Falling short in the final frame of the U.S. Open championship match started to look like a Troup family curse. Kyle just lost it last year to EJ Tackett, who made a double in the 10th for the win, while John Douglas "Guppy" Troup fell against Mark Roth in 1984, unable to make a crucial strike in the 10th.
However, a change has come. 'The Eagle' has now landed in the Troup household, as Kyle Troup emerged triumphant yesterday at the 2024 U.S. Open held at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis.
"It is redemption now. I wasn't worried about that all week, but if I got the green jacket and the eagle, I knew the emotions were going to flow," Kyle said after the championship match. "I'm a two-time major champion. I'm not just a one-hit wonder now in the majors."
Troup secured his victory in the most cinematic way possible.
As the No. 3 seed, Troup had to win thrice to claim his second career major and a $100,000 prize cheque. Winning three in a row is a challenging and rare feat in any stepladder finals, but accomplishing it in the 2024 U.S. Open stepladder finals, already dubbed as the best and most brutal showdown of this generation... well, is just another level of accomplishment.
Wearing all-green suit that matched to the U.S. Open green jacket, Kyle Troup defeated three "Eagle" holders - EJ Tackett, Jason Belmonte and Anthony Simonsen. All three of them has 24 major titles combined against Troup's one.
But it is bowlers that wins titles, not the count of past achievements.
In Stepladder Match 2, Troup had to step onto the lanes and face EJ Tackett, who emerged victorious against Bill O’Neill, the 2010 U.S. Open champion and winner of the season-opening major in Wichita, 212-209 in the opening match.
Just like in 2023 U.S. Open championship match, EJ Tackett had a chance to double for the win. Only this time Fortuna, the godess of chance, was on Troup's side. Tackett made the first strike, but the second attempt was not successful, allowing Troup to move on with a 212-200 victory.
The semifinal encounter between Troup and Jason Belmonte didn't unfold as tensely as anticipated by fans. Belmo, 15 major title holder, made 3 errors in the first 7 frames, desperately changing bowling balls in tries to find the right motion to the pocket. Unfortunately, success eluded him, and Troup secured a comfortable 229-157 victory over the Australian bowling sensation to be one game away from his first U.S. Open title.
Anthony Simonsen, who took the lead in Qualifying Round 3 and never looked back, was the only finalist to play the lanes differently. While the other four players played from deep inside, Simonsen continued his successful game plan of staying to the right. However, even though this strategy proved effective throughout the week, it stopped working when it mattered the most.
Simonsen made two crucial errors in the first two frames, allowing Troup to gain momentum and relieve tension from his shoulders by securing an early lead with a turkey. Simonsen tried his best to mount a comeback, but two more mistakes in the 8th and 9th frames dashed his hopes of capturing his sixth career major title - Kyle won the first U.S. Open title for Troup's family.
Total of 108 bowling players competed in this year's U.S. Open at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis.
Eight European bowling flag bearers were competing in the U.S. Open this year. Two of them successfully made it to the matchplay round, where Dominic Barret finished 7th, and Richard Teece - 22nd.
The total prize fund for the U.S. Open 2024 was $297,250.
