Jason Belmonte (pictured left), Australia, held on the lead in the men's qualifying of the 47th Bowling World Cup after the second five-game block Friday at Northcliff Bowling Center in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The 2008-2009 PBA Rookie of the Year, who led the field of 81 players from 81 countries and regions with 1278 (255.60 average), toppled 1257 in the second block (251.40) for 2535 ten-game total. Belmonte has an 80-pin cushion over fellow PBA champion Tommy Jones (right), United States.

The 13-time PBA champion and PBA Player of the Year 2005-06 rolled the field-best 1273 series to leap two spots into second place with 2455. Jones had game of 209, 279 and 238 before he fired the second 300 game of the tournament (Belmonte had the first in block 1) and finished with 247, an average of 254 for the day.

Kimmo Lehtonen, Finland, slipped to third place with 2395 despite an 1186 series Friday including high games of 259 and 268. Representing the host country South Africa, Francois Louw (left) jumped from eighth to fourth place with 2370. Louw posted the third-best 2308 including back-to-back 278 and 277.

Past world champion Biboy Rivera, Philippines, maintained fifth place with 1179 and 2359 overall. Swede Patrick Bohm (right), who replaced Tomas Leanderssonon the roster was the fourth player, who cracked the 1200-bar. Bohm totaled 1202 pins including five games between 217 and 256 to move from 13rg to seventh place with 2320.

With ten of twenty qualifying games in the books, Mansour Al-Awamy (left), Qatar, holds the 24th and last place to advance with 2145 or an average of 214.50.

Defending champion, two-time World Cup winner Michael Schmidt, Canada, fell out of the top 24 and is tied with Ayad Al-Amiri (right), Kuwait, for 25th place with 2118, just 27 pins off the pace for the next round.

All 81 men will bowl another 10 qualifying games, block 3 on Saturday and block 4 on Sunday. The field will then be cut to the top 24 for eight additional games on Monday, Dec. 5.

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The top eight after 28 games advance to the Round of 8 on Tuesday, Dec. 6, where the field will be paired down to the top three for the stepladder finals on Wednesday, Dec. 7.

Photos: Beat Grauwiler.