AUGUSTA, Ga. — A Richmond County-based bowling team earned first overall in the 2021 Augusta Men’s Turtles Tournament.
The Lucky 7s team, made up of Michael Auten, David Farmer, Joseph Grant and Greg Henson, bested the field of 400 teams to take the top spot.
Collecting 2,864 points, Lucky 7s edged Strike Juice (Watkinsville, Ga.) by 27 points to take the $4K top prize.
Teams from all over the country, including from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Maryland and Texas, all competed in the 40th annual tournament.
Auten, Farmer, Grant and Henson are all from Richmond County and bowled during the tournament on Sept. 18 and 19. The Turtles Tournament was held over a nine-week span, starting in early August.
Grant said the Lucky 7s found out last Tuesday that they had won the event after checking the tournament’s website.
“It was a good weekend for the whole team,” Grant said. “Bowling with these guys is always a good time. We’re like family, we get along well and we’re always competitive.
“We didn’t go into the tournament expecting to win, but after we bowled really well on Saturday in doubles and singles, we thought the shot was good enough on Sunday.”
The four Richmond County bowlers bring decades of experience and have been a team for two years, competing in tournaments all across the United States. In May, the team played in the USBC Open Championships in Las Vegas.
The final score of 2,864 was the combined total of all four bowlers’ scores from their three games in the team competition, Grant explained. Auten was the team’s leader in the event, bowling a 715 in those three games.
Henson and Farmer placed 29th overall in the doubles competition with a score of 1,386. Auten was also 56th in the individual standings (2.074 points).
Grant finished 32nd in the total standings, which spanned nine games, collecting a score of 2,109. He also was the 49th best singles bowler, rolling a 720.
“It was good for us to win, especially coming from a small county,” Grant said. “Competing in a tournament with 400 teams, we never thought we’d top the whole field.
“It was a great weekend and we got lucky enough to win. The whole team had a lot of fun, and the $4K payout was nice, too.”
Up next for the Lucky 7s is the USBC North Carolina state tournament, which will see the team compete Nov. 13-14 in Jacksonville.
