COLUMBUS, Ohio (Feb. 9, 2017) –  Three-time Professional Bowlers Association Player of the Year Jason Belmonte of Australia averaged 235.6 Thursday to retain his lead after the third round of the Barbasol PBA Players Championship leading a field of 24 players who advanced to Friday’s fourth round.

Belmonte, who is trying to end a two-year drought without a Tour win, bowled games of 263, 244, 237, 193, 248, 201, 234 and 265 at Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl to bring his combined three-round 24-game pinfall total to 5,624 (234.3) average.

“I’m bowling well but at this point in the tournament I’m not concerned with the score,” the 12-time Tour winner said. “I have a strategy to do what I want to do and let the scores fall where they may.

“I just need to keep the foot down and get as many pins as possible. I look at the guys who are around me in the standings as giving me that extra mental push to help me do that.”

Belmonte, the 2011 Players Championship winner, is trying for his seventh major title. He won a record three consecutive USBC Masters (2013, 2014 and 2015) and won back-to-back PBA Tournament of Champions titles in 2014 and 2015. His 2015 Tournament of Champions victory was his last Tour title.

Belmonte holds a 104-pin lead over two-time Tour winner D.J. Archer of Friendswood, Texas, in second who finished with a 5,520 pinfall followed by two-time Tour winner Jakob Butturff of Tempe, Ariz., in third with 5,487.

Anthony Simonsen of Austin, Texas rocketed to fourth after the third round with a 5,453 pinfall after starting the tournament in 72nd after the first round. Simonsen, who bowled a 300 game in the round, became the youngest player to win a PBA major when he won the 2016 USBC Masters at age 19.

PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, Mo., who battled through pain caused by arthritis in his back in the GEICO PBA World Series of Bowling VIII in December but still managed to finish sixth in the PBA World Championship, finished the day in 12th with a 5,373 pinfall.

The 37-time PBA Tour winner is trying for a record 11th major title. He is currently tied with the late Hall of Famer Earl Anthony with 10 majors.

Defending champion Graham Fach of Canada advanced to the fourth round by finishing 14th with a 5,328 pinfall.

The top 24 players will bowl an eight-game round Friday morning that will determine the top 16 players who will advance to the final eight-game round Friday afternoon. After Friday’s final round, the top five players will advance to the live stepladder finals Sunday on ESPN at 1 p.m. ET.

All qualifying rounds are covered live on PBA’s Xtra Frame online video streaming service. For subscription information, visit pba.com and click on the Xtra Frame link.

BARBASOL PBA PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl, Columbus, Ohio, Thursday

Third Round Standings (after 24 games. Top 24 advanced to Friday’s fourth round)

1, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 5,624.
2, D.J. Archer, Friendswood, Texas, 5,520.
3, Jakob Butturff, Tempe, Ariz., 5,487.
4, Anthony Simonsen, Austin, Texas, 5,453.
5, A.J. Chapman, Wichita, Kan., 5,435.
6, Martin Larsen, Sweden, 5,409.
7, Jeff Evans, Supply, N.C., 5,398.
8, Andrew Anderson, Holly, Mich., 5,383.
9, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 5,378.
10, Tom Daugherty, Riverview, Fla., 5,377.
11, Connor Pickford, Charlotte, N.C., 5,375.
12, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 5,373.
13, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 5,334.
14, Graham Fach, Canada, 5,328.
15, Shawn Maldonado, Houston, 5,304.
16, Patrick Dombrowski, Parma, Ohio, 5,303.
17, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 5,291.
18, Cameron Weier, Tacoma, Wash., 5,289.
19, Jesse Buss, Belvidere, Ill., 5,288.
20, (tie) Francois Lavoie, Canada, and Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 5,286.
22, Marshall Kent, Yakima, Wash., 5,284.
23, Jason Sterner, Rockledge, Fla., 5,271.
24, Anthony Lavery-Spahr, Pasadena, Texas, 5,265.

