Per an email we got from the USBC Open Championships, it looks like for the 2019 Open tournament, entering averages will now be based on your actual unadjusted Open Championship average if you have previously bowled at least 27 games in the tournament.  The Divisions will now be based on UNADJUSTED championships averages, not adjusted averages as in 2017 and 2018.  If the bowler does not have a Championships Average (27 games), then the bowler’s highest average in the last three seasons, converted to a Sport average, will be used.

Seems like this purpose might be aimed at keeping potential sandbagging entries down.  While it doesn't really affect me (my scores still suck there, lol), it seems like a good thing.  Thoughts?

"Seems like this purpose might be aimed at keeping potential sandbagging entries down.  While it doesn't really affect me (my scores still suck there, lol), it seems like a good thing.  Thoughts?"

USBC already has a tool to keep sandbagging down at the Open, it's called RE-RATING. They just need to use it more.

This is just my opinion, but from watching the changes to the rules for Professionals the last couple of tournaments, the new average basis is designed to get more "fish" into the deep end of the pool with the "sharks".

The upper/top division now starts at 176 for bowlers with 27 games bowled at the Open. Look at the conversion chart and where does the 176 average land? 204 on a standard house shot. 2016 and 2017 used a 210 standard house average for this top division, so they added more chum to the waters for their professional bowlers to take. Otherwise, they would have used the 181, which is the 210 standard house average conversion according to their chart.

It seems that these past few years, USBC has been driving itself more and more toward supporting these upper echelon bowlers.

In my opinion, to make the Open Championships fair, the percentages should be 20 percent regular, 40 percent standard and 40 percent classified.

Only 20 percent have a chance at a true eagle anyway.