Simonis and Blanchard lead Regular Doubles at Open Championships
April 03, 2026
RENO, Nev. – A late string of strikes Thursday at the National Bowling Stadium helped Timothy Simonis of Queen Creek, Arizona, and Josh Blanchard of Mesa, Arizona, to the top spot in Regular Doubles at the 2026 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships.
Blanchard – a three-time Professional Bowlers Association Tour champion – also etched his name into the tournament’s record book with his performance during the set, posting games of 269, 279 and 264 for an 812 series. Simonis bounced back from a 158 start to close with 214 and 252 for a 624 series, helping the pair to 1,436.
After the fourth frame of Game 3, Blanchard and Simonis had almost no room for error to get around the 1,433 rolled by Brandon Bates and Christopher Davidson of Fair Oaks, California, on March 29.
With an open from Blanchard and a spare by Simonis, both players needed to strike to their fill ball for the opportunity to sneak into the top spot. Each rallied with the final eight strikes to close the game and take the lead by three pins.
Blanchard recorded the second 800 of the 2026 event and rolled strikes on 31 of his 35 deliveries during the set.
Hear from Simonis and Blanchard on their run in Reno by watching the video below.
Blanchard finished his 18th appearance at the USBC Open Championships with 672 in singles and 640 in team to also move into second in Regular All-Events with a 2,124 total. Jonathan Cherpeski of Fairborn, Ohio, leads with 2,149.
Simonis – making his 17th tournament appearance – added 680 in singles and 513 in team to finish the year with 1,817.
Prior to his run Thursday, Blanchard posted 775 in Open Singles at the Bowlers Journal Championships, which features the same oil pattern being used in doubles and singles competition at the Open Championships. He currently sits in third place – 2012 Regular Team champion Nick Heilman of La Crosse, Wisconsin, leads with 813.
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.
Blanchard – a three-time Professional Bowlers Association Tour champion – also etched his name into the tournament’s record book with his performance during the set, posting games of 269, 279 and 264 for an 812 series. Simonis bounced back from a 158 start to close with 214 and 252 for a 624 series, helping the pair to 1,436.
After the fourth frame of Game 3, Blanchard and Simonis had almost no room for error to get around the 1,433 rolled by Brandon Bates and Christopher Davidson of Fair Oaks, California, on March 29.
With an open from Blanchard and a spare by Simonis, both players needed to strike to their fill ball for the opportunity to sneak into the top spot. Each rallied with the final eight strikes to close the game and take the lead by three pins.
Blanchard recorded the second 800 of the 2026 event and rolled strikes on 31 of his 35 deliveries during the set.
Hear from Simonis and Blanchard on their run in Reno by watching the video below.
Blanchard finished his 18th appearance at the USBC Open Championships with 672 in singles and 640 in team to also move into second in Regular All-Events with a 2,124 total. Jonathan Cherpeski of Fairborn, Ohio, leads with 2,149.
Simonis – making his 17th tournament appearance – added 680 in singles and 513 in team to finish the year with 1,817.
Prior to his run Thursday, Blanchard posted 775 in Open Singles at the Bowlers Journal Championships, which features the same oil pattern being used in doubles and singles competition at the Open Championships. He currently sits in third place – 2012 Regular Team champion Nick Heilman of La Crosse, Wisconsin, leads with 813.
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.