Monday, March 16, 2009

Illinois Bowler Rolls First 800 At Open Championships

With one eagle already to his credit, George Kontos of Joliet, Ill., knows what it takes to reach the highest pinnacle at the USBC Open Championships.

On Friday, the 55-year-old right-hander applied that knowledge and celebrated his recent birthday with the first 800 series of the 2009 event in Las Vegas' Cashman Center.

Kontos, a member of the 2001 Regular Team co-champions, rolled games of 256, 268 and 277 for an 801 series and teamed up with his son, a tournament first-timer, for a 1,343 doubles effort, which is just short of the top 10. John Kontos contributed 211, 150 and 181 for 542. The previous high individual series of the year was 795 by Regular All-Events leader Ron Nelson Jr. of Bridgeview, Ill.

"It was very thrilling and emotional, and having my wife and son here meant a lot," said Kontos, a proprietor of Joliet's Strike N Spare Lanes who made his 36th consecutive Open Championships appearance. "The ball I was throwing was working perfectly. It was one of those magical match ups where the ball, the pair and the timing all worked out for me." Read MORE

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