Greenville Leader

The world’s largest bowling event is coming to Greenville, bringing significant economic benefits.

The Greenville Convention Center will host the 124th U.S. Bowling Congress (USBC) Open Championships from March to July 2028. The event, the largest participatory bowling event globally, will attract 55,000 bowlers and create 80 to 100 new jobs at the convention center.

The tournament is expected to have an economic impact of more than $70 million, requiring an estimated 60,000 room nights at area hotels and lodging establishments. It will be the single largest event Greenville has ever hosted.

“This is a huge win for our community,” Heath Miller said. “With today’s announcement we are excited to get to work with our local hospitality businesses to ensure that the bowlers and guests arrive in Greenville and it’s the best bowling championship they’ve ever experienced.”

“I’m a believer in sharing our city,” City Councilor Dorothy Dowe said. “We are a city with a lot of pride. When we’re attracting people from around the globe to come see Greenville, South Carolina and the special place that it is, I am honored to be able to show that.”

To accommodate the USBC Open Championships, Hall B of the Greenville Convention Center will transform into a bowling alley featuring 60 lanes and multiple pieces of equipment. The event will host 400 bowlers playing 20 hours per day for more than 150 days. Following the tournament, wood and electrical materials from the lanes will be donated to Habitat for Humanity and used to construct three new homes.

“We’re going to be focusing on making sure that everybody who comes through the convention center on these long days and many months gets a unique experience,” Matt Hollander, General Manager of the Greenville Convention Center, said. “We will create an experience that’s uniquely Greenville but that fits with the needs of the bowlers.”

For comparison, up until now, the largest event hosted in Greenville has been the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament. In 2024, this event had an estimated economic impact of $16 million over five days. The USBC Open Championships are expected to bring in more than four times that amount over five months.

The USBC Championships are regularly hosted in Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada. Other recent host cities include El Paso, Texas (2015), Syracuse, New York (2018), and Baton Rouge, Louisiana (2025). Reno and Las Vegas will host championships in 2026 and 2027 respectively before coming to Greenville in 2028.

“It really is special when you see folks that really go the extra mile,” USBC Executive Director Chad Murphy said. “And this market really has done that. I want to thank Heath , Matt and all local leaders who really got behind this project from the get-go.”

Partners presenting the 2028 Open Championship include VisitGreenvilleSC, City of Greenville, Greenville County, South Carolina Department of Parks Recreation and Tourism, Greenville Convention Center, and USBC.