Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Famer Pete Weber continued his torrid 2016 PBA50 Tour campaign Tuesday night, winning the Johnny Petraglia BVL Open presented by Brunswick at Farmingdale Lanes in Farmingdale, N.Y., for a record-tying third consecutive PBA50 Tour title.

Weber (left) again dominated the field of 50-and-older players to earn the top berth in the stepladder finals, but he narrowly escaped with a 223-204 victory over Brian LeClair of Delmar, N.Y., when LeClair (right) left a pocket 7-10 split on his first shot in the 10th frame.

L-R Johnny Petraglia, Pete Weber and proprietors John and Joe LaSpina.

With his win, Weber tied the PBA50 Tour record for consecutive titles set by Tom Baker of King, N.C., in 2006. With his seventh career PBA50 Tour title, Weber also broke a personal tie with his late father, who won six PBA50 titles.

Weber also noted he won the first Johnny Petraglia Open, held on the PBA Tour at Brunswick Zone Carolier in N. Brunswick, N.J., 25 years ago.

Thus far in 2016, Weber – the reigning PBA50 Player of the Year – has a fourth-place finish in the season-opening Pasco County Florida Open followed by consecutive titles in the UnitedHealthcare Sun Bowl in The Villages in Florida and the Mooresville Ford Open in North Carolina.

Weber will try for his fourth consecutive title in the Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open at Suncoast Bowling Center in Las Vegas, May 30-June 3, where Weber also is defending champion.

“I’ve won a couple titles in a row, maybe made a show the next week, but I’ve never won three in a row, so it’s kinda cool,” Weber said. Unlike many PBA players, Weber was watching when LeClair threw his ill-fated shot in the 10th frame.

“I always watch,” he said. “When Brian let it go, I thought, I just lost. But Dad always said I’d rather be lucky than good. I’d rather be both, but tonight I got lucky.”

And Weber said his confidence will be soaring when he goes for a fourth consecutive title in Las Vegas in a couple of weeks. “You know me and the majors. I love the majors,” he said. “Having 17 days off before we bowl in Vegas is a big advantage to me. I’ll be relaxed and ready to win again.”

LeClair, in his second year of PBA50 competition, dominated the early matches, tripping PBA Hall of Famers Tom Baker (left) of King, N.C., 258-247, and Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Oxford, Fla., 221-205, in the first two matches. LeClair then won a battle of New Yorkers in the semifinal contest, eliminating Ray Edwards of Middle Island, 238-184.

The second Petraglia BVL Open, like its predecessor, raised nearly $50,000 in support of the nation’s military veterans. “If we can keep raising that kind of money for the people who are protecting us every day, that’s what it’s all about,” Petraglia said.

The entire tournament was video-streamed live on PBA’s Xtra Frame online bowling channel. The PBA50 Tour’s next Xtra Frame’s event will be the Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open from Las Vegas, May 30-June 3.

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PBA50 Johnny Petraglia BVL Open – Stepladder Results

Farmingdale Lanes in Farmingdale, N.Y., USA (May 7-10, 2016)

Championship Round:
1, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 223 (1 game), $7,500
2, Brian LeClair, Delmar, N.Y., 921 (4 game), $4,000
3, Ray Edwards, Middle Island, N.Y., 184 (1 game), $2,500
4, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla., 205 (1 game), $2,000
5, ss-Tom Baker, King, N.C., 247 (1 game), $1,750

Playoff Results:
First Match: No. 4 LeClair def. No. 5 Baker, 258-247
Second Match: LeClair def. No. 3 Williams, 221-205
Semifinal Match: LeClair def. No. 2 Edwards, 238-184
Championship: No. 1 Weber def. LeClair, 223-204

PBA50 Johnny Petraglia BVL Open – Modified Match Play Round 2

Players with position, hometown and 6-game total, including match play bonus pins; top five advanced to stepladder finals; places 6-16 show earnings

1, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 6-0, 1,643
2, Ray Edwards, Middle Island, N.Y., 5-1, 1,537
3, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla., 4-2, 1,505
4, Brian LeClair, Delmar, N.Y., 4-2, 1,481
5, ss-Tom Baker, King, N.C., 4-2, 1,450
6, Stoney Baker, Canton, Ga., 3-3, 1,401, $1,500
7, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 4-2, 1,400, $1,500
8, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 2-4, 1,398, $1,500
9 Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 3-3, 1,376, $1,300
(tie) James Hansen, Anchorage, Alaska, 2-4, 1,376, $1,300
11, Kenny Parks, Hammond, Ind., 3-3, 1,340, $1,300
12, n-Michael Dioguardo, Patchogue, N.Y., 1-5, 1,321, $1,300
13, John Burkett, Southlake, Texas, 2-4, 1,302, $1,300
14, Robert Brown, Cody, Wyo., 2-4, 1,293, $1,300
15, Bob Learn Jr., Erie, Pa., 1-5, 1,252, $1,300
16, ss-Gary Shultis, Levittown, N.Y., 2-4, 1,234, $1,300

PBA50 Johnny Petraglia BVL Open – Modified Match Play Round 1

Players with position, hometown and 5-game total, including match play bonus pins; top 16 advance to second round; places 17-32 show earnings

17, ss-Steve Stein, Staten Island, N.Y., 3-2, 1,150, $1,150
18, George Tignor, Winchendon, Mass., 3-2, 1,141, $1,150
19, Stephen Pavlinko, Sewell, N.J., 2-3, 1,091, $1,150
20, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 2-2-1, 1,086, $1,150
21, Mike Hastings, Millsboro, Del., 3-1-1, 1,073, $1,150
22, Brian Cooper, Henderson, Nev., 1-4, 1,062, $1,150
23, ss-Ron Mohr, Las Vegas, 1-4, 1,040, $1,150
24, Jay Boyle, Garnet Valley, Pa., 2-3, 1,034, $1,150
25, Sammy Ventura, Syracuse, N.Y., 2-3, 1,013, $1,050
26, Bob Spaulding, Colorado Springs, Colo., 2-3, 1,002, $1,050
27, n-Steven DiMartino, Upper Saddle River,N.J., 1-3-1, 972, $1,050
28, Don Herrington, Ballston Lake, N.Y., 2-3, 946, $1,050
29, ss-Chris Fedden, Albany, N.Y., 1-4, 941, $1,050
30, ss-John Petraglia, Jackson, N.J., 0-4-1, 935, $1,050
31, John Conroy, Mahopac, N.Y., 0-5, 891, $1,050
32, ss-John Dudak, Orland Park, Ill., 1-4, 889, $1,050

PBA50 Johnny Petraglia BVL Open – Other Cashers

Players with position, hometown after five-game cashers’ round; ss-denotes PBA60 player; n-denotes non-member

33, ss-Steve Ferraro, Kingston, N.Y., 970, $1,000
34, ss-Dale Eagle, Laguna Niguel, Calif., 959, $1,000
35, ss-Ted Staikoff, Black Hawk, S.D., 953, $1,000
36, Tom Carter, Columbus, Ohio, 951, $1,000
37, n-ss-Jim Zimmerman, Oakland, N.J., 933, $1,000
38, ss-Edward Roberts, Braintree, Mass., 930, $1,000
39, n-ss-Dave Abate, Cranston, R.I., 914, $1,000
40, ss-Brendan Bierch, Grafton, Mass., 816, $1,000