INDIANAPOLIS (May 14, 2017) – Making a late-round surge, three-time PBA50 Tour winner Bob Learn Jr. of Boynton Beach, Fla., averaged 243.6 for eight games to take the first round lead in the PBA50 Miller Lite Players Championship at Woodland Bowl.

Learn bowled games of 248, 237, 214, 197, 289, 264, 235 and 265 for a 1,949 pinfall total to hold a six-pin lead over PBA Hall of Famer Parker Bohn III of Jackson, N.J., in second with 1,943.

Learn, who is also a five-time PBA Tour titlist, including the 1999 U.S. Open, found that changing the interchangeable sole on his slide shoe helped give him a more consistent delivery, resulting in better shot-making.

“Usually you go to a different ball for the changing lane conditions, but it was a variation in the approaches that I had to deal with today,” Learn said. “I used the same ball the whole round but used three different soles on my slide shoe.” 

Learn, who finished second in the Sun Bowl In The Villages and third in last week’s Johnny Petraglia BVL Open, is trying for his first win of the season and first PBA50 Tour major title.

“My confidence level is high right now,” Learn said. “I’m able to put the big strings of strikes together. I just need to make it happen in the title match.”

Bohn also had a bad fourth game of 184 after starting with 257, 236 and 235. He got back on track with games 257, 268, 300 and 206 to finish the round.

“That fourth game faked me out a little bit,” said Bohn, who is a 35-time PBA Tour and three-time PBA50 Tour titlist. “I changed balls after the third game to stay ahead of the lane condition but I didn’t make the right adjustments with where I was throwing it on the lane. I stuck with the same ball and finally made the right adjustments and everything came together after that.”

PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, Mo., finished the round in third with a 1,925 pinfall. The two-time reigning PBA50 Player of the Year has gotten off to a slow start this season with finishes of ninth, 16th and 21st.

PBA50 Tour newcomer Danny Clark of New Palestine, Ind., finished fourth with a 1,912 pinfall and Scott Greiner of Platte city, Mo. finished with 1,889 to round out the top five.

The 98-player field returns for another eight-game round of qualifying Monday which will determine the top 32 players who will advance to match play Tuesday morning. After Tuesday’s first match play round, the field will be cut to the top 16 players for the second match play round which will determine the top five for the stepladder finals at 7 p.m. EDT.

The PBA50 Miller Lite Players Championship is being covered live by PBA’s online bowling channel Xtra Frame. For subscription and schedule information visit www.xtraframe.tv.

PBA50 MILLER LITE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

Woodland Bowl, Indianapolis, Sunday

FIRST ROUND

(after 8 games)

