Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr. averaged 246 to lead qualifying in the PBA50 South Shore Open presented by DV8 Wednesday putting him in good position to reach another record in a career that has lasted more than three decades.

Heading into Thursday’s match play rounds, Williams (pictured) led qualifying with a 3,941 16-game pinfall total at Olympia Lanes in Hammond, Ind., and if he can win his 11th PBA50 Tour title, the all-time leader on the PBA Tour titles list with 47 wins will have won a combined 100 titles in PBA Tour, PBA50 Tour, PBA regional and PBA50 regional competition.

“It would be nice to reach it out here on the PBA50 Tour but I’ll take it whenever it comes, said Williams, who won the PBA50 Treasure Island Resort & Casino Viper Championship PBA50 regional title in Welch, Minn. last week for his 99th title. “I’m hopeful that I’ll get it sooner than later.”

In addition to his 47 PBA Tour titles and 10 PBA50 Tour titles, Williams has 32 PBA regional and 10 PBA50 regional titles.

Williams had games of 238, 224, 230, 268, 300, 217, 235 and 235 in his second round which gave him the qualifying lead for the first time this season.

“My qualifying hasn’t been very impressive this year, maybe only the second time I’ve qualified in the top eight,” said Williams, who will be trying for his second title of the season having won the Pasco County Florida Open to start the season.

“I was having this feeling that I was hanging up in the ball recently and would have a tendency to pull it. I went to a new layout for my grip this week and it’s really helped.”

Amleto Monacelli (left), also looking for his second title of the season, finished qualifying 53 pins behind Williams in second with a 3,888 pinfall total. The Hall of Famer won the PBA50 Fountain Valley Open for his sixth career PBA50 Tour title in June.

Finishing third was first round leader five-time PBA regional titlist Eddie Graham Jr. (right) of Centerville, Ohio with a 3,867 pinfall.

Hall of Famers Pete Weber (left) and Parker Bohn III (right) rounded out the top five.

Weber, who has won a record five PBA50 Tour titles this season including the Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open and United States Bowling Congress Senior Masters, finished qualifying in fourth with 3,844, and Bohn, a three-time PBA50 Tour winner finished fifth with 3,808.

Weber is just one title behind Williams in the overall PBA title race with 98 wins.

Fans can catch Thursday’s match play rounds and stepladder finals live on PBA’s online bowling channel Xtra Frame. Subscription and schedule information is available by clicking here here.

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PBA50 South Shore Open – Second Round Standings

Players with position, hometown and 16-game total; Top 16 advance to match play. Positions 17-27 plus eight PBA60 players advance to cashers round to determine eight additional match play finalists; ss-denotes PBA60 player ages 60 and over advancing to cashers round, n-denotes non-member

1, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla., 3,941
2, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 3,888
3, Eddie Graham, Centerville, Ohio, 3,867
4, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 3,844
5, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 3,808
6, Jerry Brunette Jr., Rochester, N.Y., 3,797
7, Sam Maccarone, Blackwood, N.J., 3,691
8, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 3,688
9, Robert Nelson, Las Vegas, Nev., 3,682
10, ss-Warren Nelson, Middleburg, Fla., 3,675
11, Gregg Zicha, Glen Ellyn, Ill., 3,670
12, Bryan Goebel, Shawnee, Kan., 3,666
13, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 3,661
14, Gary Alstott, Washington, Ill., 3,648
15, Robert Brown, Cody, Wyo., 3,644
16, Kenny Parks, Hammond, Ind., 3,622

17, Brian Cooper, Henderson, Nev., 3,616
18, Doug Becker, Clermont, Fla., 3,610
19, (tie) Sammy Ventura, Syracuse, N.Y., and Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 3,608
21, (tie) Paul McCordic, Sugar Land, Texas, and Michael Henry, Brunswick, Ohio, 3,607
23, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 3,606
24, Mark Sullivan, Indianapolis, 3,595
25, Ernie Segura Jr., Taylor, Mich., 3,592
26, Brian Voss, Centennial, Colo., 3,588
27, Brad Snell, Mount Prospect, Ill., 3,586

28, ss-James Knoblauch, Waukesha, Wis., 3,549
29, ss-Steve Stein, Staten Island, N.Y., 3,548
30, ss-Dave Bernhardt, Romeo, Mich., 3,530
31, ss-John Dudak, Orland Park, Ill., 3,518
32, ss-Steven Jansson, Barnes, Wis., 3,482
33, ss-Dennis Lane, Kingsport, Tenn., 3,458
34, ss-Marc Lineberry, Camanche, Iowa, 3,442
35, ss-Emilio Mora Sr., Defiance, Ohio, 3,430

Missed Cut:
36, Billy Froberg, Baroda, Mich., 3,581
37, John Brockland, St. Charles, Mo., 3,579
38, n-Rick Thomas, Willowbrook, Ill., 3,547
39, Christopher Keane, Cape Coral, Fla., 3,531
40, Don Herrington, Ballston Lake, N.Y., 3,526
41, Dale Traber, Cedarburg, Wis., 3,500
42, Harry Sullins, Chesterfield Twp., Mich., 3,497
43, Tom Carter, Columbus, Ohio, 3,469
44, Brian LeClair, Delmar, N.Y., 3,467
45, (tie) Robert Kicmal, LaGrange, Ill.
46, Rick Francis, Linden, Calif., 3,452
47, Rick Zakrajsek, Lorain, Ohio, 3,447
48, (tie) William Scharf, Gillette, Wyo., and Todd Kjell, Roscoe, Ill., 3,429
50, Rick Woloszyn, Griffith, Ind., 3,407
51, John Chapman, Canada, 3,403
52, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 3,387
53, Dale Eagle, Twin Falls, Idaho, 3,385
54, David Welch, St. Louis, Mo., 3,367
55, n-Ken Carcich, Sheridan, Wyo., 3,362
56, William Banks, Laurel Hill, N.C., 3,357
57, (tie) Jeff Richgels, Madison, Wis., and Edward Silva, Manteca, Calif., 3,339
59, Tommy Martin, Olive Branch, Miss., 3,334
60, John Kidwell, Indianapolis, Ind., 3,316
61, Ted Staikoff, Black Hawk, S.D., 3,312
62, Fred Cole, Visalia, Calif., 3,310
63, Bill Henson, Westerville, Ohio, 3,307
64, Tim Pierce, Portland, Ore., 3,297
65, Ron Mohr, Las Vegas, 3,273
66, Kerry Fulford, Ft. Worth, Texas, 3,260
67, Robert Donovan, Prattsville, N.Y., 3,257
68, Tracy Teeters, Eugene, Ore., 3,255
69, Leroy Johnson, Chicago, 3,224
70, Glenn Morgan, Carson City, Nev., 3,208
71, Galen Keas, Alda, Neb., 3,191
72, Paul Mielens, Menomonie, Wis., 3,184
73, Brendan Bierch, Grafton, Mass., 3,135
74, Warren Burr, Wilmington, Del., 3,132
75, n, Frank Tardio, Inverness, Ill., 3,067
76, Lyle Zikes, Arlington Heights, Ill., 3,066
77, Danny Clark, New Palestine, Ind., 3,015
78, Ken Waters, Kingsport, Tenn., 3,014
79, William Keenan Jr., Orlando, Fla., 3,005
80, Allen Meskan, Addison, Ill., 2,941
81, Harv Pallas, Stevensville, Mich., 2,780
82, Bob Learn Jr., Erie, Pa., 2,242

300 games (3) – Walter Ray Williams Jr., Steve Stein, Robert Nelson.