Weber leads after first day of 2015 USBC Senior Masters
July 28, 2015
Round 1 standings
GREEN BAY, Wis. - Pete Weber of St. Ann, Missouri, returned to The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley in Green Bay, Wisconsin, both comfortable and confident after his last visit to the 60-lane center, and he set the pace through the first day of qualifying Tuesday at the 2015 United States Bowling Congress Senior Masters.
The 52-year-old right-hander averaged more than 236 on the way to a 1,183 five-game total, 27 pins better than Ron Mohr of North Las Vegas, Nevada, who finished the opening round with a 1,156 total.
Mike Edwards of Tulsa, Oklahoma, the 2012 USBC Senior Masters winner, is third with 1,149, Mark Williams of Beaumont, Texas, is fourth with 1,136 and five-time Professional Bowlers Association titlist Marc McDowell of nearby Madison, Wisconsin, rounds out the top five with 1,134.
"I had an idea how the lanes were going to play, so I knew what kind of bowling balls and layouts I wanted to bring in," said Weber, who led qualifying and finished third at the 2015 USBC Masters, held at The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley in February. "I don't plan on changing anything tomorrow, unless I need to. As long as I feel like I'm throwing the ball well, I won't have to worry about that. I just plan to keep doing what I'm doing."
Weber, who won the Senior Masters in 2013, knows the unique format essentially separates the tournament into two different events - qualifying and the double-elimination match-play bracket.
After 15 games of qualifying over three days, the top 63 bowlers will join defending champion Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Oxford, Florida, in the bracket. Since all pinfall is dropped after qualifying, just getting there is the first goal for most competitors.
"Naturally, you want be the leader, but the main goal is to make the top 63," said Weber, who has 37 PBA Tour titles and four PBA50 wins. "Then, it's about winning matches and staying in the winners bracket."
Qualifying at the 2015 Senior Masters continues Wednesday with squads at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern. All rounds of qualifying and match play will be broadcast live on BowlTV, concluding with the stepladder finals Aug. 2 at noon Eastern.
This week's event includes 194 USBC members age 50 and older and is the first of three USBC tournaments that will take place in Green Bay in the coming weeks. Senior Masters bowlers are competing for a $16,000 top prize.
Williams finished the first day in a tie for 46th place with a 1,032 total. Should he not make the top 63, he still is guaranteed the No. 64 spot in match play. He is looking to become the first player since Tom Baker of King, North Carolina, in 2007, to win the Senior Masters in consecutive years.
Williams, a USBC and PBA Hall of Famer finished tied for 78th at the Masters in February.
The Senior Masters will be followed by the International Training and Research Center Super Senior Classic, the premier event for USBC members age 60 and older, and the USBC Senior Championships, which will bring bowlers from across the United States and Canada.
All qualifying and match-play rounds at the Super Senior Classic also will be broadcast live on BowlTV.
GREEN BAY, Wis. - Pete Weber of St. Ann, Missouri, returned to The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley in Green Bay, Wisconsin, both comfortable and confident after his last visit to the 60-lane center, and he set the pace through the first day of qualifying Tuesday at the 2015 United States Bowling Congress Senior Masters.
The 52-year-old right-hander averaged more than 236 on the way to a 1,183 five-game total, 27 pins better than Ron Mohr of North Las Vegas, Nevada, who finished the opening round with a 1,156 total.
Mike Edwards of Tulsa, Oklahoma, the 2012 USBC Senior Masters winner, is third with 1,149, Mark Williams of Beaumont, Texas, is fourth with 1,136 and five-time Professional Bowlers Association titlist Marc McDowell of nearby Madison, Wisconsin, rounds out the top five with 1,134.
"I had an idea how the lanes were going to play, so I knew what kind of bowling balls and layouts I wanted to bring in," said Weber, who led qualifying and finished third at the 2015 USBC Masters, held at The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley in February. "I don't plan on changing anything tomorrow, unless I need to. As long as I feel like I'm throwing the ball well, I won't have to worry about that. I just plan to keep doing what I'm doing."
Weber, who won the Senior Masters in 2013, knows the unique format essentially separates the tournament into two different events - qualifying and the double-elimination match-play bracket.
After 15 games of qualifying over three days, the top 63 bowlers will join defending champion Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Oxford, Florida, in the bracket. Since all pinfall is dropped after qualifying, just getting there is the first goal for most competitors.
"Naturally, you want be the leader, but the main goal is to make the top 63," said Weber, who has 37 PBA Tour titles and four PBA50 wins. "Then, it's about winning matches and staying in the winners bracket."
Qualifying at the 2015 Senior Masters continues Wednesday with squads at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern. All rounds of qualifying and match play will be broadcast live on BowlTV, concluding with the stepladder finals Aug. 2 at noon Eastern.
This week's event includes 194 USBC members age 50 and older and is the first of three USBC tournaments that will take place in Green Bay in the coming weeks. Senior Masters bowlers are competing for a $16,000 top prize.
Williams finished the first day in a tie for 46th place with a 1,032 total. Should he not make the top 63, he still is guaranteed the No. 64 spot in match play. He is looking to become the first player since Tom Baker of King, North Carolina, in 2007, to win the Senior Masters in consecutive years.
Williams, a USBC and PBA Hall of Famer finished tied for 78th at the Masters in February.
The Senior Masters will be followed by the International Training and Research Center Super Senior Classic, the premier event for USBC members age 60 and older, and the USBC Senior Championships, which will bring bowlers from across the United States and Canada.
All qualifying and match-play rounds at the Super Senior Classic also will be broadcast live on BowlTV.