EULESS, Texas - Team USA's Shannon Pluhowsky of Kettering, Ohio, took the second round lead Sunday at the 2011 Bowling's U.S. Women's Open, topping a field of 286 of the top amateur and professional bowlers in the world.

Pluhowsky has averaged 242 over two days of qualifying at AMF Euless Lanes. Her 16-game total of 3,872 included an eight-game total Sunday of 1,898. Defending champion Kelly Kulick of Union, N.J., is second with 3,820.

"I got off to a slow start today," said Pluhowsky, who won the 2006 United States Bowling Congress Queens. "Physically, I wasn't throwing the ball as well as I did yesterday, but I made the flip to the low end of the bowling center and things started to fall into place."

After starting the day a bit shaky with a 190 game, Pluhowsky turned it on down the stretch, closing with games of 277 and 269 to lead the field.

"The mindset is to get as many pins as I can every time I am out there," Pluhowsky said. "Qualifying really counts in this tournament because once you start match play with bonus pins, people start picking up ground quickly. So the more you get now, the better off you are later."

Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, N.Y., is in third place with 3,805, while April Ellis of Arlington, Texas, sits in fourth place at 3,794. Jacqui Reese of Bangor, Pa., rounds out the top five with 3,753.

All players will return for an additional eight games of qualifying on Monday. The field will then be cut to the top 32 for eight final qualifying games to determine the top 16 for round robin match play starting Tuesday night. The remaining five bowlers will move on to the finals at Cowboys Stadium on Thursday night.

The finals of the U.S. Women's Open will be broadcast on Saturday, July 2 at 6 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2. If a bowler throws a 300 game in the championship match, she will win $1 million. The champion will earn $50,000.

The 2011 U.S. Women's Open has already broken one record with 286 participants, which tops the previous record of 267 set in 2003. A total of 17 countries are represented in the field.

For more information Bowling's U.S. Women's Open, visit bowlingsuswomensopen.com.

2011 BOWLING'S U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN
At AMF Euless Lanes, Euless, Texas
Sunday's Results

QUALIFYING
(Top 10; 16 games)

1, Shannon Pluhowsky, Kettering, Ohio, 3,872.
2, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 3,820.
3, Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 3,805.
4, April Ellis, Arlington, Texas, 3,794.
5, Jacqui Reese, Bangor, Pa., 3,753.
6, Lynda Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 3,744.
7, Tennelle Milligan, Arlington, Texas, 3,740.
8, Lisanne Breeschoten, Netherlands, 3,723.
9, Anita Manns, Houston, 3,721.
10, Shannon O'Keefe, Arlington, Texas, 3,714.