Minnesota bowler nearly perfect at Open Championships
Only a 9-pin separated the 40-year-old right-hander from the 26th perfect game of the tournament, as he tossed a 299 in his final game of team Monday at the American Bank Center Exhibit Hall.
Jones opened with 208 and 245, and his 752 series helped Lakeland Mortgage 1 of Lonsdale, Minn., to games of 977, 1,150 and 1,089 for a 3,216 team total. Browning Pontiac of Cincinnati leads Regular Team with 3,496.
"It's a great feeling to finish the night on such a high note," said Jones, who made his 18th Open Championships appearance. "I missed an easy spare in the first frame of the first game, but I settled down after that. I was just trying to be consistent."
While out on the tournament lanes, Jones relied on an unusual tactic to help him continue throwing strikes and couldn't have gotten the job done without his teammates.
"My hand was starting to swell up while I was bowling," said Jones, a certified public accountant. "So between shots, I was leaving my thumb in my teammate's ball because his thumb hole is about a size and a half smaller than mine. It kept things under control and I never felt like I wasn't going to get a clean release."
Tony Hacker added 639 for Lakeland Mortgage 1 and was followed by John Kreyer Jr. (625), Al Pankow (624) and Robert Newbauer (576).
"We came out here with confidence as a team because we were fortunate to be able to practice on this pattern back home," Jones said. "Everyone planned ahead of time to play the outside angle together and we knew it could work. Then the shot just opened up for me as the night went on."
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.
5/30/2006
By Matt Cannizzaro and David Ellis USBC Communications