Three bowlers shoot 300 at 2010 OC
April 30, 2010
RENO, Nev. - The second half of the 2010 USBC Open Championships is underway, and the scoring pace has picked up as three bowlers rolled perfect games at the National Bowling Stadium.
Ken Konczos of Sagamore Hills, Ohio, rolled the 11th 300 of the year in his final game of singles Thursday night, while Matthew Randall of Allen Park, Mich., tossed the 12th in his last game of doubles Friday afternoon. Rodney Machacek of Lincoln, Neb., followed suit three games later to make it a baker's dozen.
Konczos started singles with games of 232 and 221 before making his run at perfection, which helped him to a 753 series, currently tied for 15th place in Regular Singles. Terrence Syring of Bay City, Mich., leads with 833.
The 52-year-old right-hander has thrown many 300s in his bowling career, but this was his first perfect game at the Open Championships and his most memorable.
"This is by far the most memorable one," said Konczos, who bowls regularly at Legend Lanes and made his 19th Open Championships appearance. "The 12th shot was the most nervous ball I have ever thrown. I remember my first 300 game, and this is similar. It's almost like reliving the experience from the first one because of the magnitude of the event. You only bowl nine games, and then you're out of here, so this is special."
Konczos got his start in bowling by watching his father compete in various leagues. As he got older, Konczos started understanding the game better. He bowled a lot as a high school senior, which evolved into bowling four nights each week and tournaments on the weekend. He later bowled in several Professional Bowlers Association regional events.
When his father passed away due to heart complications, Konczos began donating his honor score awards to the American Heart Association. Instead of requesting a ring for his accomplishment Thursday, he opted to donate his award to the USBC Hall of Fame, partly in honor of his father.
"He got me interested in bowling by watching him," said Konczos, who is the plant manager at North Coast Container Corp. "Every time I win an award, if I can't donate it to the American Heart Association, I will donate it somewhere in honor of him. He was very important to me."
Influential figures have been a constant in Konczos' bowling career. One of the greatest ambassadors of the sport was on hand to congratulate him after he rolled his only 300 game in PBA competition.
"I bowled 300 at the Resident Pro Championships in Arizona," Konczos said. "Dick Weber was the first person to come down and shake my hand. Although he wasn't bowling, he still came down and shook my hand. He was a great man, and that was another special moment for me."
Konczos ended his 2010 tournament campaign with 652 in team and 570 in doubles for a 1,975 all-events total, the highest of his Open Championships career.
Randall got off to a good start with a 621 series in team, but decided to purchase a new ball before doubles and singles. The purchase paid off immediately with games of 223, 215 and 300 for a 738 doubles series. He teamed up with Jim McLeod of Westland, Mich., for a 1,338 total.
"I saw the ball, and the price was right, so there was really no reason not to get it," said Randall, who bowls at Skore Lanes and made his sixth trip to the Open Championships. "I had a good look from the very beginning today, but I never thought I'd shoot 300."
The 29-year-old right-hander doesn't aim too high when he competes on the tournament lanes because he knows the conditions are challenging, so this year's performance exceeded his expectations and his previous-best effort by nearly 100 pins.
"I don't come in with really high expectations, but trying to shoot 220 is a good goal," Randall said. "But I know that 200 is a really good score here, so after six or seven strikes, I knew it was already a good game. I've had quite a few 300s, but this is definitely the best one by far."
Randall added a 683 series in singles for a 2,042 all-events effort, topping the 1,945 he shot at the 2008 event in Albuquerque, N.M.
Machacek, a 41-year-old right-hander who bowls league at Hollywood Bowl, hasn't had the kind of tournament success he was hoping for this year, but things ended on a high note for him as he closed out his 2010 tournament season with 12 consecutive strikes.
With nicer weather on the way in Nebraska, Machacek plans to spend more time outside and less time on the lanes.
"Overall, this is the least successful tournament year I've had in a while, so to end my last event of the season like this is amazing," said Machacek, who started singles with 197 and 216 before closing with 300 for a 713 series. "I feel like I've bowled well, but just haven't been able to put anything together. Even today, I had a good ball reaction after moving into singles and thought I was throwing it well, but couldn't knock anything over. Finally, I was able to carry the last game."
Machacek added 618 in doubles and 617 in singles for a 1,948 all-events total, the third-highest of his 19-year tournament career.
"I'm in the Lincoln Bowling Association Hall of Fame, and I've won some state and city titles, but this is right up there because of the prestige of the Open Championships," Machacek said. "I've bowled well here over the years, and I've been able to find a way to grind out some good sets, but I've never been close to 300. This is incredible."
Presenting sponsors for the 2010 USBC Open Championships are Circus Circus, Eldorado Hotel Casino and Silver Legacy Resort Casino in Reno, Nevada. Other sponsors include Sands Regency Casino Hotel, official brackets sponsor, Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, US Steltronic, official scoring system, and supporting sponsors Storm Bowling Products, UPS, Nationwide Insurance, Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa, Harrah's Reno Casino and Hotel and Peppermill Hotel Casino.