1, Bob Learn Jr., Boynton Beach, Fla., 1,949.
2, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 1,943.
3, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 1,925.
4, Danny Clark, New Palestine, Ind., 1,912.
5, Scott Greiner, Platte City, Mo., 1,889.
6, Bryan Goebel, Shawnee, Kan., 1,874.
7, Michael Haugen Jr., Phoenix, 1,873.
8, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 1,855.
9, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 1,849.
10, ss-Tom Baker, King, N.C., 1,833.
11, Terry Rohrer, Ft. Wayne, Ind., 1,821.
12, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 1,819.
13, Mike Keough, Stockton, Calif., 1,800.
14, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 1,792.
15, Bo Goergen, Sanford, Mich., 1,785.
16, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla., 1,780.
17, Peter Knopp, Germany, 1,771.
18, Tim Shirlock, Las Vegas, 1,770.
19, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 1,767.
20, ss-John Dudak, Orland Park, Ill., 1,759.
21, Mark Sullivan, Indianapolis, 1,749.
22, ss-Gary Kammes, Winfield, Ill., 1,748.
23, ss-David Axon, Bellevue, Neb., 1,744.
24, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 1,735.
25, Sammy Ventura, Syracuse, N.Y., 1,727.
26, ss-Warren Nelson, Hemet, Calif., 1,722.
27, ss-Kenny Parks, Hammond, Ind., 1,720.
28, Brian Voss, Centennial, Colo., 1,719.
29, John Burkett, Southlake, Texas, 1,718.
30, ss-Dale Csuhta, Wadsworth, Ohio, 1,716.
31, James Hansen, Anchorage, Alaska, 1,715.
32, Todd Kjell, Roscoe, Ill., 1,702.
33, Andrew Frawley, Australia, 1,698.
34, Eddie Graham, Centerville, Ohio, 1,680.
35, Dave Han, Birmingham, Ala., 1,677.
36, Patrick Shipley, Spring Valley, Calif., 1,676.
37, (tie) ss-Ron Mohr, Las Vegas, Larry Verble, Mason, Mich., and ss-Dale Eagle, Twin Falls, Idaho, 1,675.
40, Troy Stus, South Lyon, Mich., 1,672.
41, ss-James Storts, Westfield, Ind., 1,671.
42, Don Breeden, Clive, Iowa, 1,670.
43, Brian LeClair, Delmar, N.Y., 1,669.
44, Paul LeMond, Jasper, Ind., 1,668.
45, ss-Ted Staikoff, Black Hawk, S.D., 1,665.
46, Stoney Baker, Canton, Ga., 1,662.
47, ss-Brian Miller, Springfield, Ohio, 1,661.
48, ss-Bill Nichols, Bella Vista, Ark., 1,659.
49, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 1,657.
50, Harry Sullins, Chesterfield Twp., Mich., 1,655.
51, Brian Cooper, Henderson, Nev., 1,653.
52, Al Danz Jr., Escanaba, Mich., 1,646.
53, (tie) Gary Schluchter, Femont, Ohio, and Mark Williams, Beaumont, Texas, 1,644.
55, (tie) Marty Berke, Allentown, Pa., and ss-Tom Carter, Columbus, Ohio, 1,637.
57, (tie) ss-Ron Profitt, Brookville, Ohio, and Conn Casey, Canada, 1,635.
59, Scott Merritt, Iowa City, Iowa, 1,625.
60, Mike Hastings, Millsboro, Del., 1,615.
61, ss-Michael Chrzanowski, Shepherd, Mich., 1,613.
62, (tie) Anthony Moses, Southfield, Mich., and Gary Faulkner, Norfolk, Va., 1,611.
64, Gary Alstott, Washington, Ill., 1,604.
65, ss-Sam Maccarone, Blackwood, N.J., 1,603.
66, (tie) Scott Weber, La Salle, Ill., and Brad Snell, Mount Prospect, Ill., 1,598.
68, Christopher Keane, Cape Coral, Fla., 1,594.
69, Patric Donaghue, Honeoye Falls, N.Y., 1,588.
70, ss-Michael Lucente, Warren, Mich., 1,587.
71, Tommy Martin, Olive Branch, Miss., 1,584.
72, Ernie Segura Jr., Taylor, Mich., 1,578.
73, Terry Metzner, Kentwood, Mich., 1,576.
74, ss-Bill McCorkle, Westerville, Ohio, 1,573.
75, ss-Tim Pierce, Portland, Ore., 1,569.
76, Tony Johnson, Canton, Ohio, 1,565.
77, Richie Brown, Marion, Ohio, 1,562.
78, ss-Dave Bernhardt, Romeo, Mich., 1,550.
79, Don Herrington, Ballston Lake, N.Y., 1,540.
80, Kevin Duncan, Mexico, Mo., 1,538.
81, Rick Zakrajsek, Lorain, Ohio, 1,536.
82, Rick Francis, Linden, Calif., 1,526.
83, Randy Leszczynski, Kronenwetter, Wis., 1,521.
84, Steve Kenyon, Dade City, Fla., 1,520.
85, Dale Traber, Cedarburg, Wis., 1,515.
86, ss-Emilio Mora Sr., Defiance, Ohio, 1,489.
87, (tie) ss-John Thullen, Whiteland, Ind., and Warren Burr, Wilmington, Del., 1,477.
89, ss-Galen Keas, Alda, Neb., 1,475.
90, ss-James Knoblauch, Waukesha, Wis., 1,472.
91, John Kidwell, Indianapolis, Ind., 1,461.
92, Charles Gadd, Lake Worth, Fla., 1,460.
93, Tony Gilbert, Indianapolis, 1,459.
94, Mark Nance Sr., Grove City, Ohio, 1,458.
95, Jay Davis Jr., Silver Spring, Md., 1,450.
96, ss-Steve Stein, Staten Island, N.Y., 1,422.
97, ss-James Hutchinson, Ludlow Falls, Ohio, 1,398.
98, ss-Allen Meskan, Addison, Ill., 1,350.

300 games – Parker Bohn III, Bo Goergen

n-non-member

ss-PBA60 player ages 60 and over