Hard work pays off for Nebraska bowler at Open Championships
A 10-year member of the Professional Bowlers Association, Williams has been preparing for the upcoming PBA Regional Players Championship and PBA Tour Trials and fired games of 267, 279 and 237 for 783 series at the American Bank Center Exhibit Hall on Wednesday night. Dave Barker of Springfield, Ill., leads with 793.
Williams added 648 in doubles and 577 in team for a 2,008 all-events total in just his second Open Championships appearance.
"I felt like I really played the lanes in the wrong place during team," said Williams, a salesman for Performance Chrysler. "So before ever throwing a shot today, I decided to play the gutter. But I had to be confident that my reaction from the outside was going to be good."
From here, the 40-year-old right-hander is headed straight to Indiana to continue his jam-packed bowling schedule. He will compete in the RPC from May 26-29, immediately followed by the Tour Trials scheduled for May 30-June 4. He will attempt to claim one of the 10 Denny's PBA Tour exemptions up for grabs at the 45-game Tour Trials.
"I've been practicing pretty hard for the last month to prepare for the Tour Trials," Williams said. "I had to make sure my equipment felt right and that I was making good shots before going up against the best. I guess all of that practice is paying off already based on my performance here."
Presenting sponsors for the 2006 USBC Open Championships are Eldorado, Silver Legacy and Circus Circus Hotel/Casinos in Reno, Nev. Other participating sponsors are Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, Texas State Aquarium, Majestic Ventures Yacht Charters, Inc., USS Lexington Museum and Texas Treasure Casino Cruises.
For more information on the USBC Open Championships, visit USBCOpen.com.
5/25/2006
By Matt Cannizzaro and David Ellis USBC Communications