After starting qualifying dead last with a 144 game, and not bowling competitively for six years, winning the PBA50 Dayton Classic presented by Roto Grip was the furthest thing from PBA Hall of Famer Randy Pedersen's mind.

After his rough start, the 50-year-old color analyst (pictured left) for ESPN and CBS Sports Network PBA Tour telecasts rocketed through the field to win in his PBA50 Tour debut by defeating fellow Hall of Famer Amleto Monacelli (right), 232-226, in the championship match Thursday at Capri Lanes in Kettering, Ohio.

"It was a combination of just bowling bad and maybe being on a tough pair of lanes," Pedersen of his first game. "But after that I bowled a 240, then a 230 and thought, okay, things are getting better.

"It was a combination of things," he added. "I got some good advice, made the right ball choices and adjustments and then got a good sense pretty quickly for how the lanes were reacting and how I could adjust for it."

In the championship match, Pedersen won by striking on his first ball in the 10th frame on a light hit.

"Amleto had lane choice and that left me finishing on the right lane which we both knew was the toughest," Pedersen said, "but as the match progressed I thought, hey, even though it's been 11 years since I've won, I remember how to do this, so I threw what I thought was a pretty good shot and got a lucky break with the high hit."

After winning a tournament he admitted to being a little reluctant about even entering, Pedersen plans to continue his PBA50 career by taking it tournament-by-tournament. He was a 13-time PBA Tour winner during a 25-year career. Knee injuries after the 2006-07 season and two subsequent surgeries led to his retirement.

Qualifying third for the stepladder finals, Pedersen defeated 2012 USBC Senior Masters winner Mike Edwards (left) of Tulsa, 244-191, in the opening match and then defeated Pasco County Suncoast Open winner Bob Learn Jr. (right) of Erie, Pa., 268-223, in the semifinal.

Throughout the 2013 PBA50 Tour season, players are competing for the opportunity to advance to the nationally-televised PBA50 Tour Finals which will be conducted as part of the World Series of Bowling V in Las Vegas in November. The top three players in points at the conclusion of the season will advance to the PBA50 Tour Finals.

The top three after five tournaments this season are Walter Ray Williams Jr., Bob Learn Jr., and Lennie Boresch Jr.

The PBA50 Tour takes a short break but will return for the season's two majors in Las Vegas. The PBA Senior U.S. Open presented by Suncoast will be conducted June 2-7 at the Suncoast Bowling Center and the USBC Senior Masters June 9-14 at the South Point Bowling Center.

PBA's online bowling channel Xtra Frame will provide start-to-finish coverage of the Senior U.S. Open and Senior Masters.

 

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2013 PBA50 Tour Schedule & Champions

 

PBA50 Dayton Classic presented by Roto Grip - Stepladder Finals

Capri Lanes in Kettering, Ohio, United States (May 13-16, 2013)

Championship Round:
1, Randy Pedersen, Clermont, Fla., $7,500
2, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, $4,000
3, Bob Learn Jr., Erie, Pa., $2,500
4, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, $2,000

Pedersen (center) with Brian Kretzer (left) and proprietor Mike Irwin (right).

Playoff Results:
Match One: No. 3 Pedersen def. No. 4 Edwards, 244-191
Semifinal Match: Pedersen def. No. 2 Bob Learn Jr., 268-223
Championship: Pedersen def. No. 1 Monacelli, 232-226

 

PBA50 Dayton Classic - Match Play Results

Players with position, hometown, won-lost-tie record and 32-game total. The top four advanced to stepladder finals.

1, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 9-7, 7,768
2, Bob Learn Jr., Erie, Pa., 11-5, 7,748
3, Randy Pedersen, Clermont, Fla., 12-4, 7,573
4, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 9-6-1, 7,533

Missed cut to stepladder finals.
5, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 6-9-1, 7,495, $1,800
6, Wayne Webb, Columbus, Ohio, 8-8, 7,478, $1,600
7, Mike Dias, Lafayette, Colo., 9-6-1, 7,470, $1,550
8, Darryl Bower, Middletown, Pa., 8-6-2, 7,460, $1,500
9, Ron Mohr, Eagle River, Alaska, 11-5, 7,432, $1,475
10, Dale Csuhta, Wadsworth, Ohio, 8-8, 7,358, $1,450
11, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 6-9-1, 7,346, $1,425
12, Bryan Goebel, Shawnee, Kan., 8-8, 7,285, $1,400
13, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 9-7, 7,226, $1,375
14, Harry Sullins, Chesterfield Twp, Mich., 7-9, 7,225, $1,350
15, Hugh Miller, Seattle, 8-8, 7,171, $1,325
16, John Petraglia, Jackson, N.J., 4-11-1, 7,085, $1,300

Missed cut to final match play round (24 games):
17, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 3-5, 5,354, $1,200
18, Michael Henry, Brunswick, Ohio, 5-2-1, 5,336, $1,180
19, Charlie Tapp, Kalamazoo, Mich., 3-5, 5,310, $1,160
20, Brad Snell, Mount Prospect, Ill., 5-3, 5,305, $1,140
21, Nick Morgan, Sacramento, Calif., 2-6, 5,277, $1,120
22, Ron Profitt, Brookville, Ohio, 4-4, 5,264, $1,100
23, Don Sylvia, Lady Lake, Fla., 4-4, 5,245, $1,090
24, Jeff Schrum, Cherryville, N.C., 3-5, 5,241, $1,080
25, Dale Traber, Cedarburg, Wis., 3-5, 5,193, $1,070
26, Mark Everette, Aliquippa, Pa., 5-3, 5,169, $1,060
27, Sammy Ventura, Syracuse, N.Y., 4-4, 5,150, $1,050
28, Kenny Parks, Hammond, Ind., 4-4, 5,149, $1,040
29, Rick Minier, Houston, Texas, 2-6, 5,125, $1,030
30, Les Ash, Washington Court House, Ohio, 3-5, 5,093, $1,020
31, Michael Tryniski, Fulton, N.Y., 3-5, 5,080, $1,010
32, Brian Cooper, Henderson, Nev., 2-6, 5,035, $1,000

300 game – Bob Learn Jr.