Ken Konczos of Sagamore Hills, Ohio, rolled the 11th 300 of the year in his final game of singles Thursday night, while Matthew Randall of Allen Park, Mich., tossed the 12th in his last game of doubles Friday afternoon. Rodney Machacek of Lincoln, Neb., followed suit three games later to make it a baker's dozen.
Konczos started singles with games of 232 and 221 before making his run at perfection, which helped him to a 753 series, currently tied for 15th place in Regular Singles. Terrence Syring of Bay City, Mich., leads with 833.
The 52-year-old right-hander has thrown many 300s in his bowling career, but this was his first perfect game at the Open Championships and his most memorable.
"This is by far the most memorable one," said Konczos, who bowls regularly at Legend Lanes and made his 19th Open Championships appearance. "The 12th shot was the most nervous ball I have ever thrown. I remember my first 300 game, and this is similar. It's almost like reliving the experience from the first one because of the magnitude of the event. You only bowl nine games, and then you're out of here, so this is special."
Konczos got his start in bowling by watching his father compete in various leagues. As he got older, Konczos started understanding the game better. He bowled a lot as a high school senior, which evolved into bowling four nights each week and tournaments on the weekend. He later bowled in several Professional Bowlers Association regional events.
When his father passed away due to heart complications, Konczos began donating his honor score awards to the American Heart Association. Instead of requesting a ring for his accomplishment Thursday, he opted to donate his award to the USBC Hall of Fame, partly in honor of his father.
"He got me interested in bowling by watching him," said Konczos, who is the plant manager at North Coast Container Corp. "Every time I win an award, if I can't donate it to the American Heart Association, I will donate it somewhere in honor of him. He was very important to me."
Influential figures have been a constant in Konczos' bowling career. One of the greatest ambassadors of the sport was on hand to congratulate him after he rolled his only 300 game in PBA competition.
"I bowled 300 at the Resident Pro Championships in Arizona," Konczos said. "Dick Weber was the first person to come down and shake my hand. Although he wasn't bowling, he still came down and shook my hand. He was a great man, and that was another special moment for me."
Konczos ended his 2010 tournament campaign with 652 in team and 570 in doubles for a 1,975 all-events total, the highest of his Open Championships career.
Randall got off to a good start with a 621 series in team, but decided to purchase a new ball before doubles and singles. The purchase paid off immediately with games of 223, 215 and 300 for a 738 doubles series. He teamed up with Jim McLeod of Westland, Mich., for a 1,338 total.
"I saw the ball, and the price was right, so there was really no reason not to get it," said Randall, who bowls at Skore Lanes and made his sixth trip to the Open Championships. "I had a good look from the very beginning today, but I never thought I'd shoot 300."
The 29-year-old right-hander doesn't aim too high when he competes on the tournament lanes because he knows the conditions are challenging, so this year's performance exceeded his expectations and his previous-best effort by nearly 100 pins.
"I don't come in with really high expectations, but trying to shoot 220 is a good goal," Randall said. "But I know that 200 is a really good score here, so after six or seven strikes, I knew it was already a good game. I've had quite a few 300s, but this is definitely the best one by far."
Randall added a 683 series in singles for a 2,042 all-events effort, topping the 1,945 he shot at the 2008 event in Albuquerque, N.M.
Machacek, a 41-year-old right-hander who bowls league at Hollywood Bowl, hasn't had the kind of tournament success he was hoping for this year, but things ended on a high note for him as he closed out his 2010 tournament season with 12 consecutive strikes.
With nicer weather on the way in Nebraska, Machacek plans to spend more time outside and less time on the lanes.
"Overall, this is the least successful tournament year I've had in a while, so to end my last event of the season like this is amazing," said Machacek, who started singles with 197 and 216 before closing with 300 for a 713 series. "I feel like I've bowled well, but just haven't been able to put anything together. Even today, I had a good ball reaction after moving into singles and thought I was throwing it well, but couldn't knock anything over. Finally, I was able to carry the last game."
Machacek added 618 in doubles and 617 in singles for a 1,948 all-events total, the third-highest of his 19-year tournament career.
"I'm in the Lincoln Bowling Association Hall of Fame, and I've won some state and city titles, but this is right up there because of the prestige of the Open Championships," Machacek said. "I've bowled well here over the years, and I've been able to find a way to grind out some good sets, but I've never been close to 300. This is incredible."
Presenting sponsors for the 2010 USBC Open Championships are Circus Circus, Eldorado Hotel Casino and Silver Legacy Resort Casino in Reno, Nevada. Other sponsors include Sands Regency Casino Hotel, official brackets sponsor, Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, US Steltronic, official scoring system, and supporting sponsors Storm Bowling Products, UPS, Nationwide Insurance, Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa, Harrah's Reno Casino and Hotel and Peppermill Hotel Casino.