Curtis Messer Sr. had quite a bowling day at the Kitsap Scratch Bowling Organization’s Westbay Auto Open held at Hi-Joy Bowl in Port Orchard. Messer not only won the tournament, but set a qualifying record in doing so.

Messer opened the five-game qualifying set by knocking down 246 pins, 270 and 287 for 812 series, and that was just the 28th 800-plus three-game series in the 45-year history of the KSBO.

But he wasn’t done. Messer then rolled a 236 and finished off the five-game set with a perfect game of 300, which was the 145th 300 ever rolled in KSBO history. And his five-game total of 1348 broke the record of 1307 that was held by Lonnie Sharkey.

Sharkey finished second to Messer in qualifying, but was rubbed out in the semifinals by Mike VanWinkle 239-226. Messer then topped off his fantastic day of bowling by defeating VanWinkle in the title match, 237-203, for his third KSBO championship.

It was a day for winners to lead from start to finish as Kurt Strep won the Tom Myers Sr. Memorial 205-and-Under-Division by going wire-to-wire. He bowled games of 211, 232, 203, 222, 223 to lead after qualifying, and then added semifinal games of 201,234, 226 to lead going into the TV finals.

Strep, who averaged 218 for the day, beat Bill VanGordon 209-206 in the final match to earn his first KSBO title.

The Tom Myers Sr. Inspirational award was presented to Mike VanWinkle at the start of the day. VanWinkle has bowled in 123 consecutive KSBO tournaments, starting in 2008. Since he started bowling KSBO in 1996, VanWinkle has missed just 20 tournaments.

Next up for KSBO is the All Star Lanes/ Tony’s Restaurant Swiss Trios March 10-11 at All Star Lanes in Silverdale.