RENO, Nev. - Gary Exner Jr. of Racine, Wis., had a feeling that something special was going to happen at the 2011 USBC Open Championships, and now he's a tournament record holder.

The 25-year-old right-hander rolled three consecutive 248 games at the National Bowling Stadium on Monday and now shares the Open Championships triplicate record with Kevin Shafer of Eaton, Ind., who performed the feat at the 2009 event in Las Vegas.

After shooting 608 in doubles and 578 in team, Exner simply was looking to stay focused during singles and turn in a strong finish. He was unaware of the triplicate record until after he was done bowling, while his 744 singles set is just shy of the top 10.

"I didn't think it was a record," said Exner, who made his second Open Championships appearance. "I thought it was kind of a neat coincidence because I have shot triplicates before including back-to-back 184 triplicates. But, I was less worried about that and just focused on making good shots."

One of the main reasons Exner made a return trip to the Open Championships was for the opportunity to share the tournament lanes with his father, Gary Exner Sr., who has been his mentor and coach since he was a toddler.

As the younger Exner has improved on the lanes and gained knowledge from other great players in Wisconsin, he has in turn shared their advice with his father.

"My father coached me from a child throughout high school," said Exner, who was the 2009-2010 Racine Bowling Association Bowler of the Year. "And now the roles have reversed. I started bowling in more tournaments with better players, and I learned a lot of tips and received some great advice. Today, he was struggling a little and I told him to make a move. He gave me a funny look, but then went on to throw six strikes on his last seven shots in the second game of singles, and the first six strikes in the third game."

Along with his triplicate record, Exner also wants to become a winner at the Open Championships.

"I think everyone's goal is to win an eagle win they come out to the tournament," Exner said. "Bowlers want to make good shots and bowl to their potential. Along with the triplicate, I received a 30 Clean award for that set, too. That made everything worthwhile."

Exner finished with a 1,930 all-events total, while his father had 668 in singles, 604 in doubles and 515 in team for a 1,787 total. Joel Carlson of Omaha, Neb., leads Regular All-Events with 2,164.

Click here to watch video highlights from the 2011 Open Championships.
Presenting sponsors for the 2011 USBC Open Championships are Circus Circus, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno. Other sponsors include Sands Regency Casino Hotel, official brackets sponsor, Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, Humana, official registration sponsor, 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.