Reigning Professional Bowlers Association Senior Player of the Year Ron Mohr (pictured left) of Eagle River, Alaska, took his turn as tournament leader after the first round of match play Thursday in the 2010 PBA Senior U.S. Open at the Suncoast Bowling Center.

After bowling 35 games the past three days, which included nine games in the final qualifying round and eight games of round-robin match play Thursday, the 54-year-old Mohr leads with a 7,852 pinfall and a 6-2 match play record which awards 30 bonus pins for a match win and 15 for a tie.

He had games of 259, 179, 203, 178, 235, 245, 245 and 228 (221.5 average) in Thursday's first match play round.

"I've been able to stay pretty steady throughout the tournament," Mohr said. "If I have a bad game I've been able to follow up with a good one. So far, I've been fortunate to find something to turn my game around when I've needed to."

In 2009, Mohr won three Senior Tour titles on his way to Senior Player of the Year honors but the going has been tough through the first four tournaments this season. He has qualified well but has yet to win a match.

"I'm doing well in qualifying but just not getting it done in match play and right now I'm encouraged because I bowled pretty well in match play today," he said. "Of the Senior Tour majors this is the one I really want, so for the last two match play rounds I just need to accumulate pins and get the wins wherever I can."

Mohr leads Hall of Famer and two-time Senior U.S. Open champion Tom Baker (left, 2005 and '06) who managed to score well enough to hold onto second with a 7,794 pinfall despite going 3-5 in match play. Baker and fellow Hall of Famer and two-time defending champion Wayne Webb (right), currently in 12th, are trying to become the event's first three-time winner.

There has been a new leader after each of the five rounds thus far in the tournament. Bob Brady (left) led the first round followed by Harry Sullins in the second, Tom Baker in the third, Kerry Painter (right) in the fourth and Mohr in the fifth.

Hall of Famer and last year's Senior U.S. Open third-place finisher Mark Williams is third and is closely followed by another Hall of Famer 1990 PBA Tournament of Champions winner Dave Ferraro in fourth, bowling in his first Senior Tour event.

The sole remaining international player in the field is Koichiro Tamaki, Japan, who is 13th after 35 games.

Coming from the final cut spot (57th place) after Wednesday's third-round qualifying, 2008 United States Bowling Congress Senior Masters champion Kenny Parks has surged through the field to eighth place after the first round of match play.

All 24 players will return Friday morning for the second of three straight eight-game round-robin match play blocks with the final block schedule for noon. At the conclusion of the final block, the top four bowlers will advance to the stepladder finals slated to begin at 3:30 p.m. Pacific.

 

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Standings after Match Play Round One (Fifth Round overall)

Players with position, hometown, match play record (won-loss-tie) and 35-game total including bonus pins.

1, Ron Mohr, Eagle River, Alaska, 6-2, 7,852
2, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 3-5, 7,794
3, Mark Williams, Beaumont, Texas, 5-3, 7,773
4, Dave Ferraro, Kingston, N.Y., 6-2, 7,753
5, Harry Sullins, Chesterfield Township, Mich., 5-2-1, 7,740
6, Don Moser, Murrieta, Calif., 4-4, 7,701
7, Kerry Painter, Henderson, Nev., 4-4, 7,694
8, Kenny Parks, Hammond, Ind., 7-0-1, 7,579
9, Kent Wagner, Palmetto, Fla., 4-4, 7,567
10, Bob Handley, Winter Park, Fla., 6-2, 7,557
11, Brian Brazeau, Ocala, Fla., 5-3, 7,538
12, Wayne Webb, Columbus, Ohio, 4-3-1, 7,535
13, Koichiro Tamaki, Japan, 6-2, 7,525
14, Dale Traber, Cedarburg, Wis., 4-4, 7,500
15, Kevin Croucher, Grants Pass, Ore., 4-4, 7,497
16, Steve Ferraro, Kingston, N.Y., 4-4, 7,492
17, Dennis Psaropoulos, Lake Worth, Fla., 2-5-1, 7,386
18, Rick Pollard, Versailles, Ind., 4-4, 7,382
19, Bill Spigner, Vernon Hills, Ill., 4-4, 7,369
20, Russ Freeman, Antioch, Ill., 2-6, 7,336
21, Don Blatchford, Santa Monica, Calif., 1-7, 7,227
22, Nick Morgan, Sacramento, Calif., 1-7, 7,213
23, Bob Brady, Santa Monica, Calif., 2-6, 7,185
24, Jorge Gutierrez, Las Cruces, N.M., 1-7, 6,979

Failed to advance to match play after fourth round qualifying:
25, Gary Skidmore, Albuquerque, N.M., 5,579, $1,160
26, Junichi Yajima, Japan, 5,575, $1,140
27, (TIE) Edward Roberts, Braintree, Mass
and Les Shirwindt, Las Vegas, Nev., 5,574, $1,110
29, Peter Knopp, Germany, 5,564, $1,080
30, Hugh Miller, Seattle, 5,551, $1,070
31, J.P. Muller, Gervais, Ore., 5,544, $1,060
32, Bob Kelly, Dayton, Ohio, 5,536, $1,050
33, David Eatmon, Ferndale, Mich., 5,531,$1,040
34, Bob Puttick, Canada, 5,529, $1,030
35, Emilio Mora Sr., Defiance, Ohio, 5,525, $1,020
36, Edward Silva, Manteca, Calif., 5,523, $1,010
37, Gary Bessette, Summerdale, Ala., 5,513, $1,000
38, Jeff Jamison, Boulder City, Nev., 5,496, $990
39, Kerry Fulford, Brownwood, Texas, 5,495, $980
40, John Chapman, Canada, 5,494, $970
41, (TIE) Don Sylvia, Reno, Nev. and
br> Greg Shields, Independence, Mo., 5,482, $955
43, Y.H. Byun, Korea, 5,467, $940
44, Tom Howison, Chillicothe, Ohio, 5,456, $935
45, Phil Prieto Jr., El Paso, Texas, 5,444, $930
46, Jeff Suma, Auburn Hills, Mich., 5,437, $925
47, Scott Lindsey, Omaha, Neb., 5,422, $920
48, Tom Carter, Rockford, Ill., 5,419, $918
49, Daniel Winter, Rockford, Ill., 5,416, $916
50, Bobby Johnson, Chillicothe, Ohio, 5,412, $914
51, Michael Henry, Brunswick, Ohio, 5,404, $912
52, Gary Morgan, Marietta, Ga., 5,401, $910
53, David Axon, Bellevue, Neb., 5,371, $908
54, Masato Hanamoto, Japan, 5,367, $906
55, Frank Tardio, Palatine, Ill., 5,339, $904
56, Jim Murtishaw, Menifee, Calif., 5,316, $902
57, Hirotsugu Kawanishi, Japan, 5,209, $900