Five-time PBA50 Tour champion Ron Winger (pictured left) of Las Vegas, averaged 251.8 to lead first round qualifying Monday in the PBA50 Northern California Classic presented by Track at Harvest Park Bowl.

The 71-year-old Winger, whose last PBA50 Tour win came almost 10 years ago in the 2003 PBA Senior Clarksville Open, had a 2,015 eight-game pinfall total with games of 215, 248, 255, 278, 290, 215, 214 and 300.

"I'm staying in good shape and I've changed my game a bit by moving back on the approach so I have more of a slide at the foul line," said Winger. "I've kind of rebuilt my game and I'm to the point where I'm really enjoying the game again and having fun."

Winger's 300 enabled him to move ahead of recent Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open presented by Storm winner Amleto Monacelli (right) of Venezuela, who finished the round in second with a 1,982 pinfall.

"Normally I prefer to bowl on a condition where you have to play inside on the lane but I played outside for most of the round," said Winger. "When you're out here on Tour you have to be prepared to play anywhere and fortunately I was today."

If Monacelli, who won his second consecutive Senior U.S. Open title June 7 in Las Vegas, can take the qualifying lead after Tuesday's second round, it will be the fourth time in eight tournaments this season he has earned top qualifier honors.

"I got off to a good start and the lane conditions continued to come to me," said the PBA Hall of Famer and winner of 19 PBA Tour titles. "I just had to be careful not to open up the angles to the pocket too much. Getting the ball to the pocket is one thing but finding the right speed and angle to get the pin carry is something you have to always adjust to."

Rounding out the top five after the first round were Hall of Famer and reigning PBA50 Player of the Year Walter Ray Williams Jr. (left), Ocala, Fla., 1,976; two-time PBA50 Player of the Year Ron Mohr (right), Las Vegas, 1,947 and Bob Learn Jr., Erie, Pa., 1,913, who won the season opening PBA50 Pasco County Suncoast Open.

The 88-player field returns for another eight-game qualifying round Tuesday to determine the top 24 who will advance to Wednesday's match play rounds. Round of eight and championship rounds are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. PT on Wednesday.

 

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PBA50 Northern California Classic - First Round Qualifying

Players with position, hometown and 8-game total; a indicates amateur

1, Ron Winger, Las Vegas, 2,015
2, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 1,982
3, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 1,976
4, Ron Mohr, Las Vegas, 1,947
5, Bob Learn Jr., Erie, Pa., 1,913
6, Dave Dayton, Reno, Nev., 1,912
7, Rodney Garrick, San Francisco, 1,903
8, Noel Vazquez, Sacramento, Calif., 1,893
9, a-Pete Thomas, Oklahoma City, Okla., 1,889
10, Rob Rice, Sunnyside, Wash., 1,887
11, John Dudak, Orland Park, Ill., 1,886
12, Dale Eagle, Tavares, Fla., 1,884
13, Wayne Webb, Columbus, Ohio, 1,881
14, Kenny Parks, Hammond, Ind., 1,878
15, a-Sam Carter, BenLomond, Calif., 1,873
16, Rohn Morton, Vancouver, Wash., 1,871
17, (tie) Nick Morgan, Sacramento, Calif., and Eric Forkel, Las Vegas, 1,869
19, (tie) Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., and Dale Traber, Cedarburg, Wis., 1,866
21, Joe Goldstein Sr., San Bruno, Calif., 1,860
22, Mike Dias, Lafayette, Colo., 1,857
23, Hugh Miller, Seattle, 1,852
24, Don Blatchford, Santa Monica, Calif., 1,844
25, a-Terry Leong, Las Vegas, 1,841
26, Kevin Croucher, Grants Pass, Ore., 1,835
27, Kevin Foley, Reno, Nev., 1,816
28, Don Sylvia, Lady Lake, FL, 1,805
29, Thomas Ream, Tampa, Fla., 1,802
30, Bill Nichols, Roseville, Calif., 1,797
31, Henry Gonzalez, Colorado Springs, Colo., 1,796
32, Barry Richards, Lodi, Calif., 1,790
33, Peter Knopp, Germany, 1,787
34, Dennis Jones, Fremont, Calif., 1,784
35, Paul Appling, Camarillo, Calif., 1,780
36, Bill McCorkle, Westerville, Ohio, 1,777
37, Michael Henry, Brunswick, Ohio, 1,760
38, Scott Hansel, Stockton, Calif., 1,757
39, Harry Sullins, Chesterfield Twp, Mich., 1,742
40, Johnny Petraglia, Jackson, N.J., 1,741
41, Tim Pierce, Portland, Ore., 1,729
42, Bill Henson, Westerville, Ohio, 1,724
43, Robert Harvey, Boise, Idaho, 1,720
44, Ed Silva, Manteca, Calif., 1,716
45, Al Bella, Pittsburg, Calif., 1,715
46, Terry Metzner, Kentwood, Mich., 1,688
47, Christopher Keane, Cape Coral, Fla., 1,678
48, Mark McCreary, Livermore, Calif., 1,664
49, a-Dick Baker, Henderson, Nev., 1,662
50, David Wilson, Reno, Nev, 1,660
51, (tie) a-Pete Milkovich, Hercules, Calif., and Todd Kjell, Roscoe, Ill., 1,655
53, Norm Wolff Jr., Modesto, Calif., 1,650
54, Ted Staikoff, Black Hawk, S.D., 1,644
55, Lorrie Sims, Oakley, Calif., 1,642
56, Lauri Karppala Jr., Folsom, Calif., 1,639
57, Doug Kempt, Monrovia, Calif., 1,622
58, Duane Wilson, Brentwood, Calif., 1,620
59, Steve Davis, Manteca, Calif., 1,617
60, Gerald Calvin, Thousand Oaks, Calif., 1,611
61, Ross Packard, San Jose, Calif., 1,609
62, Thomas Goodchild, Fairfield, Calif., 1,600
63, John Gould, Orangevale, Calif., 1,598
64, Michael Cristofani, Grass Valley, Calif., 1,596
65, Joe Salvemini, Silt, Colo., 1,580
66, Tom Carter, Rockford, Ill., 1,570
67, Frank Gallo Jr., Jacksonville, Fla., 1,568
68, Ed Cutter, Manassas Park, Va., 1,559
69, Don Lane, San Francisco, 1,552
70, Galen Keas, Alda, Neb., 1,549
71, a-Larry Dyson, Stockton, Calif, 1,545
72, Jeff Mann, Clearlake Oaks, Calif., 1,541
73, Stan Winters, Simi Valley, Calif., 1,533
74, Ty Dawson, Sunnyvale, Calif., 1,529
75, Jim Gordin, Modesto, Calif., 1,519
76, Rod Michael, Florissant, Mo., 1,516
77, Keith Pridgeon, Antioch, Calif., 1,483
78, Junior Self, Martinez, Calif., 1,475
79, Jim Lesiuk, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., 1,461
80, Dave Schultz, Jackson, Wis., 1,451
81, Chuck Best, Buda, Texas, 1,439
82, Fred Cole, Visalia, Calif., 1,431
83, Dan Clausse, Reno, Nev., 1,420
84, Jim Hageman, San Jose, Calif., 1,418
85, Van Fenner, Reno, Nev., 1,416
86, Rudy Garcia, Ft. Worth, Texas, 1,400
87, Doug Thompson, Aberdeen, S.D., 1,384
88, Dale Ballou, Seaside, Ore., 1,332