Mohr Defeats Walter Ray to Win

David Small’s Championship Lanes Classic for 11th PBA50 Tour Title

Mohr denies Williams his 15th PBA50 Tour win with 279-215 title match victory

ANDERSON, Ind. (July 23, 2019) – Making his third consecutive championship round appearance of the season, Ron Mohr defeated Walter Ray Williams Jr. 279-215 in a battle of PBA Hall of Famers in the title match to win the PBA50 David Small’s Championship Lanes Classic presented by Roto Grip Tuesday for his first win of the season and 11th of his career.

Mohr, who was top qualifier for the stepladder finals, threw 11 strikes in the title match starting with the first five before leaving a 10 pin in the sixth frame. He then struck the rest of the way to handily win the match.

Williams, the Go Bowling! PBA Tour all-time titles leader with 47 wins, was trying for his fourth win of the season and the 15th of his career to take sole possession of the all-time titles lead on PBA’s tour for players 50 and over. He left six 10 pins in the title match including a missed 10 pin in the fifth frame.

“The way Walter Ray was bowling in the previous match I thought I might be the answer to a trivia question, but things went my way today, said the 63-year-old Mohr, whose last PBA50 win came in the 2018 Northern California Classic. “I got off to a slow start in the tournament qualifying 23rd so I really didn’t expect to win. There have been a lot of amazing things happen out here (on tour) so I should probably know better than to count myself out.”

Mohr, a native of Fort Wayne, finished fourth in last week’s PBA50 South Shore Open and fifth in the PBA50 River City Extreme Open two weeks ago.

“The important thing for me was to slow everything down,” said Mohr, crediting his wife Lita who noticed he was rushing his shots in the previous championship rounds. “I really had to focus on not making a shot until I’m ready and that was especially true when Walter Ray missed his 10 pin because I didn’t want to do the same thing to possibly let him back in the match.”

Williams qualified second for the stepladder after coming all the way from sixth in the final position round of the second match play round.

In the semifinal match, Williams, whose runner-up finish all but wraps up his third PBA50 Player of the Year honor, beat hall of famer Doug Kent 247-209 in the semifinal to advance to the title match. 

In pain from a back injury suffered in the first game of match play earlier in the day, Kent soldiered on to qualify fifth for the stepladder. Trying for his first PBA50 Tour win, he beat fellow New Yorker Ryan Shafer 228-211 in the first stepladder match before defeating four-time PBA50 Tour winner Lennie Boresch Jr. 278-185 in the second match. It was Shafer’s second consecutive fifth-place finish after finishing fifth in last week’s South Shore Open.

The PBA50 Tour travels to Wyoming, Mich., for the PBA50 Spectrum Lanes Open presented by DV8 July 25-28 before wrapping up with the PBA50 David Small’s Jax60 Classic presented by Track in Jackson, Mich., July 30-Aug. 2. Two PBA60 events -- for players 60 and over – will conclude the “senior” season.  The PBA60 Jax 60 National Championship in memory of Mel Wolfe will be conducted Aug. 3-5 and the PBA60 Dick Weber Championship presented by the DeHayes Insurance Group and 900 Global at Pro Bowl West in Fort Wayne is scheduled for Aug. 7-9. Fans can follow all the action via PBA’s online streaming partner FloBowling. For subscription and schedule information visit www.flobowling.com.

PBA50 DAVID SMALL’S CHAMPIONSHIP LANES CLASSIC

presented by Roto Grip
David Small’s Championship Lanes, Anderson, Ind., Tuesday

Final Standings:

1, Ron Mohr, Las Vegas, $7,500.

2, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla., $4,000.

3, Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y., $2,500.

4, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., $2,000

5, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., $1,750

Stepladder Results:

Match One – Kent def. Shafer, 228-211.

Match Two – Kent def. Boresch, 278-185

Semifinal Match – Williams def. Kent, 247-209.

Championship Match – Mohr def. Williams, 279-215

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

1, Ron Mohr, Las Vegas, 5-1, 1,488.
2, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla., 5-1, 1,473.
3, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 4-2, 1,458.
4, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 3-3, 1,443.
5, Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y., 3-3, 1,442.
6, Michael Haugen Jr., Phoenix, 4-2, 1,414, $1,500.
7, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 3-3, 1,402, $1,500.
8, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 3-3, 1,390, $1,500.
9, ss-Charlie Tapp, Kalamazoo, Mich., 4-2, 1,375, $1,300.
10, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 4-2, 1,349, $1,300.
11, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 3-3, 1,328, $1,300.
12, Keith Lesko, Prosper, Texas, 1-5, 1,305, $1,300.
13, Ricky Schissler, Brighton, Colo., 2-4, 1,298, $1,300.
14, Bill Watson, Monroe, Ohio, 2-4, 1,259, $1,300.
15, Doug Becker, Clermont, Fla., 1-5, 1,244, $1,300.
16, ss-John Dudak, Orland Park, Ill., 1-5, 1,214, $1,300.

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

17, Rick Graham, Lancaster, Pa., 2-3, 1,131, $1,100.
18, Doug Henry, Columbus, Ind., 3-2, 1,122, $1,100.
19, Gary Faulkner, Norfolk, Va., 2-3, 1,107, $1,100.
20, Paul Fleming, Ft. Worth, Texas, 4-1, 1,094, $1,100.
21, Steve Hoskins, New Port Richey, Fla., 2-3, 1,083, $1,100.
22, Brian LeClair, Albany, N.Y., 2-3, 1,081, $1,100.
23, ss-Gary Reh, Fort Mohave, Ariz., 2-2-1, 1,075, $1,100.
24, Scott Greiner, Sunrise Beach, Mo., 2-3, 1,071, $1,100.
25, Don Breeden, Clive, Iowa, 3-2, 1,065, $1,050.
26, Jerry Hicks, Vandalia, Ohio, 1-4, 1,059, $1,050.
27, ss-Harry Sullins, Chesterfield Twp., Mich., 2-3, 1,024, $1,050.
28, Mark Sullivan, Indianapolis, 1-4, 1,017, $1,050.
29, Brian Menini, Brookfield, Mo., 2-3, 966, $1,050.
30, Stoney Baker, Canton, Ga., 0-5, 939, $1,050.
31, Dave Han, Birmingham, Ala., 1-4, 915, $1,050.
32, Gary Alstott, Washington, Ill., 0-5, 884, $1,150.

Other Cashers (after five-game cashers’ round, $1,000 each)

33, ss-Edward Silva, Manteca, Calif., 1,024.
34, ss-Darryl Bower, Middletown, Pa., 998.
36, Donald Hogue, Akron, Ohio, 997.
37, ss-Sammy Ventura, Syracuse, N.Y., 993.
38, ss-Tom Baker, King, N.C., 981.
39, ss-Steven Jansson, Barnes, Wis., 963.
40, ss-Henry Dawson, Elma, Wash., 943.
41, ss-Gregory Scheetz, Scottsdale, Ariz., 898.

n-non-PBA member.

ss-PBA60 player ages 60 and over.