by Jerry Schneider

Pete Weber led a group of Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Famers holding the top five positions after the fifth round of the Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open presented by Dexter Thursday at the Suncoast Bowling Center.

With a 5-3 record after Thursday’s first match play round and an 8,042 pinfall total (including 30 bonus pins for each match win), Weber holds a 129-pin lead over Norm Duke in second who finished match play with a 7-1 record and 7,913 pinfall.

“I’ve come from behind and led from the start to make a show but I like to be in a position where I can establish a big lead and hopefully become the top qualifier for the show,” said Weber, who is trying for his third career PBA50 Tour title. “I’m happy with all the decisions I’ve had to make to this point in the tournament whether it be ball changes or the adjustments I’ve made on the lane so I just need to continue what I’ve been doing all week.”

Weber is trying for his third career PBA50 Tour title and second major. He won two titles in 2013 on his way to earning PBA50 Rookie of the Year honors including the United States Bowling Congress Senior Masters.

Duke, who is bowling as a rookie on the PBA50 Tour this season, is trying for his second PBA50 Tour title having won the United Healthcare Sun Bowl In The Villages earlier this season.

“When you get to match play it’s basically a different tournament,” said Duke who is tied with Weber for third on the PBA Tour career titles list with 37 wins. “You’re not just trying to get the most pins possible but you’re also trying to win the matches which adds to the pressure. Most of the time everybody’s bowling within 10 or 15 pins of each other so winning the match and getting those 30 bonus pins is huge.”

Finishing the day in third with a 5-3 match play record and 7,639 pinfall was 25-time PBA Tour winner Brian Voss who has a best Senior U.S. Open finish of second which came in 2009.

Walter Ray Williams Jr., the PBA Tour’s career titles leader with 47 wins, compiled a 4-3-1 match play record and finished the day in fourth with a 7,599 pinfall. The two-time defending PBA50 Player of the Year owns seven PBA50 Tour titles and has finished second in the Senior U.S. Open twice.

Two-time defending Senior U.S. Open champion and 19-time PBA Tour winner Amleto Monacelli who is trying to become the tournament’s first three-time winner struggled a bit in match play posting a 4-4 record and finishing the round with a 7,576 pinfall.

Between them, all five Hall of Famers have won a combined 165 PBA Tour titles.

Another Hall of Famer four-time PBA50 Player of the Year Tom Baker, who along with Monacelli is trying to become the first Senior U.S. Open three-time winner, is not far behind in seventh with a 7,451 pinfall. Baker, a 10-time winner on both the PBA Tour and PBA50 Tour, won the Senior U.S. Open in 2005 and 2006.

There is still work to be done however, as the 24-player field will bowl two more eight-game match play rounds remaining Friday to determine the top four players for the stepladder finals which are scheduled for 4 p.m. PT.