Tennessee duo now shares top spot in Standard Doubles at 2018 USBC Open Championships

By Matt Cannizzaro and Christine Nichols
USBC Communications

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -
Lifelong friends Chad Green and Chad Queen of Athens, Tennessee, had simple expectations for their time at the 2018 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships - to have a good time and put themselves in a position to win.

They managed to do both Saturday at the Oncenter Convention Center, where they combined for a 1,203 total and moved into a tie for the top spot in Standard Doubles.

The two attacked the lanes from opposite sides and posted games of 412, 438 and 353 to match twin brothers Michael and Jeffrey Krywcum of Buffalo, New York, who set the bar nearly a month earlier.

Green a 30-year-old left-hander, led the way Saturday in his fifth tournament appearance, rolling games of 222, 214 and 180 for a 616 series, while Queen, 32-year-old right-hander also visiting the USBC Open Championships for the fifth time, added games of 190, 224 and 173 for a 587 set.

After two games, Green and Queen knew what they needed to do.

"Nerves got the best of us, and we knew in the end we had to make quality shots," Queen said. "We knew what we were capable of doing, and we just needed to execute. We talked to each other after each shot to try to calm the other down."

Going into the final frame, Green struck on his first ball and left a 6-8 split on his second shot. Queen spared the 1-2-8 combination and struck on his fill ball to finish the job.

"Queen looked at me and told me to make sure I got one pin, which had set us up to at least tie for the top spot," Green said. "I felt like I had thrown the best ball that set, however, the pins just didn't fall my way. I had never felt so nervous."

The two, who both bowl at Classic Lanes in Athens, enjoyed the opportunity to bowl together and see themselves sharing the lanes at the Open Championship for years to come.

"In the five years we have been bowling in this tournament, it just never worked out for us to be able to bowl together," Green said. "This year was different. A few months ago, we got the paperwork and found out we were bowling together. Winning an Eagle with my lifelong friend would mean everything to me. I wouldn't want to share this accomplishment with anyone else."

With only 15 days left in the tournament's 107-day run, Green and Queen will have to play the waiting game to see if their score is enough.

"I will definitely be checking periodically, but we did what we could do," said Queen, a chef. "Hopefully, our number holds up. It's a tough shot, but I am just glad we were able to put something together."

Green, a driver for Valley Recycling, added a 573 series in singles and 539 in team for a 1,728 all-events total, and Queen had 543 in singles and 530 in team for a 1,660 total. Both were career-best all-events efforts.

Standard Doubles includes teams with combined entering averages of 361-418.

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