Tom Hess rolls perfect game at 2018 USBC Open Championships
May 03, 2018
By Matt Cannizzaro and Christine Nichols
USBC Communications
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Tom Hess of Urbandale, Iowa, became the 30th bowler in 115 years of the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships history to own multiple 300 games on the tournament lanes, and his most recent success definitely was memorable.
As the animated Hess, the 2011 USBC Masters Champion, approached the final frame of his perfect game Wednesday at the Oncenter Convention Center, he showed signs of nothing but pure confidence.
While the 48-year-old right-hander waited to throw the final shot of the fifth 300 at the 2018 USBC Open Championships, a fellow bowler next to Hess looked over and said, "take your time, you've got this."
After putting the finishing touches on the second 300 of his 25-year Open Championships career, Hess was greeted in the settee by teammates and bowlers from adjacent lanes.
"This 300 feels more special because it was in team, and I was out there helping four other guys, not just myself," said Hess, who bookended his 300 on Wednesday with games of 200 and 232 for a 732 series. "As a team, we did a great job breaking down the lanes with a combination of different ideas, we had a game plan and we stuck to it. We got them pretty good. Our team score was 3,013, and we actually left a lot out there."
Hess first achieved perfection during singles at the 2006 Open Championships in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he went on to finish fourth in Regular Singles with 792.
He also recently enjoyed individual success at the Oncenter Convention Center, where he finished tied for 33rd place at the 2018 Masters, and that experience immediately proved to be valuable in his return this week. This year marked the first time since Hess' win in 2011 that the two events shared a venue.
"I had the luxury of being out here for the Masters and went and watched a couple of the squads bowl at the Open Championships," Hess said. "Tomorrow will be a bit different, and I feel prepared."
Hess and his teammates will be back on the championship lanes Thursday afternoon for doubles and singles, and while he didn't feel sharp at the nearby Bowlers Journal Championships presented by USBC, which features the doubles and singles oil pattern from the Open Championships, his track record speaks for itself.
Along with his success in 2006, he made a run at a doubles title with Angela Chirpich in 2014. The two combined for a 1,445 total on the way to a third-place finish in Regular Doubles. That year, Hess also recorded his best all-events total of 2,157, which was good for a top-20 finish.
"I look at this as two separate events," said Hess, who regularly bowls at Bowlerama Lanes in Des Moines, Iowa. "You have to come in with two separate game plans, since the pattern for team event is different than the pattern for singles and doubles."
The other perfect games at the 2018 Open Championships belong to USBC Hall of Famer Steve Kloempken of Pleasant View, Utah (doubles), Peter Zmozynski of Depew, New York (team), Robert Clements of Plymouth, Minnesota (singles), and Matt Tomsu of Papillion, Nebraska (singles).
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships Facebook page.
USBC Communications
Watch the video
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Tom Hess of Urbandale, Iowa, became the 30th bowler in 115 years of the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships history to own multiple 300 games on the tournament lanes, and his most recent success definitely was memorable.
As the animated Hess, the 2011 USBC Masters Champion, approached the final frame of his perfect game Wednesday at the Oncenter Convention Center, he showed signs of nothing but pure confidence.
While the 48-year-old right-hander waited to throw the final shot of the fifth 300 at the 2018 USBC Open Championships, a fellow bowler next to Hess looked over and said, "take your time, you've got this."
After putting the finishing touches on the second 300 of his 25-year Open Championships career, Hess was greeted in the settee by teammates and bowlers from adjacent lanes.
"This 300 feels more special because it was in team, and I was out there helping four other guys, not just myself," said Hess, who bookended his 300 on Wednesday with games of 200 and 232 for a 732 series. "As a team, we did a great job breaking down the lanes with a combination of different ideas, we had a game plan and we stuck to it. We got them pretty good. Our team score was 3,013, and we actually left a lot out there."
Hess first achieved perfection during singles at the 2006 Open Championships in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he went on to finish fourth in Regular Singles with 792.
He also recently enjoyed individual success at the Oncenter Convention Center, where he finished tied for 33rd place at the 2018 Masters, and that experience immediately proved to be valuable in his return this week. This year marked the first time since Hess' win in 2011 that the two events shared a venue.
"I had the luxury of being out here for the Masters and went and watched a couple of the squads bowl at the Open Championships," Hess said. "Tomorrow will be a bit different, and I feel prepared."
Hess and his teammates will be back on the championship lanes Thursday afternoon for doubles and singles, and while he didn't feel sharp at the nearby Bowlers Journal Championships presented by USBC, which features the doubles and singles oil pattern from the Open Championships, his track record speaks for itself.
Along with his success in 2006, he made a run at a doubles title with Angela Chirpich in 2014. The two combined for a 1,445 total on the way to a third-place finish in Regular Doubles. That year, Hess also recorded his best all-events total of 2,157, which was good for a top-20 finish.
"I look at this as two separate events," said Hess, who regularly bowls at Bowlerama Lanes in Des Moines, Iowa. "You have to come in with two separate game plans, since the pattern for team event is different than the pattern for singles and doubles."
The other perfect games at the 2018 Open Championships belong to USBC Hall of Famer Steve Kloempken of Pleasant View, Utah (doubles), Peter Zmozynski of Depew, New York (team), Robert Clements of Plymouth, Minnesota (singles), and Matt Tomsu of Papillion, Nebraska (singles).
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships Facebook page.