09/08/2026
Congratulations to Bennett Burkhardt from St. Louis on an outstanding performance at the 2026 USBC Junior Gold Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Bennett started the week competing in the U14 Boys Division, with more than 385 bowlers taking their shot at making it through a tough four days of qualifying. When qualifying was finished, Bennett had put together a solid performance, finishing 39th with a total pinfall of 2,948, which gave him a 184.2 average.
But Bennett wasn’t done yet.
The field was cut to 55 bowlers for the Advancers Round, and Bennett came out ready to make a move. After five more games, he had climbed all the way up to 29th place, earning his spot in the Final Advancers Round with the top 36 bowlers.
Once again, Bennett went back to work.
Over the next five games, he continued to fight his way up the standings, moving into 20th place with a total pinfall of 4,959. And just when he needed it most, Bennett finished with a pair of big games, rolling a 258 followed by a 264.
He finished the Advancers Round averaging 190.7 and had put himself within striking distance of the match-play cut.
Unfortunately, the top 16 bowlers advanced, and Bennett came up just 22 pins short of making match play.
While the final result may not have been what Bennett was hoping for, there is a lot to be proud of. He kept moving up the standings, finished the tournament strong, and most importantly, never gave up.
Bennett bowled a fantastic tournament and represented himself and Missouri bowling extremely well.
🎳 Congratulations again, Bennett, on an outstanding Junior Gold performance! We can’t wait to see where your bowling takes you next.