Did not advance:
25, (tie) Darren Tang, San Francisco, 5,259, and Brad Miller, Maryland Heights, Mo., 5,259, $1,725.
27, Richie Teece, England, 5,255, $1,650.
28, John Szczerbinski, N. Tonawanda, N.Y., 5,241, $1,600.
29, J.R. Raymond, Bay City, Mich., 5,239.
30, Shota Kawazoe, Japan, 5,233.
31, Zacharary Wilkins, Canada, 5,228.
32, A.J. Johnson, Oswego, Ill., 5,224.
33, (tie) Mitch Beasley, Clarksville, Tenn., and Devin Bidwell, Wichita, Kan., 5,221.
35, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 5,220.
36, Rhino Page, Orlando, Fla., 5,217.
37, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 5,209.
38, Cristian Azcona, Lake Wales, Fla., 5,198.
39, Ronnie Sparks Jr., Redford, Mich., 5,195.
40, Patrick Allen, Elmwood Park, N.J., 5,186.
41, Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., 5,183.
42, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 5,182.
43, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 5,167.
44, Tim Foy Jr., Seaford, Del., 5,166.
45, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla., 5,163.
46, (tie) Thomas Larsen, Denmark, and Kyle Bigelow, Troy, Ohio, 5,161.
48, Dom Barrett, England, 5,159.
49, (tie) Kristopher Prather, Milton, Fla., Sam Cooley, Australia and Josh Conner, Columbus, Ohio, 5,150.
52, Aaron Lorincz, Belleville, Mich., 5,147.
53, B.J. Moore III, Greensburg, Pa., 5,146.
54, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 5,145.
55, Stuart Williams, England, 5,121.
56, Dave Wodka, Beavercreek, Ohio, 5,120.
57, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 5,116.
58, E.J. Tackett, Huntington, Ind., 5,107.
59, Joe Bailey, Wooster, Ohio, 5,103.
60, Matthew Sanders, Evansville, Ind., 5,102.
61, Brandon Novak, Chillicothe, Ohio, 5,098.
62, (tie) Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, and Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y., 5,095.
64, Francois Louw, South Africa, 5,084.
65, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 5,063.
66, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 5,061.
67, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 5,048.
68, Daniel Fransson, Sweden, 5,046.
69, David Krol, Nixa, Mo., 5,041.
70, Matthew O'Grady, Rahway, N.J., 5,025.
71, Kim Bolleby, Thailand, 5,018.
72, Wayne Webb, Columbus, Ohio, 5,004.
73, Greg Ostrander, Freehold, N.J., 5,001.
74, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 4,991.
75, Chris Polizzi, Spring Hill, Fla., 4,988.
76, John Furey, Freehold, N.J., 4,983.
77, Jon Van Hees, Charlestown, R.I., 4,957.
78, Anthony Pepe, Elmhurst, N.Y., 4,955.
79, Zeke Bayt, Westerville, Ohio, 4,951.
80, Jake Peters, Henderson, Nev., 4,942.
81, Andrew Cain, Phoenix, 4,940.
82, Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa., 4,927.
83, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 4,925.
84, Kristian Rogers, Salisbury, N.C., 4,892.
85, Andrew Graff, Las Vegas, 4,891.
86, Jesper Svensson, Sweden, 4,880.
87, Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 4,864.
88, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 4,859.
89, Matthew Rubright, Pittsburgh, Pa., 4,853.
90, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 4,851.
91, Shannon Pluhowsky, Dayton, Ohio, 4,838.
92, Kyle Mayberry, Mt. Vernon, Ohio, 4,837.
93, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 4,821.
94, Jason Lundquist, Columbus, Ohio, 4,806.
95, Gary Faulkner Jr., Memphis, Tenn., 4,800.
96, Kelly Jordon, Marion, Ohio, 4,787.
97, Daniel Hochstein, Farmington Hills, Mich., 4,742.
98, Dwight Adams, Greensboro, N.C., 4,737.
99, Carleton Chambers, Detroit, 4,719.
100, Brian Robinson, Morgantown, W.Va., 4,717.
101, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 4,697.
102, Rocio Restrepo, Colombia, 4,695.
103, Joshua Weiner, Hilliard, Ohio, 4,691.
104, John Dudak, Orland Park, Ill., 4,678.
105, Tristan Butler, Fort Wayne, Ind., 4,621.
106, Anggie Ramirez, Colombia, 4,618.
107, Christopher Barger, Dry Ridge, Ky., 4,592.
108, Jeremiah Bryant, Taylor, Mich., 4,558.
109, Zachery Tackett, Huntington, Ind.,, 4,551.
110, Matthew Wozney, Clayton, Del., 4,499.
111, Warren Burr, Wilmington, Del., 4,447.
112, David Adcox Jr., Shawnee, Kan., 4,363.
113, Chad Cygnarowicz, Robinson Township, Pa., 4,136.

300 games (4) – Martin Larsen, Sam Cooley, Anthony Simonsen, Aaron Lorincz