PBA50 Tour rookie Michael Haugen Jr. of Phoenix compiled a 9-3 match play record and averaged 225 for 12 games Thursday to move into the Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open presented by Storm lead at the Suncoast Bowling Center in Las Vegas.

Bowling in his first season on PBA’s tour for players 50 and over after a nearly two-decade career on the PBA Tour where he won five titles including the 2008 PBA Tournament of Champions, Haugen (pictured above) finished with a 6,865 30-game pinfall total (including 30 bonus pins for each match win) to lead 20 players who advanced to Friday’s match play.

“I’ve been in this position before,” said Haugen, who finished second in the PBA Tour’s U.S. Open in 2003. “I just need to rely on my experience and hopefully catch a break at the right time and just believe good things will happen.

“This feels like the regular tour to me,” Haugen added. “It’s a demanding tournament with a lot of great bowlers so I don’t mind telling you that I’m pretty exhausted right now.”

Friday’s two six-game match play rounds will determine the top five players for the stepladder finals for the season’s final major set to start at 4 p.m. PT (7 p.m. ET).

Haugen got off to a strong start going 6-0 in Thursday morning’s first match play round and followed it up with a 3-3 record in the second round.

“The key for me has been to pay close attention to what my ball is doing and make the necessary equipment and lane adjustments,” he said. “Just keep trying to knock all the pins down the first time, and if not, knock down whatever is left on the second shot.”

So far this season Haugen has three top-five finishes with a best of third which came in the PBA50 Players Championship and the Pasco County Florida Open.

Haugen holds a 14-pin lead over qualifying leader Brian LeClair (left) of Delmar, N.Y., in second with a 6,851 pinfall. LeClair, who has won two titles this season, also posted a 9-3 record in Thursday’s match play.

Rounding out the top five were three-time PBA50 Tour winner Bob Learn Jr. (right) of Erie, Pa., who finished the day with a 7-5 record and 6,834 pinfall; PBA Hall of Famer Doug Kent of Newark, N.Y., 8-4, and 6,749 pinfall, and Andrew Frawley of Australia, 9-2-1, and 6,743 pinfall.

Two-time defending champion, PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber (left) of St. Ann, Mo., advanced to Friday’s match play finishing 10th with a 6,640 pinfall. The 2015 and 2016 PBA50 Player of the Year posted a 7-5 match play record for the day.

Two-time Senior U.S. Open winner, PBA Hall of Famer Amleto Monacelli (right) of Venezuela, bowled his second 300 game of the tournament in the second match play round. The 2012 and 2013 Senior U.S. Open winner, who finished the round in 12th with 6,572, defeated two-time PBA50 Player of the Year Ron Mohr of Las Vegas, 300-210, in the second game of the second match play round. Mohr hit the cutoff number for 20th place with 6,445

Both Weber and Monacelli are trying to become the Senior U.S. Open’s first three-time winner.

PBA Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr. (left) of Oxford, Fla., who won his second USBC Senior Masters title last week, also advanced to Friday’s match play finishing ninth with a 6-6 record and 6,656 pinfall.

All rounds of the tournament, including the stepladder finals, are streamed live exclusively on PBA’s Xtra Frame online bowling channel. For subscription and schedule information click here.

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Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open – Fifth Round Standings

Players with position, hometown, match play record and 30-game total, including match win bonus pins. Top 20 advance to Friday’s match play. n-denotes non-member.

1, Michael Haugen Jr., Phoenix, 9-3, 6,865
2, Brian LeClair, Delmar, N.Y., 9-3, 6,851
3, Bob Learn Jr., Erie, Pa., 7-5, 6,834
4, Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y., 8-4, 6,749
5, Andrew Frawley, Australia, 9-2-1, 6,743
6, Harry Sullins, Chesterfield Twp., Mich., 7-5, 6,721
7, Mika Koivuniemi, Finland, 7-5, 6,714
8, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 9-2-1, 6,671
9, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla., 6-6, 6,656
10, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 7-5, 6,640
11, Ted Staikoff, Black Hawk, S.D., 7-5, 6,637
12, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 5-7, 6,572
13, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 3-8-1, 6,564
14, Eddie Graham, Centerville, Ohio, 6-6, 6,563
15, Brian Voss, Centennial, Colo., 6-5-1, 6,559
16, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 4-8, 6,515
17, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 7-5, 6,480
18, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 5-7, 6,476
19, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 8-4, 6,449
20, Ron Mohr, Las Vegas, 6-6, 6,445

