With the help of a 300 game and 5-2-1 match play record, two-time Professional Bowlers Association Senior Tour winner Hugh Miller (pictured left) of Seattle moved into the fifth round lead of the Etonic PBA Senior U.S. Open Thursday at the Suncoast Bowling Center.

The 55-year-old Miller averaged 252 for the round to finish with a 8,456 35-game pinfall total, including match play bonus pins, to hold a 52-pin lead over PBA Hall of Famer and Senior Tour rookie Amleto Monacelli (right) of Venezuela.

"I got down here late and wasn't able to practice because I had some commitments at home and consequently I didn't get off to a good start," said Miller, who was 47th after the first qualifying round. "I saw it was going to be a pretty high scoring pace so I thought I'd better get in gear and change my game plan and bowled much better in the next three qualifying rounds."

Miller got off to a big start in Thursday's match play round winning his first two matches with his 300 and following it up with a 279. "It was all ball in that round," Miller said. "I grabbed a ball that I hadn't used during the rest of the tournament and it was the right one."

Miller, also a seven-time PBA Tour titlist, is trying for his first win of the season with his last Senior Tour win coming in the 2011 Senior Dayton (Ohio) Classic. Monacelli, trying for his first Senior Tour win, finished with a 8,404 pinfall total, 4-4 record, and averaged 231.7 for the round.

"I came here hoping to win and everything is going good right now," said Monacelli, who was also inducted into the United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame in April. "I'm bowling good and I'm in good shape so I'm looking forward to tomorrow."

Despite a 1-7 match play record, two-time Senior U.S. Open winner Wayne Webb (left) of Columbus, Ohio, who led the top 24 into match play after the fourth round, was able to hold on to third with an 8,377 pinfall. Webb, the 2008 and 2009 Senior U.S. Open winner, is trying to become the tournament's first three-time winner.

Rounding out the top four was PBA Tour veteran Mike Edwards (above right) of Tulsa, Okla., bowling in his first Senior Tour tournament, who went 7-1 in match play and ended the day with 8,262.

Two-time Senior U.S. Open winner Tom Baker of King, N.C. was seventh with 8,163 and was followed by PBA Tour all-time titles leader (47) and three-time Senior Tour champion Walter Ray Williams Jr. (left) of Ocala, Fla. in eighth place with 8,162. Peter Knopp (right) of Germany, is the second foreigner among the top 24 in 11th place with 8,124.

Rookie Bob Learn Jr. of Erie, Pa., who won his first PBA Senior title in PBA Senior Mooresville Classic presented by Columbia 300 last month, sits in 12th place with 8,110. PBA Hall of Famer Brian Voss (below left) of Alpharetta, Ga., had 8,098, good for 14th place.

Third round leader Sammy Ventura (right) of Syracuse, N.Y. slipped to 18th place with 8,066. Barry Zimmerman of Grand Forks, N.D. and Terry Leong of Las Vegas, are the only amateurs who made the cut to match play in 19th and 20th place with 7,967 and 7,963, respectively.

All 24 players will bowl two more eight-game match play rounds on Friday to determine the top four players who will advance to the stepladder finals scheduled for 3:30 p.m. PT. By the time match play is completed, the top four players will have bowled 51 games to make it to the stepladder finals.

Bowling fans can check out coverage of the Senior U.S. Open on pba.com's Xtra Frame.

 

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Etonic PBA Senior U.S. Open presented by Suncoast - Fifth Round Results

Players with position, hometown, match play record and 35-game total including bonus pins. a indicates amateur

1, Hugh Miller, Seattle, 5-2-1, 8,456
2, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 4-4, 8,404
3, Wayne Webb, Columbus, Ohio, 1-7, 8,377
4, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 7-1, 8,262
5, Brad Snell, Mount Prospect, Ill., 7-1, 8,217
6, Mike Dias, Lafayette, Colo., 5-3, 8,212
7, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 4-4, 8,163
8, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 3-5, 8,162
9, Mark Williams, Beaumont, Texas, 4-4, 8,155
10, Bo Goergen, Sanford, Mich., 4-4, 8,136
11, Peter Knopp, Germany, 4-3-1, 8,124
12, Bob Learn Jr., Erie, Pa., 5-3, 8,110
13, Charlie Tapp, Kalamazoo, Mich., 4-4, 8,100
14, Brian Voss, Alpharetta, Ga., 6-2, 8,098
15, Ricky Beck, Box Elder, S.D., 4-4, 8,086
16, Rohn Morton, Vancouver, Wash., 5-3, 8,080
17, Joe Salvemini, Las Vegas, Nev., 5-3, 8,079
18, Sammy Ventura, Syracuse, N.Y., 4-4, 8,066
19, a-Barry Zimmerman, Grand Forks, N.D., 3-5, 7,967
20, a-Terry Leong, Las Vegas, 2-6, 7,963
21, Kenny Parks, Hammond, Ind., 1-7, 7,874
22, John Dudak, Orland Park, Ill., 4-4, 7,852
23, Marv Sargent, Temecula, Calif., 3-5, 7,808
24, Sal Bongiorno, Hollywood, Fla., 1-7, 7,735

