Parker Bohn III grabs early lead at 2025 USBC Senior Masters

Parker Bohn III of Jackson, New Jersey, a USBC and PBA Hall of Famer, blistered the lanes at Sam's Town Bowling Center in Las Vegas on Tuesday, averaging 257 for his five-game block to finish the day atop the standings at the 2025 USBC Senior Masters.

QUALIFYING RESULTS - ROUND 1

LAS VEGAS – A field of 310 talented athletes hit the lanes at Sam’s Town Bowling Center in Las Vegas on Tuesday for the opening round of qualifying at the 2025 United States Bowling Congress Senior Masters.

After the final shots had been thrown, USBC and Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Famer Parker Bohn III of Jackson, New Jersey, found his name atop the leaderboard. The 61-year-old left-hander tamed the tournament’s 38-foot oil pattern better than anyone on Day 1, recording a five-game total of 1,285 (a 257 average) thanks to games of 259, 236, 267, 244 and 279.

Brian Dennis of Demorest, Georgia, who recorded the first perfect game of this year’s tournament when he rolled 12 strikes in a row during Game 2 of C Squad qualifying on Tuesday night, finished the day in second place overall with 1,257.

Ross Krumland of Henderson, Nevada (1,212), and Tom Adcock of Forsyth, Illinois, (1,141), also recorded perfect games on Tuesday. 

Nevertheless, the remaining spots in the opening-day top five went to Patrick Shipley of Indianapolis (1,227), and USBC Hall of Famers Steve Kloempken of Pleasant View, Utah (1,226), and John Janawicz of Winter Haven, Florida (1,220). Janawicz was the 2023 Senior Masters champion.

Defending champion Jon Rakoski of Estero, Florida, finished the first round tied for 140th place with 1,059. He will attempt to improve his position during the final two days of qualifying, but even if Rakoski qualifies outside of the top 63, he will still be seeded into the tournament’s match-play bracket as the No. 64 seed.

If Tuesday’s opening-round performance is any indication of things to come, then Bohn is likely to contend for the No. 1 seed.

Success during Masters competition is nothing new to the PBA legend as he has five top five USBC Masters finishes to his credit, including a title in 2001.

According to Bohn, the way he played the lanes on Tuesday was somewhat reminiscent of how he often attacked them back then.

“I moved back on the approach and threw it firm, which resorts back to the way I would’ve thrown it 10 or 20 years ago,” Bohn said. “When I did that, I could create the angle and create a little bit more hold. There’s hold and swing out there for everybody, but it allowed me to see the lane a bit better than most everyone else or at least better for me.”

Although he was pleased with his opening block, Bohn knows that it was only the beginning and that he’ll have to continue bowling well in the days to come.

“At the Masters, you have three five-game blocks of qualifying, and then the toughest part of the tournament is your matches, who you’re going to bowl and when,” Bohn said. “It’s nip and tuck all the way. You have to get out there and play each match for what it’s worth, but we’re still such a long way from there. I’m going to try to take things in stride and build upon what I did today so that I’m not the one who gets caught behind the 8-ball come match play.”

Bohn and his fellow competitors will bowl two more five-game qualifying blocks, one on Wednesday and the final one on Thursday. Then, the top 63 will join Rakoski in the tournament’s double-elimination bracket.

Bracket matches will be contested in a three-game total-pinfall format until the field is cut to the top five for the live stepladder finals, which will be contested Sunday, June 8, at 1 p.m. Eastern on BowlTV.

Since the stepladder will be broadcast on BowlTV, the top seed will have to be defeated twice in the tournament’s true double-elimination format. The winner of the 2025 USBC Senior Masters will take home a major championship on the PBA50 schedule and the first-place prize of $20,000.

For scores and information about the 2025 USBC Senior Masters, CLICK HERE.