USBC record holder etches name in record book again at 2019 USBC Open Championships

By Matt Cannizzaro and Daniel Farish
USBC Communications

LAS VEGAS -
Tom Jordan of Wayne, New Jersey, is no stranger to success or noteworthy performances.

Open the United States Bowling Congress record book, and you'll find his name on more than one page.

After his singles set at the 2019 USBC Open Championships, you can add another page to that list.

The 52-year-old left-hander shot 300 in his second game of singles Friday at the South Point Bowling Plaza to become just the 32nd bowler in 116 years of tournament history with multiple perfect games on the championship lanes. He first achieved the feat in Billings, Montana, in 2002, where a record 64 perfect games were rolled.

This year's perfect performance, the sixth 300 of the 2019 event in Las Vegas, came between games of 247 and 221 for a 768 series, which is sixth in the Regular Singles standings. Ron Case of Oakley, California, leads with 803.

"It's definitely special, considering the conditions that are out here," said Jordan, who owns a bowling pro shop in New Jersey. "I bowled so poorly yesterday in team and even worse during doubles. This is definitely redemption."

Jordan's team, www.amofro.com XXX, posted a 2,924 team total Thursday, but Jordan was frustrated he could not offer more to the effort.

"We bowled OK as a team, but I was just the loose wheel," said Jordan, who made his seventh tournament appearance. "We shot just north of 2,900, which should cash. That's what frustrated me even more - everyone else bowled well, and I didn't."

The frustration from the team event carried into doubles, with Jordan citing a lack of confidence heading into his six-game block Friday afternoon.

"I lost my shirt in brackets during team event, to the point that I didn't even bother playing any today," Jordan said. "It probably wouldn't have paid dividends anyway, because I bowled so bad in doubles. I was really lacking confidence, and it showed."

It took a thumb insert from a teammate to get Jordan back on track. With the weather in the Las Vegas desert being so much different than New Jersey, he was having issues with his own interchangeable thumb slugs and couldn't fit in them.

"I had to borrow a teammate's interchangeable thumb because I couldn't get out of mine," Jordan said. "I put a bunch of tape in his thumb sleeve and used that. I couldn't open up my own enough with the tools I had."

Jordan struck just 13 times on the way to a 526 team series Thursday and 12 times during his 502 doubles series, before the strikes started piling up. He struck 28 times in 36 opportunities during singles.

He first etched his name in the USBC record book in 1989 when he rolled a then-record 899 series (300-299-300) in league. It was the first three games of a four-game set. He finished with another 299, giving him a 1,198 total, which still stands as a USBC record for an individual four-game series.

Stepping up in his final frame at the South Point Bowling Plaza with another shot at history, Jordan recited in his head advice that most bowlers know, but few can follow.

"I told myself just to stay in the moment and take it one shot at a time," Jordan said. "I was trying to duplicate the previous shot and trying to forget about everything around me. I just needed to stay within myself."

Despite his struggles in team and doubles, the massive singles set gave Jordan a 1,796 nine-game total, his second highest all-events score in seven appearances on the championship lanes.

Jordan's best overall performance was in 2002. He shot 783 in team, 644 in singles and 598 in doubles for a 2,025 total.

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