When six-time PBA Tour champion Chris Warren of Grants Pass, Ore., broke his right leg in December 2013, he wasn’t sure what the future would hold for his bowling career. But, after a fourth-place finish in the recent Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open and averaging 246 to take the first round lead in the PBA50 Northern California Classic presented by MOTIV, his rehabilitation seems to be on course.

Warren, who hadn’t bowled competitively in a Tour event until the Senior U.S. Open two weeks ago, bowled a 1,968 eight-game pinfall Monday at Harvest Park Bowl with games of 258, 225, 225, 279, 257, 208, 227 and 289 to hold 42-pin lead over one-time PBA Tour winner Bob Spaulding of McKinney, Texas, in second with 1,926.

“I’m taking it a day at a time,” said Warren, who broke his leg severely during a roller skating accident. “I had some luck today. My shot making was about 70 percent but my carry was about 90 percent so I feel fortunate to score as well as I did today.

“The first day of the tournament isn’t bad but we’ll have to see what happens after that,” said the 51-year-old Warren, who was planning to start his PBA50 Tour career a year ago. “The leg can get a little swollen after a while. After bowling 50 games to get to the finals in the (Senior) U.S. Open it was pretty sore.”

Rounding out the top five after Monday’s first round were last week’s PBA50 Fountain Valley Open winner Brian LeClair, Delmar, N.Y., 1,908; James Hansen, Anchorage, Alaska, 1,876, and Nick Morgan, Sacramento, Calif., 1,863.

Defending champion and Hall of Famer, Tom Baker of King, N.C., finished the first round in 18th with 1,782.

The 101-player field will return for another eight-game qualifying round Tuesday which will determine 34 players who will advance to match play on Wednesday. The top five after match play will advance to the stepladder finals scheduled for 6 p.m. PT.

Xtra Frame, PBA’s online bowling channel, is providing live coverage of the PBA50 Northern California Classic. For subscription information visit http://www.xtraframe.tv/pba/.

PBA50 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CLASSIC PRESENTED BY MOTIV

Harvest Park Bowl, Brentwood, Calif., Monday

First Round Standings (after 8 games)

1, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 1,968.
2, Bob Spaulding, Mckinney, Texas, 1,926.
3, Brian LeClair, Delmar, N.Y., 1,908.
4, James Hansen, Anchorage, Alaska, 1,876.
5, Nick Morgan, Sacramento, Calif., 1,863.
6, Dave Arnold, Elk Grove, Calif., 1,860.
7, ss-Bill Henson, Westerville, Ohio, 1,848.
8, (tie) Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, Todd Kjell, Roscoe, Ill., Joe Goldstein Sr., San Bruno, Calif., and
Brian Voss, Centennial, Colo., 1,838.
12, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 1,832.
13, Harry Sullins, Chesterfield Twp., Mich., 1,824.
14, Tony Majcher, Rolling Meadows, Ill., 1,815.
15, Robert Harvey, Boise, Idaho, 1,810.
16, Mike Dias, Lafayette, Colo., 1,787.
17, Bob Learn Jr., Erie, Pa., 1,783.
18, ss-Tom Baker, King, N.C., 1,782.
19, ss-Edward Silva, Manteca, Calif., 1,780.
20, John Burkett, Southlake, Texas, 1,779.
21, (tie) Ron Mohr, Las Vegas, and Warren Nelson, Middleburg, Fla., 1,767.
23, ss-a-Terry Leong, Las Vegas, 1,766.
24, Tom Carter, Columbus, Ohio, 1,762.
25, Mark McCreary, Livermore, Calif., 1,761.
26, ss-Ray Cobb, Highland, Calif., 1,752.
27, ss-Dan Sasaki, Richmond, Calif., 1,747.
28, Brian Cooper, Henderson, Nev., 1,742.
29, (tie) ss-Gerald Calvin, Thousand Oaks, Calif., and Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla., 1,741.
31, Doug Kempt, Arcadia, Calif., 1,736.
32, Darron Peters, Temecula, Calif., 1,733.
33, ss-Stan Winters, Simi Valley, Calif., 1,731.
34, Noel Vazquez, Sacramento, Calif., 1,730.
35, Craig Miller, Tracy, Calif., 1,725.
36, a-Al Bella, Pittsburg, Calif., 1,723.
37, ss-Don Blatchford, Santa Monica, Calif., 1,721.
38, Kevin Croucher, Grants Pass, Ore., 1,720.
39, ss-Ron Winger, Las Vegas, 1,718.
40, ss-a-Sam Carter, Ben Lomond, Calif., 1,717.
41, ss-Kerry Painter, Henderson, Nev., 1,709.
42, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 1,702.
43, Terry Metzner, Kentwood, Mich., 1,698.
44, Brian Tinsley, Medford, Ore., 1,697.
45, ss-Lew Elting, Carlsbad, Calif., 1,696.
46, ss-Dale Eagle, Laguna Niguel, Calif., 1,688.
47, ss-Fred Cole, Visalia, Calif., 1,687.
48, (tie) a-John Dorsett, Concord, Calif., and Junior Self, Martinez, Calif., 1,685.
50, Pat Nolan, Japan, 1,680.
51, Rodney Garrick, San Francisco, 1,678.
52, Rory Peterson, Sacramento, Calif., 1,676.
53, Scott Hansel, Stockton, Calif., 1,670.
54, Christopher Keane, Cape Coral, Fla., 1,666.
55, Rob Rice, Sunnyside, Wash., 1,664.
56, (tie) ss-Galen Keas, Alda, Neb., and ss-Frank Gallo Jr., Jacksonville, Fla., 1,659.
58, ss-Bill McCorkle, Westerville, Ohio, 1,656.
59, ss-Thomas Ream, Tampa, Fla., 1,654.
60, Dave Dayton, Reno, Nev., 1,652.
61, ss-a-Paul Herrera, San Jose, Calif., 1,648.
62, Glenn Morgan, Carson City, Nev., 1,646.
63, ss-John Petraglia, Jackson, N.J., 1,645.
64, a-Larry Dyson, Stockton, Calif., 1,644.
65, Joe Beck, Montgomery, Ala., 1,636.
66, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 1,634.
67, Eric Forkel, Henderson, Nev., 1,627.
68, (tie) ss-a-Dennis Jones, Fremont, Calif., and ss-Steve Stein, Staten Island, N.Y., 1,614.
70, (tie) Mike Watson, Grass Valley, Calif., and Dave Bolles, Stockton, Calif., 1,612.
72, ss-Jim Gordin, Modesto, Calif., 1,605.
73, ss-Bill Nichols, Roseville, Calif., 1,597.
74, ss-Michael Henry, Brunswick, Ohio, 1,594.
75, ss-Ted Staikoff, Black Hawk, S.D., 1,574.
76, (tie) Joseph Jimenez, Rowland Heights, Calif., and a-Steve Adams, Grass Valley, Calif., 1,563.
78, Dick Baker, Henderson, Nev., 1,558.
79, Duane Wilson, Brentwood, Calif., 1,557.
80, Mike Hastings, Millsboro, Del., 1,546.
81, ss-a-David Chew, Brentwood, Calif., 1,544.
82, (tie) Brian Miller, Springfield, Ohio, and a-Scott DeSelms Sr., Castro Valley, Calif., 1,539.
84, Eddie Katz, Lakewood, Calif., 1,528.
85, Kevin Foley, Reno, Nev., 1,527.
86, ss-Paul McCordic, Sugar Land, Texas, 1,513.
87, Keith Pridgeon, Antioch, Calif., 1,503.
88, Rich Kleinman, Reno, Nev., 1,499.
89, John Austin, Friendswood, Texas, 1,497.
90, Timothy Bell, Sacramento, Calif., 1,495.
91, ss-Don Lane, San Francisco, 1,494.
92, ss-Tim Pierce, Portland, Ore., 1,490.
93, ss-a-Phillip Spruill, San Francisco, 1,481.
94, Larry Galloway, Lakewood, Calif., 1,474.
95, ss-Mike Saraiva, Napa, Calif., 1,470.
96, ss-Chuck Best, Buda, Texas, 1,467.
97, (tie) ss-Glen Nakagawa, Highland Village, Texas, and ss-Dave Schultz, West Bend, Wis., 1,457.
99, a-Kenneth Daily, Danville, Calif., 1,410.
100, a-Christopher Sargent, Crockett, Calif., 1,368.
101, Lauri Karppala Jr., Folsom, Calif., 1,248.

ss-denotes PBA60 players ages 60 and over