Most players on the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour travel with diverse equipment arsenals and a wealth of knowledge and support, but Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, New York, found patience to be her most effective tool on the way to the top of the standings Friday at the 2016 Nationwide PWBA Sonoma County Open.

McEwan (pictured left and above) said she didn’t initially see what she needed to see in order to successfully navigate the 37-foot oil pattern at Double Decker Lanes in Rohnert Park, Calif., but when it finally clicked, she was able to take advantage. The 24-year-old right-hander averaged more than 226 over 12 games to lead the 76-player field with a 2,719 total.

“This morning started off pretty rough, and I really wasn’t throwing very good shots,” said McEwan, who won the 2015 season-ending The Smithfield PWBA Tour Championship for her first PWBA Tour title. “But, I was able to keep my head clear and grind until something finally clicked. Then, I just ran with it.”

Latvia’s Diana Zavjalova (right), the 2013 United States Bowling Congress Queens champion, never fell below second place after opening the day with the tournament’s only perfect game, and she finished qualifying just behind McEwan with a 2,694 total.

Zavjalova was followed by PWBA Tour rookie Jennifer Higgins of Westerville, Ohio (2,688), and the Singaporean duo of New Hui Fen (2,678) and Jazreel Tan (2,669).

The final spot in the cashers’ round went to Kristina Wendell of Kingston, New York, who finished Friday’s 12 games with a 2,346 total, a 195.5 average.

McEwan will lead the top 32 players into Saturday’s cashers’ round, which begins at 11:30 a.m. Eastern. Competition will conclude Saturday evening with a group stepladder final starting at 8 p.m. Eastern. All rounds leading up to the stepladder finals are being broadcast live on Xtra Frame.

The head start is good for confidence and momentum, but McEwan is well aware of how much tournament is left, a lesson she took from last week’s PWBA Las Vegas Open, where she finished ninth.

“There’s still a lot of games left, and I know things still can move around quickly,” McEwan said. “As the leader today, it means I did some things right, but I still need to remember what I did and make the right moves and ball choices again tomorrow.”

Six additional games, with pinfall carrying over, will determine the 12 players who will advance to the round-robin match-play portion of the Nationwide PWBA Sonoma County Open. The match-play finalists will be split into two groups, each featuring six players. Each group will bowl six games of match play, including a final position round.

At the end of the match play, the top qualifier in each group will earn an automatic spot in the stepladder finals, with seeding being determined by total pins. The second, third and fourth qualifiers in each group will advance to a group stepladder final. The winner of each group stepladder final will advance to the televised stepladder finals.

The finals of the Nationwide PWBA Sonoma County Open will air Tuesday, June 14 on CBS Sports Network. For more information on the PWBA, click here.

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PWBA Sonoma County Open – Qualifying Standings

Players with position, hometown and 12-game total; top 32 advance

1, Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y., 2,719
2, Diana Zavjalova, Latvia, 2,694
3, Jennifer Higgins, Westerville, Ohio, 2,688
4, NewHui Fen, Singapore, 2,678
5, Jazreel Tan, Singapore, 2,669
6, Leanne Hulsenberg, Pleasant View, Utah, 2,653
7, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 2,605
8, Felicia Wong, Canada, 2,597
9, Sandra Gongora, Mexico, 2,591
10, Josie Earnest, Nashville, Tenn., 2,582
11, Maria Jose Rodriguez, Austin, Texas, 2,573
12, Shannon O’Keefe, O’Fallon, Ill., 2,568
13, Shayna Ng, Singapore, 2,528
14, Anggie Ramirez-Perea, Austin, Texas, 2,496
15, Amanda Greene, Romney, W. Va., 2,482
16, Ashly Galante, Palm Harbor, Fla., 2,477
17 (TIE), Kaidee Sutphin, Mount Dora, Fla., and Clara Guerrero, Pflugerville, Texas, 2,476
19, Kayla Bandy, Salisbury, Md., 2,470
20, Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 2,456
21 (TIE), Elysia Current, Ephrata, Pa., and Daphne Tan, Singapore, 2,452
23, Bryanna Cote, Red Rock, Ariz., 2,417
24, Missy Parkin, Laguna Hills, Calif., 2,414
25, Jasmine Coleman (a), Manteca, Calif., 2,410
26, Jacqueline Carbonetto, Blauvelt, N.Y., 2,404
27, Rocio Restrepo, Louisville, Ohio, 2,394
28, T’Nia Falbo, Greensburg, Pa., 2,367
29, Samantha Schaden, Baltimore, 2,365
30, Erin McCarthy, Omaha, Neb., 2,360
31, Wendy Macpherson, Henderson, Nev., 2,350
32, Kristina Wendell, Kingston, N.Y., 2,346

Missed Cut:
33, Karen Marcano, Venezuela, 2,318
34, Karen Rosprim (a), Albany, Calif., 2,308
35, Debbie Ayers, La Mesa, Calif., 2,306
36, Cherie Tan, Singapore, 2,301.
37, Natalie Goodman, O’Fallon, Ill., 2,298
38, Stefanie Johnson, Grand Prairie, Texas, 2,297
39, Lilia Robles, Mexico, 2,293
40, Diandra Asbaty, Chicago, 2,289
41 (TIE), Lindsay Boomershine, Perry, Utah, and Kristina Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y., 2,272
43, Keli Callahan (a), Las Vegas, 2,266
44, Kerry Smith, New Holland, Pa., 2,260
45, Heather D’Errico, Rochester, N.Y., 2,254
46, Lynda Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 2,251
47, Elise Bolton, Merritt Island, Fla., 2,245
48, Megan Kelly, Dayton, Ohio, 2,244
49, Mariana Ayala, Grand Prairie, Texas, 2,243
50, Emily Fagan (a), Berkeley, Calif., 2,242
51, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, Keller, Texas, 2,238
52, Jodi Woessner, Oregon, Ohio, 2,228
53 (TIE), Carol Gianotti, Henderson, Nev., and Brandi Branka, Fairview Heights, Ill., 2,227
55 (TIE), Kristie Leong (a), Daly City, Calif., and Brandi Calderon, Tempe, Ariz., 2,204
57, Kimberly Power (a), San Leandro, Calif., 2,202
58, Ashley Purkey, Godfrey, Ill., 2,196
59, Jacquelyn Matsutani (a), Pleasant Hill, Calif., 2,173
60, Catherine Rawsthorne, Tacoma, Wash., 2,139
61, Summer Jasmin, Beckley, W. Va., 2,138
62, Brittany Himmelreich, Cressona, Pa., 2,126
63, Michelle Shumway (a), Petaluma, Calif., 2,093
64, Gabriella Mayfield, Lake Isabella, Calif., 2,091
65, Robin Romeo, Newhall, Calif., 2,088
66, Brittany Tierney (a), Fairfield, Calif., 2,080
67, Rose Wolhar (a), Sunnyvale, Calif., 2,072
68, Julie Yokoyama (a), Santa Rosa, Calif., 1,986
69, Amy Gamage, Las Vegas, 1,977
70, Colleen Radin (a), Santa Rosa, Calif., 1,946
71, Nichole DePaul-Miller, Baytown, Texas, 1,930
72, Ginell Walton, Placentia, Calif., 1,918
73, Amy Hepperle (a), Stockton, Calif., 1,902
74, Megan McGinley, Cinnaminson, N.J., 1,876
75, Jacquelynn Farris (a), Robert Park, Calif., 1,841
76, Karen Russell, El Dorado Hills, Calif., 1,747.