Simonsen claims overall lead as first cuts are made at 2024 U.S. Open
February 01, 2024
Round 3 Results
INDIANAPOLIS – Anthony Simonsen of Las Vegas has been there and done that, already collecting five major championships in his career, including the 2022 U.S. Open title and back-to-back wins at the 2022 and 2023 editions of the United States Bowling Congress Masters.
On Wednesday, the 27-year-old two-handed bowler moved to the top of the overall standings at the end of Round 3 of qualifying at the 2024 U.S. Open presented by Go Bowling!, which is being contested at historic Royal Pin Woodland.
Simonsen’s march to the top began slowly as he was only able to manage scores of 195 and 180 during the first two of eight games on Round 3’s challenging 49-foot oil pattern.
The former U.S. Open champ heated up from there, however, finishing Wednesday’s set with games of 248, 234, 230, 241, 217 and 233 to finish with 1,778 for the day and a three-day, 24-game mark of 5,217 (a 217.38 average).
Matt Sanders of Evansville, Indiana, shot 1,681 during Round 3 to move into second in the overall standings at 5,070.
Seventeen-year-old Landin Jordan of Sycamore, Illinois (5,058), Day 2 leader Sam Cooley of Australia (5,042) and Andrew Anderson of Holly, Michigan (5,005) settled into the remaining spots in the top five.
Places six through 10 were secured by Australia’s Jason Belmonte (4,993), Canada’s Graham Fach (4,986), Matt Russo of Ballwin, Missouri (4,983), Jake Peters of Henderson, Nevada (4,973) and Canada’s Zach Wilkins (4,965).
Trevor Roberts of Tampa, Florida, started the third round in 62nd place, which put him on the outside looking in as the tournament’s first cut was poised to cut the field down from 108 players to the top 36; however, that all changed after Roberts recorded an eight-game total of 1,725 during Round 3 to not only make the cut but to move all the way up to 18th place with 4,905.
Defending champion EJ Tackett of Ossian, Indiana, punched his ticket to the next round as well, placing 30th with a 24-game total of 4,854.
The last spot in Thursday’s fourth and final qualifying round went to Bobby Habetler of Park Ridge, Illinois, who placed 36th with a score of 4,813, which put him just three pins ahead of local bowler Zach Weidman of Indianapolis.
The 36 remaining competitors will bowl a final eight-game qualifying block on Thursday morning starting at 10 a.m. Eastern. At the end of that round, the field will be cut again, this time down to the top 24 bowlers who will advance to match play, which is scheduled to begin Thursday evening at 5 p.m. Eastern.
As a former champion, Simonsen knows better than most how much of a grind the U.S. Open can be and that any score above 220 is a great game considering the difficulty of the various oil patterns the players are forced to contend with each day.
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” Simonsen said. “You can’t win this tournament in one day, but it’s very easy to lose it. The key all week has been to stay patient and not give away any pins.”
Simonsen has certainly kept that key in his pocket throughout the first three rounds, recording just five games under 200 over the course of 24 games while many of his fellow competitors have been fortunate to reach the mark even half of the time.
Simonsen attributed at least part of his success to how comfortable he feels when competing at Royal Pin Woodland.
“Woodland is a place I look forward to, and it’s easier to have some confidence at a center where you know if you can get lined up, you can throw some strikes,” Simonsen said.
Thursday’s action will consist of Round 4 of qualifying and the first of three eight-game blocks of round-robin match play.
The top 24 will then come back Friday for the final two rounds of match play, which are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Eastern and 5 p.m. Eastern, respectively.
At the conclusion of 24 games of match play, the top five bowlers will advance to the stepladder finals, which will be contested Feb. 4at 4 p.m. live on FOX.
The winner of the 2024 U.S. Open will take home the $100,000 top prize, the coveted green jacket and the U.S. Open trophy.
The 2024 U.S. Open is a collaborative effort between the United States Bowling Congress and Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America and will be considered a major on the PBA Tour.
The total prize fund for the event will exceed $275,000.
