Five-time Lumber Liquidators Professional Bowlers Association Tour titlist Harry Sullins, trying to win his first Senior Tour title, moved into the lead after first round match play Thursday in the 2009 PBA Senior U.S. Open presented by Suncoast at the Suncoast Bowling Center.

After bowling 35 games the past four days, which included nine games in the final qualifying round and eight games of round-robin match play Thursday, Sullins led with a 7,931 pinfall and a 6-2 match play record which awards 30 bonus pins for a match win and 15 for a tie.

"I was starting to feel the grind of this tournament but I'm starting to get in a zone," said the 51-year-old Sullins, who makes his home in Chesterfield Township, Mich., "I've been nursing a sore arm and with all the games we bowled today it's kind of taking a pounding. But I'll be more than happy to work through the pain as long as I'm near the top."

Sullins leads defending Senior U.S. Open champion Wayne Webb (pictured right) of Sacramento, Calif., in second by 159 pins. Webb, a PBA Hall of Famer and 20-time national PBA Tour titlist, has a 7,772 pinfall and 6-2 match play record.

"I was very fortunate today because I didn't bowl well and I couldn't grip the ball properly," said Webb. "For me each pair of lanes was incredibly different and having to grip the ball very hard, I just wasn't comfortable out there so I'm pretty happy to be where I am."

If Webb can win he will become the second player to win back-to-back Senior U.S. Opens. Tom Baker accomplished the feat in 2005 and 2006.

PBA Hall of Famer Brian Voss (pictured left), also looking for his first Senior Tour title, is in third with a 7,723 pinfall but had a tough go of it in Thursday's match play with 3-4-1 record.

Dale Traber of Cedarburg, Wis., who won his first Senior Tour title last week in Brentwood, Calif., is fourth with a 7,669 pinfall and 4-4 match play record.

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 Pacific.

The Senior U.S. Open winner takes home a $20,000 first prize and a berth into the 2010 Tournament of Champions.

 

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2009 PBA Senior U.S. Open - Match Play Round One (5th round overall)

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

1, Harry Sullins, Chesterfield Township, Mich., 6-2, 7,931
2, Wayne Webb, Sacramento, Calif., 6-2, 7,772
3, Brian Voss, Alpharetta, Ga., 3-4-1, 7,723
4, Dale Traber, Cedarburg, Wis., 4-4, 7,669
5, Jim Murtishaw, Menifee, Calif., 5-3, 7,644
6, Kenny Parks, Hammond, Ind., 5-2-1, 7,641
7, Mark Williams, Beaumont, Texas, 5-3, 7,612
8, Mike Terrell, Newport News, Va., 6-2, 7,556
9, Jimmy Johnson, Bellevue, Neb., 3-3-2, 7,550
10, Dennis Psaropoulos, Lake Worth, Fla., 3-5, 7,528
11, Roger Kossert, Lithia, Fla., 5-3, 7,508
12, Bill Nichols, Roseville, Calif., 5-3, 7,468
13, Hugh Miller, Seattle, 5-3, 7,449
14, Mitch Jabczenski, Novi, Mich., 4-4, 7,440
15, Charlie Tapp, Kalamazoo, Mich., 3-5, 7,437
16, Henry Gonzalez, Colorado Springs, Colo., 5-3, 7,434
17, Brian Brazeau, Ocala, Fla., 4-4, 7,413
18, Kevin Croucher, Grants Pass, Ore., 3-5, 7,410
19, Curtis Aemisegger, Wauconda, Ill., 4-4, 7,408
20, Bill Spigner, Vernon Hills, Ill., 2-6, 7,363
21, Mike Mineman, Belleville, Ill., 2-6, 7,362
22, Steve Ferraro, Kingston, N.Y., 2-6, 7,335
23, Bob Kelly, Dayton, Ohio, 2-6, 7,334
24, Kerry Painter, Henderson, Nev., 2-6, 7,195

 

2009 PBA Senior U.S. Open - Fourth Round Qualifying

Players with position, hometown and 27-game total. The top 24 advance to Match Play. Places 25-67 show earnings.

