WALTER RAY WILLIAMS JR. WINS PBA50 TITLE

Walter Ray Williams Jr. Wins Pasco County Florida Open

For 10th PBA50 Tour Title

PBA’s all-time Tour titles leader tops all-Hall of Fame stepladder final

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. – In an all-PBA Hall of Fame stepladder final that included five all-time greats with a combined 171 PBA Tour titles, Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Oxford, Fla., won two matches to claim the PBA50 Pasco County Florida Open title Tuesday at Lane Glo Bowl for his 10th PBA50 Tour win.

Williams, the PBA Tour’s all-time titles leader with 47 wins defeated 38-time Tour and two-time PBA50 Tour winner Norm Duke of Clermont, Fla., 245-225, in the title match and in the process handed Duke his third consecutive championship match defeat in the Pasco County Open.

“It feels good to be back in the winner’s circle,” said Williams, whose last PBA50 Tour win came in the Treasure Island Resort & Casino Open in August of 2014. “Bowling with these guys tonight I had to feel blessed that I was able to bowl in an era with such great players.”

In the title match, Williams held a 21-pin lead over Duke in the sixth frame and then struck on the next four shots to seal the win.

“I really didn’t have a good read on the lanes,” said Williams. “I thought the lanes would be a lot tighter and they were hooking a lot more than I thought. Fortunately, I was able to adjust by steadily moving inside, finding a good hook spot, and catching some timely breaks.”

In the semifinal match, Williams ended Parker Bohn III’s bid to repeat as champion of the tournament by beating the 35-time Tour and three-time PBA50 Tour winner, 258-223.

The win in the first tournament of the season was especially satisfying for Williams after a slow start finishing 59th at the end of the first day of qualifying.

“Again, I just wasn’t reading the lanes well and was using the wrong equipment,” Williams said.  “I think I averaged about 211 for my first 11 games and once I got things figured out I think I averaged about 250 the rest of the way.”

In the second stepladder match, Bohn defeated 37-time PBA Tour, four-time PBA50 Tour winner and reigning PBA50 Player of the Year Pete Weber, 257-224, to advance to the semifinal match against Williams.

In the opening match, Weber beat Johnny Petraglia, a winner of 14 PBA Tour and eight PBA50 Tour titles, 225-193. At age 69, Petraglia was hoping to become the oldest player to win a PBA50 Tour title. The record is held by the late James Brenner at 66 years and 358 days.

The Pasco County Florida Open is presented by the Pasco County Tourist Development Council and sponsored by the Law Office of Lucas Magazine.

The PBA50 Tour heads to The Villages, Fla., for the second stop of the 2016 season where Spanish Springs Lanes will host the UnitedHealthcare Sun Bowl In The Villages presented by Radical April 23-26.

Fans can catch all the action on PBA’s online bowling channel Xtra Frame. Subscription and schedule information is available by clicking on the Xtra Frame logo on pba.com.                      

PBA50 PASCO COUNTY FLORIDA OPEN

Lane Glo Bowl, New Port Richey, Fla., Tuesday

Final Standings

1, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla., $7,500.

2, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., $4,000.

3, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., $3,000.

4, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., $2,500.

5, Johnny Petraglia, Jackson, N.J., $2,000.

Stepladder Results

Match One – Weber def. Petraglia, 225-193.

Match Two – Bohn def. Weber, 257-224.

Semifinal Match – Williams def. Bohn, 258-223.

Championship – Williams def. Duke, 245-225.

Modified Match Play Round 2 (after six games, including match play bonus pins. Top five advanced to stepladder finals)

1, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 5-1, 1,691.
2, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla., 4-1-1, 1,600.
3, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 5-1, 1,591.
4, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 3-3, 1,553.
5, John Petraglia, Jackson, N.J., 3-3, 1,548.
6, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 3-3, 1,533, $1,700.
7, Stoney Baker, Canton, Ga., 4-2, 1,527, $1,700.
8, Brian Voss, Centennial, Colo., 3-3, 1,489, $1,700.
9, John Donovan, Melbourne, Fla., 3-3, 1,466, $1,400.
10, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 4-2, 1,456, $1,400.
11, Mike Dias, Lafayette, Colo., 2-4, 1,414, $1,400.
12, Brian LeClair, Delmar, N.Y., 2-4, 1,402, $1,400.
13, John Dougherty III, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., 1-4-1, 1,397, $1,400.
14, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 3-3, 1,390, $1,400.
15, Thomas Ream, Tampa, Fla., 2-4, 1,299, $1,400.
16, Craig Auerbach, Sunrise, Fla., 0-6, 1,142, $1,400.

Modified Match Play Round 1 (after five games, including match play bonus pins)

17, Sam Maccarone, Blackwood, N.J., 3-2, 1,245, $1,250.
18, Warren Nelson, Hemet, Calif., 2-3, 1,215, $1,250.
19, Jerry Brunette Jr., Rochester, N.Y., 4-1, 1,202, $1,250.
20, Brian Cooper, Henderson, Nev., 3-2, 1,199, $1,250.
21, Bryan Goebel, Shawnee, Kan., 3-2, 1,194, $1,200.
22, Kevin Croucher, Grants Pass, Ore., 2-3, 1,193, $1,400.
23, Harry Sullins, Chesterfield Twp., Mich., 3-2, 1,182, $1,200.
24, Darin Hays, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 2-3, 1,172, $1,150.
25, C.K. Moore, Gulf Breeze, Fla., 2-3, 1,157, $1,150.
26, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 1-4, 1,150, $1,250.
27, Stephen Pavlinko, Sewell, N.J., 1-4, 1,144, $1,150.
28, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 2-3, 1,140, $1,150.
29, Todd Haney, Boiling Springs, S.C., 2-3, 1,095, $1,075.
30, Darryl Bower, Middletown, Pa., 1-4, 1,078, $1,075.
31, David Williams Jr., Omaha, Neb., 1-4, 1,043, $1,075.
32, Frank Gallo Jr., Jacksonville, Fla., 1-4, 1,042, $1,050.