Very unusual, that with such massively high scores on the board, we ended up having one of the GREAT competitions of all-time!!!  The vast majority of Members really seemed to have some fun Saturday with the 'Score Fest' at Kenmore Lanes.  We had discovered the incorrect lane conditions well before the 1st squad, but a computer issue prevented any possibility of correcting the pattern.  Saturday's bowlers not only had the perfect attitude... that under the conditions, anybody could beat what was on the Board... they proved it!!  The Top Scores were beaten in every squad, as bowlers got adjusted and progressively more confident.  Over the history of the Tour, it seems that every few years, we end up with a 'House Shot' or similar uncorrectable condition.  Each time that's happened, we've had numerous bowlers shooting over 1100... at Kenmore TEN shot 1100+ which is normally a very 'Rare' score.  And each time we've competed on a 'House Shot', we've had scores well over 1000 that don't even reach the 'Cash List'... this time TEN bowlers shot that BIG, but sadly were pushed out-of-the-money, with FOUR of those tossing what would often be Title Winning scores in the 1030 to 1055 range.  We can't even count, how many 'Career Best' scores were shot this week.  But, as we have always done when conditions produce such high scores, we won't include any of games in average calculations.

   

       

Milestone Performances: George Gardner certainly enjoyed the conditions!  He had numerous 'perfect games' prior to a 2013 accident that he's still recovering from... but none since that time.  TWICE Saturday George nearly became the TENTH Tour bowler to earn a USBC '300 Ring', tossing 11 of 12 Real Strikes, this first time he had the Front 11.  Then, a very HOT and improving Kannha Tong strung 11 Real ones... then he buried the 12th shot, only to be derailed by a stubborn 7-pin, denying him his FIRST ever Perfect Game.  Walt Dalrymple got into the 'near milestone' act, by tossing 7 of 8 Taps.  Only an 8-count in the 6th frame kept him from taking down the Super-Sized Jackpot.  Walt's Front-5 Taps did hold up for a nice $375.00 Consolation.

We can't compliment our bowlers enough for their GREAT performances and their AWESOME enthusiasm Saturday.  It seemed like all-day long, as recaps came in, we were having a new leader every few minutes and the scores were such, that the phrase, "That's gonna be tough to beat", washeard frequently.  Out of that crowded field of HUGE scores emerged FIRST time Singles Champion Dan Grass!  Dan was part of the Winning team at our 3-Person Team Tournamentlast November, but despite his THIRTEEN Top 5 finishes, he hadn't managed a Singles Title until this week.  At the end of last year, Dan's bowling was reaching a peak, tossing some of his best scores ever.  After competing at our 3-Region Tournament at the Gold Coast in Las Vegas last January, he stayed in town to enter the True Amateur Tournament that followed ours, when he suffered from Heart Failure.  After a lengthy stay in the Hospital, he was finally able to come home from LV.  After seeing Dan just after his return, I knew that he'd have a long road to work his way back.  Two weeks ago, Dan shot his best series since November finishing in 3rd Place... afterwards I complimented him on making it nearly all the way back.  I think we can now say, "He's Baaaack"!  To give an idea how BIG Dan shot... although we won't count it as a Record because of the conditions, Dan beat his Personal Best series by a whopping 117 pins!!  Dan asked that I share his 'Heartfelt' THANKS to all of the 9-Tap Tour Family, especially the many who reached out to him during his illness.  Dan used his STORM 'Crux Prime' & ROTO GRIP 'Idol Pearl', drilled by Robert Kelly at Secoma's Somoff Pro Shop, to earn an extra healthy payday of $2,097.00.  CONGRATS DAN for all you've accomplished this year!

Kenmore's 2nd Place finisher, Kannha Tong was a bowling beginner a little over a year ago.  He's worked very hard on building his game, even adopting a 2-handed style.  In the last 12 months, Kannha has improved his average by more than 25 pins.  Nearly shooting his first Perfect Game Saturday, was a great example of how far he's come.  His mind-blowing 1174 series, was obviously his Career Best by a mile and worth a hefty$939.00.  Kannha clearly likes Kenmore, having Won there last February. Brad Diemert had the lead after squad #3, leaving with one of those 'gonna be hard to beat' scores of 1139.  But, Brad was skeptical as to his Masterpiece holding up, especially since he got caught after having the lead at Kenmore last year, also ending up in 3rd Place.  This time it was worth$455.00 for his effort.  There were WAY TOO MANY huge scores and Personal Bests to name all the bowlers... so suffice it to say, THANKS to all who made Saturday such a GREAT competition!!!