1, Brian Voss, Alpharetta, Ga., 5,940
2, (tie) Wayne Webb, Sacramento, and Harry Sullins, Chesterfield Township, Mich., 5,934
4, Dale Traber, Cedarburg, Wis., 5,904
5, Dennis Psaropoulos, Lake Worth, Fla, 5,831
6, Charlie Tapp, Kalamazoo, Mich., 5,776
7, Jim Murtishaw, Menifee, Calif., 5,773
8, Bill Spigner, Vernon Hills, Ill., 5,748
9, Jimmy Johnson, Bellevue, Neb., 5,723
10, (tie) Steve Ferraro, Kingston, N.Y., and Brian Brazeau, Ocala, Fla., 5,711
12, Kenny Parks, Hammond, Ind., 5,707
13, Bob Kelly, Dayton, Ohio, 5,703
14, Mark Williams, Beaumont, Texas, 5,694
15, Mitchell Jabczenski, Novi, Mich., 5,678
16, Mike Mineman, Belleville, Ill., 5,672
17, (tie) Henry Gonzalez, Colorado Springs, Colo., and Bill Nichols, Roseville, Calif., 5,666
19, Kerry Painter, Henderson, Nev., 5,652
20, Kevin Croucher, Grants Pass, Ore., 5,645
21, Mike Terrell, Newport News, Va., 5,644
22, Roger Kossert, Lithia, Fla., 5,633
23, Curtis Aemisegger, Wauconda, Ill., 5,627
24, Hugh Miller, Seattle, 5,616

Missed Cut:
25, Ron Mohr, Eagle River, Alaska, 5,614, $1,200
26, Marv Sargent, Temecula, Calif., 5,609, $1,160
27, Greg Shields, Independence, Mo., 5,603, $1,140
28, Greg Waldon, Manhattan, Mont., 5,601, $1,120
29, Vince Honeycutt, Monroe, Ga., 5,600, $1,100
30, Sam Ventura, Syracuse, N.Y., 5,593, $1,090
31, (tie) Barry Gurney, West Hills, Calif., and Bob Faragon, Schenectady, N.Y., 5,581, $1,075
33, Larry Graybeal, Elizabethton, Tenn., 5,572, $1,060
34, Steve Cook, Granite Bay, Calif., 5,552, $1,050
35, Daniel Winter, Rockford, Ill., 5,546, $1,040
36, Don Blatchford, Santa Monica, Calif., 5,545, $1,030
37, Jimmy Young, Atlanta, Texas, 5,544, $1,020
38, Bob Handley, Winter Park, Fla., 5,531, $1,015
39, Randy Rau, Belleville, Ill., 5,529, $1,010
40, Rohn Morton, Vancouver, Wash., 5,527, $1,005
41, Dave Flemming, Fairborn, Ohio, 5,518, $1,000
42, Vaughn Doody, Las Vegas, 5,513, $995
43, Ross Packard, San Jose, Calif., 5,512, $990
44, Ron Boroff, Mansfield, Texas, 5,505, $985
45, Craig Kisro, Granada Hills, Calif., 5,504, $980
46, Gary Skidmore, Albuquerque, N.M., 5,496, $975
47, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 5,494, $970
48, Ron Profitt, Brookville, Ohio, 5,489, $965
49, Dean Jones, Austin, Texas, 5,470, $960
50, (tie) Darwin Wimer, Mesquite, Nev., and Ken Konczos, Sagamore Hills, Ohio, 5,461, $952
52, Bob Knipple, Long Beach, Calif., 5,448, $945
53, Marty Deh, San Jose, Calif., 5,431, $940
54, Gary James, Spring, Texas, 5,422, $935
55, John Bennett, Clarkston, Mich., 5,418, $930
56, Gerald Calvin, Thousand Oaks, Calif., 5,414, $925
57, David Axon, Bellevue, Neb, 5,398, $920
58, Howard Partell, Las Vegas, 5,396, $918
59, Gale Voshell, Dover, Del, 5,381, $916
60, Mark Glover, Woodbridge, Va, 5,376, $914
61, (tie) Rick Cashell, Dedham, Mass., and Sam Zurich, Grant, Fla., 5,346, $911
63, Keith Kolozsi, Las Vegas, Nev, 5,343, $908
64, Jace Peterson, Elkhorn, Wis., 5,327, $906
65, Joe Staton, Alta Loma, Calif., 5,308, $904
66, Bill Sell, Menasha, Wis., 5,300, $902
67, Christopher Keane, New City, N.Y., 5,285, $900