For results, standings and information about the 2024 U.S. Open, CLICK HERE.
INDIANAPOLIS – Anthony Simonsen of Las Vegas has been there and done that, already collecting five major championships in his career, including the 2022 U.S. Open title and back-to-back wins at the 2022 and 2023 editions of the United States Bowling Congress Masters.
On Wednesday, the 27-year-old two-handed bowler moved to the top of the overall standings at the end of Round 3 of qualifying at the 2024 U.S. Open presented by Go Bowling!, which is being contested at historic Royal Pin Woodland.
Simonsen’s march to the top began slowly as he was only able to manage scores of 195 and 180 during the first two of eight games on Round 3’s challenging 49-foot oil pattern.
The former U.S. Open champ heated up from there, however, finishing Wednesday’s set with games of 248, 234, 230, 241, 217 and 233 to finish with 1,778 for the day and a three-day, 24-game mark of 5,217 (a 217.38 average).
Matt Sanders of Evansville, Indiana, shot 1,681 during Round 3 to move into second in the overall standings at 5,070.
Seventeen-year-old Landin Jordan of Sycamore, Illinois (5,058), Day 2 leader Sam Cooley of Australia (5,042) and Andrew Anderson of Holly, Michigan (5,005) settled into the remaining spots in the top five.
Places six through 10 were secured by Australia’s Jason Belmonte (4,993), Canada’s Graham Fach (4,986), Matt Russo of Ballwin, Missouri (4,983), Jake Peters of Henderson, Nevada (4,973) and Canada’s Zach Wilkins (4,965).
Trevor Roberts of Tampa, Florida, started the third round in 62nd place, which put him on the outside looking in as the tournament’s first cut was poised to cut the field down from 108 players to the top 36; however, that all changed after Roberts recorded an eight-game total of 1,725 during Round 3 to not only make the cut but to move all the way up to 18th place with 4,905.
Defending champion EJ Tackett of Ossian, Indiana, punched his ticket to the next round as well, placing 30th with a 24-game total of 4,854.
The last spot in Thursday’s fourth and final qualifying round went to Bobby Habetler of Park Ridge, Illinois, who placed 36th with a score of 4,813, which put him just three pins ahead of local bowler Zach Weidman of Indianapolis.
The 36 remaining competitors will bowl a final eight-game qualifying block on Thursday morning starting at 10 a.m. Eastern. At the end of that round, the field will be cut again, this time down to the top 24 bowlers who will advance to match play, which is scheduled to begin Thursday evening at 5 p.m. Eastern.
As a former champion, Simonsen knows better than most how much of a grind the U.S. Open can be and that any score above 220 is a great game considering the difficulty of the various oil patterns the players are forced to contend with each day.
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” Simonsen said. “You can’t win this tournament in one day, but it’s very easy to lose it. The key all week has been to stay patient and not give away any pins.”
Simonsen has certainly kept that key in his pocket throughout the first three rounds, recording just five games under 200 over the course of 24 games while many of his fellow competitors have been fortunate to reach the mark even half of the time.
Simonsen attributed at least part of his success to how comfortable he feels when competing at Royal Pin Woodland.
“Woodland is a place I look forward to, and it’s easier to have some confidence at a center where you know if you can get lined up, you can throw some strikes,” Simonsen said.
Thursday’s action will consist of Round 4 of qualifying and the first of three eight-game blocks of round-robin match play.
The top 24 will then come back Friday for the final two rounds of match play, which are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Eastern and 5 p.m. Eastern, respectively.
At the conclusion of 24 games of match play, the top five bowlers will advance to the stepladder finals, which will be contested Feb. 4at 4 p.m. live on FOX.
The winner of the 2024 U.S. Open will take home the $100,000 top prize, the coveted green jacket and the U.S. Open trophy.
The 2024 U.S. Open is a collaborative effort between the United States Bowling Congress and Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America and will be considered a major on the PBA Tour.
The total prize fund for the event will exceed $275,000.
For results, standings and information about the 2024 U.S. Open, CLICK HERE.