year ago. It’s worked out immensely well.”
Cornelison, who was making his eighth appearance at the Open Championships, and Enos are a part of a close-knit group that makes the annual trip to the event, and it started many years ago with an invite to a barbecue. One thing led to another, and Cornelison eventually found himself joining a league with the group.
“They eased me into it, first with a ball, then a bag, just step by step,” Cornelison said. “Now it just keeps going and growing, it’s a really good core of people. We hang out regularly outside of the bowling alley.”
Enos added, “I just kind of joined in because I wanted to join a league and the time they were bowling was perfect for my schedule. It was the only one I could do, and they had a spot for me, then it was off to the races.”
Whether the 1,223 total holds up over the next four months remains to be seen, but the duo left Reno knowing they had taken advantage of their opportunity during the opening weekend.
“It was kind of a shocker,” Enos said. “I didn’t have any frame of reference and then I looked up at the board and thought, ‘Wait a second, this is really good.’ Now we just wait to see what happens.”
Enos added 588 in singles and 457 in team to finish his 2026 appearance with a nine-game score of 1,675. Cornelison added 547 in singles and 519 in team for 1,659.
Standard Doubles features bowlers with combined entering averages from 321-362.
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.
The two-handed duo had an OK start with 738 combined through the first two games Sunday at the National Bowling Stadium before finding their groove in the final game of doubles. Enos struck nine times in 11 shots for 258 while Cornelison added 227 for a final total of 1,223.
Enos led the pair with games of 197, 175 and 258 for a 630 series. Cornelison bounced back after a 147 start to finish with 219 and 227 for a 593 set.
“(I had) lots of confidence because of how much practice I put in over the last year,” said Enos, who was making his second appearance at the USBC Open Championships after debuting in 2025. “We really just did the best we could, and the practice really paid off for this.”
Both took different routes to find what worked best out on the lanes.
“I made more ball changes in that set than I have on any set ever just to keep up with the shot,” Cornelison said.
“I stuck with the same ball for every single game, just sort of fine-tuning where I needed to stand and hitting my target,” said Enos.
For Enos, it was another big step in his journey in bowling as he started at the end of 2023 and has put in the work to get himself to a good spot.
“I tried to bowl one-handed for two years and it wasn’t really working out with my shoulder on top of my bad technique. Then Ron said, ‘Hey, why don’t you try two-handed?’
“I put in a ton of work, and I look a lot different than I did a year ago. It’s worked out immensely well.”
Cornelison, who was making his eighth appearance at the Open Championships, and Enos are a part of a close-knit group that makes the annual trip to the event, and it started many years ago with an invite to a barbecue. One thing led to another, and Cornelison eventually found himself joining a league with the group.
“They eased me into it, first with a ball, then a bag, just step by step,” Cornelison said. “Now it just keeps going and growing, it’s a really good core of people. We hang out regularly outside of the bowling alley.”
Enos added, “I just kind of joined in because I wanted to join a league and the time they were bowling was perfect for my schedule. It was the only one I could do, and they had a spot for me, then it was off to the races.”
Whether the 1,223 total holds up over the next four months remains to be seen, but the duo left Reno knowing they had taken advantage of their opportunity during the opening weekend.
“It was kind of a shocker,” Enos said. “I didn’t have any frame of reference and then I looked up at the board and thought, ‘Wait a second, this is really good.’ Now we just wait to see what happens.”
Enos added 588 in singles and 457 in team to finish his 2026 appearance with a nine-game score of 1,675. Cornelison added 547 in singles and 519 in team for 1,659.
Standard Doubles features bowlers with combined entering averages from 321-362.
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.