Missed Cut:
21, Mark Williams, Beaumont, Texas, 6-6, 6,439, $1,400
22, Tom Carter, Columbus, Ohio, 7-5, 6,400, $1,380
23, n-Dave Cirigliano, Phoenix, 4-8, 6,376, $1,370
24, John Burkett, Southlake, Texas, 7-5, 6,373, $1,360
25, Joe Goldstein, San Bruno, Calif., 3-9, 6,372, $1,350
26, Ricky Schissler, Brighton, Colo., 7-5, 6,368, $1,340
27, Greg McDaniel, Kimball, Neb., 5-7, 6,338, $1,330
28, Rick Minier, Houston, 4-8, 6,332, $1,320
29, n-Paul Renteria, Henderson, Nev., 7-4-1, 6,328, $1,310
30, Rick Steelsmith, Wichita, Kan., 5-7, 6,303, $1,300
31, (tie) Robert Lawrence, Austin, Texas, 6-6, 6,284, and
Ernie Segura Jr., Taylor, Mich., 5-7, 6,284, $1,285
33, Don Blatchford, Santa Monica, Calif., 4-8, 6,278, $1,270
34, n-Andrew Neuer, Lewisburg, Pa., 4-8, 6,275, $1,260
35, Paul McCordic, Sugar Land, Texas, 7-5, 6,270, $1,250
36, Sammy Ventura, Syracuse, N.Y., 5-7, 6,238, $1,240
37, Olle Svenson, Lerum, Sweden, 3-9, 6,215, $1,230
38, Peter Knopp, Germany, 5-6-1, 6,162, $1,220
39, Willie Wells, Dallas, Texas, 5-7, 6,143, $1,210
40, Tommy Martin, Olive Branch, Miss., 3-9, 5,960, $1,200

Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open – Fourth Round Standings

Players with position, hometown, match play record and 24-game total, including match win bonus pins. n-denotes non-member.

1, Michael Haugen Jr., Phoenix, 6-0, 5,430
2, Brian LeClair, Delmar, N.Y., 4-2, 5,404
3, Harry Sullins, Chesterfield Twp., Mich., 4-2, 5,348
4, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla., 3-3, 5,334
5, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 2-4, 5,318
6, Ted Staikoff, Black Hawk, S.D., 6-0, 5,294
7, Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y., 4-2, 5,277
8, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 4-2, 5,275
9, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 5-0-1, 5,258
10, Andrew Frawley, Australia, 4-1-1, 5,254
11, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 3-3, 5,218
12, Bob Learn Jr., Erie, Pa., 2-4, 5,201
13, Mark Williams, Beaumont, Texas, 4-2, 5,195
14, n-Dave Cirigliano, Phoenix, 3-3, 5,183
15, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 4-2, 5,177
16, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 2-4, 5,164
17, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 3-3, 5,151
18, Brian Voss, Centennial, Colo., 3-2-1, 5,144
19, Joe Goldstein, San Bruno, Calif., 2-4, 5,139
20, Rick Minier, Houston, 4-2, 5,136
21, Rick Steelsmith, Wichita, Kan., 4-2, 5,124
22, Tom Carter, Columbus, Ohio, 5-1, 5,123
23, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 4-2, 5,121
24, Greg McDaniel, Kimball, Neb., 3-3, 5,094
25, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 1-5, 5,069
26, Ricky Schissler, Brighton, Colo., 3-3, 5,058
27, n-Andrew Neuer, Lewisburg, Penn., 2-4, 5,027
28, (tie) Sammy Ventura, Syracuse, N.Y., 2-4, and
Ernie Segura Jr., Taylor, Mich., 3-3, 5,024
30, Ron Mohr, Las Vegas, 2-4, 5,022
31, Olle Svenson, Sweden, 1-5, 5,012
32, Eddie Graham, Centerville, Ohio, 0-6, 5,004
33, John Burkett, Southlake, Texas, 3-3, 4,998
34, Paul McCordic, Sugar Land, Texas, 3-3, 4,996
35, Don Blatchford, Santa Monica, Calif., 2-4, 4,980
36, n-Paul Renteria, Henderson, Nev., 2-3-1, 4,919
37, Willie Wells, Dallas, Texas, 2-4, 4,898
38, Robert Lawrence, Austin, Texas, 1-5, 4,873
39, Peter Knopp, Germany, 2-4, 4,870
40, Tommy Martin, Olive Branch, Miss., 1-5, 4,767

300 games (1) – Amleto Monacelli.