“I like every tournament I bowl in, but, in this one, I feel like I can’t miss,” Gohagan said. “I just love this tournament. It treats me well.”
Gohagan led the field from the opening round of qualifying. He tallied two 300 games and three 800 series, with an 824 high series, maintaining his lead after both cuts and securing the top seed heading into the stepladder finals.
“That can be both a gift and a curse,” he said. “It’s nice to be the top seed, but you can lose a lot of the momentum.”
While Gohagan played spectator, Jordan Hornes, the fifth seed, rattled off some big games — 298, 279 and 259 — to advance to the championship match.
“He’s got the momentum, he’s been on the lanes while I sit,” Gohagan said. “I’m not 21 anymore, but I’d been throwing it good and I still felt like I could win.”
Gohagan, despite the lengthy break, wrestled away the momentum from Hornes with a 254-237 win to claim the title. The win was especially meaningful as his parents were able to make the trip from Dayton to cheer him on.
“I want to do well at this one because it’s one of the few tournaments they can come to,” he said. “And I really wanted this win for my dad. It was beyond amazing.”
There is no doubt that the Rhodman is Gohagan’s favorite tournament and Super Bowl Lanes his favorite bowling center.
“I only bowl here once a year, but it always feels like home,” he said with a smile.
Gohagan hopes to continue his winning ways.
“This definitely gives me confidence,” he said. “I normally start bowling good this time of year and hope it’s the same this year.”
Scholarship deadline: The Greater Dayton United States Bowling Congress is accepting applications for the Kurt Gostel Scholarship. Applicants must be high school seniors currently participating in a certified league at a GDUSBC center. The deadline is April 15 and applications are available at www.daytonbowler.com.
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