300 Games - Hugh Miller

 

Etonic PBA Senior U.S. Open presented by Suncoast - Fourth Round Results

Players with position, hometown and 27-game total. The top 24 advanced to match play. Places 25-55 show earnings. a indicates amateur

1, Wayne Webb, Columbus, Ohio, 6,538
2, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 6,430
3, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 6,305
4, Hugh Miller, Seattle, 6,268
5, a-Terry Leong, Las Vegas, 6,265
6, Ricky Beck, Box Elder, S.D., 6,264
7, Sammy Ventura, Syracuse, N.Y., 6,256
8, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 6,254
9, Charlie Tapp, Kalamazoo, Mich., 6,234
10, a-Barry Zimmerman, Grand Forks, N.D., 6,213
11, Peter Knopp, Germany, 6,210
12, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 6,192
13, Bo Goergen, Sanford, Mich., 6,170
14, Brad Snell, Mount Prospect, Ill., 6,163
15, Mike Dias, Lafayette, Colo., 6,158
16, Kenny Parks, Hammond, Ind., 6,156
17, (tie) Mark Williams, Beaumont, Texas, and Rohn Morton, Vancouver, Wash., 6,153
19, Sal Bongiorno, Hollywood, Fla., 6,128
20, Brian Voss, Alpharetta, Ga., 6,093
21, Marv Sargent, Temecula, Calif., 6,084
22, Bob Learn Jr., Erie, Pa., 6,077
23, Joe Salvemini, Las Vegas, Nev., 6,069
24, John Dudak, Orland Park, Ill., 6,056

Missed Cut:
25, Ted Staikoff, Black Hawk, S.D., 6,053, $1,200
26, Robert Harvey, Boise, Idaho, 6,044, $1,180
27, a-Dick Baker, Henderson, Nev., 6,034, $1,160
28, Robert Brown, Cody, Wyo., 6,030, $1,140
29, a-Edward Roberts, Braintree, Mass., 6,014, $1,120
30, Eric Forkel, Las Vegas, 6,013, $1,110
31, David Axon, Bellevue, Neb., 6,008, $1,100
32, Paul McCordic, Sugar Land, Texas, 5,995, $1,090
33, a-Bob Markiewicz *, San Diego, 5,994, $1,080
34, Don Moser, Murrieta, Calif., 5,990, $1,070
35, Rick Francis, Galt, Calif., 5,987, $1,060
36, Frank Gallo Jr., Jacksonville, Fla., 5,980, $1,050
37, Henry Dawson, Elma, Wash., 5,971, $1,045
38, Ron Winger, Las Vegas, 5,970, $1,040
39, Christopher Keane, New City, N.Y., 5,962, $1,035
40, a-Michael Clemence, Las Vegas, 5,961, $1,030
41, a-Marc McDowell, Madison, 5,944, $1,028
42, Marc Lineberry, Camanche, Iowa, 5,929, $1,026
43, Kerry Painter, Henderson, Nev., 5,925, $1,024
44, Bryan Goebel, Shawnee, Kan., 5,922, $1,022
45, Michael Henry, Brunswick, Ohio, 5,914, $1,020
46, Don Blatchford, Santa Monica, Calif., 5,912, $1,018
47, Steve Davis, Manteca, Calif., 5,905, $1,016
48, Gary Skidmore, Albuquerque, N.M., 5,863, $1,014
49, William Keenan, Jr., Orlando, Fla., 5,852, $1,012
50, (tie) a- Ron Hosler, Denver, Colo., and Randy Shewmake, Ft. Worth, Texas, 5,837, $1,00
52, Don Sylvia, Reno, Nev., 5,836, $1,006
53, Kevin Fatherree, Northridge, Calif., 5,833, $1,004
54, Noel Vazquez, Sacramento, Calif., 5,770, $1,002
55, a-Dan Roberts, Brentwood, Calif., 5,744, $1,000