Virginia bowler in top 10 at Open Championships
The 31-year-old right-hander opened his singles set with 10 consecutive strikes before a 4-pin ended his run at perfection and left him with a 288 start at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., on Friday night. He followed it up with 246 and 257 for a 791 series and sixth place in Regular Singles. Chip Aki of Nicholasville, Ky., leads with 814.
"Even after starting out with such a big game, I wasn't really thinking about the series as a whole," said Vogt, who added 642 in team and 522 in doubles for a 1,955 all-events total. "I was relying on each individual shot once I got into game two and didn't waste any time thinking about not shooting 300 the first game. I moved on from there to deal with what was ahead of me."
Vogt had seen the leaderboard before taking to the lanes and knew that his two-game total of 534 left very little room for error if he was going to take home the singles title.
After starting game three with a strike and a spare, Vogt knew he at least had a chance to tie the top score. He struck on his next seven shots, which brought him to the 10th frame with a chance to throw three more strikes for a share of the lead.
"There definitely was some nervousness, and I felt the pressure because the Open Championships is so much bigger than anything else," Vogt said. "I knew what the number was and that I had to strike out to get there, so I made sure to stay aggressive, but it was a 4-pin that got me again. Now that it's over though, I feel great to be where I am."
Presenting sponsors for the 2007 USBC Open Championships are Eldorado, Silver Legacy and Circus Circus Hotel/Casinos in Reno, Nev. Other participating sponsors are Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, Sands Regency Casino and Hotel, official brackets sponsor and supporting sponsors Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa and Harrah's Casino and Hotel.
By Matt Cannizzaro and David Ellis USBC Communications