Monday, January 29th, will mark the first day of the highly anticipated U.S. Open 2024 at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis. A total of 108 participants, who got their invitations based on their on-lane performances during 2023, and 25 bowlers who have earned their spot through pre-tournament qualification, are poised to showcase their skills in this week-long tournament, which is frequently regarded as one of the most difficult competitions in the sport of bowling.
Before the field is narrowed down to the top 36 players for round-robin match play, participants at the U.S. Open will bowl 24 qualifying games over three days on three different oil patterns. The top 36 athletes will then engage in an additional eight-game block on the U.S. Open's fourth oil pattern. The cumulative 32-game total will decide the top 24 players who earn the opportunity to participate in round-robin match play. The five players advancing to the stepladder finals after match play will be determined by 56-game totals, which include 30 bonus pins for each win.
Eight European bowling flag bearers are competing in the U.S. Open this year - Richard Teece, Kim Bolleby, Stuart Williams, Tomas Käyhkö, Thomas Larsen, Christopher Sloan, Jesper Svensson, and Dominic Barrett, who is the sole participant among them who has experienced the sweet taste of victory in this tournament, having emerged as the champion in 2018.
The U.S. Open, which now features a 56-game marathon on difficult playing conditions (last year, U.S. Open featured 48-game total) to select the finalists and winner of the desired green jacket, making it even more difficult than it was before. In 2023, EJ Tackett defeated Kyle Troup 221-208 to win his first the U.S. Open and third major overall, earning him the career triple crown.
The total prize fund for the U.S. Open 2024 is $297,250.
Live broadcast can be found throughout qualifying and match play on BowlTV. Follow results of the U.S. Open 2023 here.
