In an all-PBA Hall of Fame stepladder final that included five all-time greats with a combined 171 PBA Tour titles, Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Oxford, Fla., won two matches to claim the PBA50 Pasco County Florida Open title Tuesday at Lane Glo Bowl for his 10th PBA50 Tour win.

Pictured above from left to right: Gary Beck, Ed Caum (Pasco County Convention and Tourism Authority), Walter Ray, Chris & Chris Langlo (Lane Glo Bowl).

Williams, the PBA Tour’s all-time titles leader with 47 wins defeated 38-time Tour and two-time PBA50 Tour winner Norm Duke (right) of Clermont, Fla., 245-225, in the title match and in the process handed Duke his third consecutive championship match defeat in the Pasco County Open.

“It feels good to be back in the winner’s circle,” said Williams, whose last PBA50 Tour win came in the Treasure Island Resort & Casino Open in August of 2014. “Bowling with these guys tonight I had to feel blessed that I was able to bowl in an era with such great players.”

In the title match, Williams held a 21-pin lead over Duke in the sixth frame and then struck on the next four shots to seal the win.

“I really didn’t have a good read on the lanes,” said Williams. “I thought the lanes would be a lot tighter and they were hooking a lot more than I thought. Fortunately, I was able to adjust by steadily moving inside, finding a good hook spot, and catching some timely breaks.”

In the semifinal match, Williams ended Parker Bohn III‘s (left) bid to repeat as champion of the tournament by beating the 35-time Tour and three-time PBA50 Tour winner, 258-223.

The win in the first tournament of the season was especially satisfying for Williams after a slow start finishing 59th at the end of the first day of qualifying.

“Again, I just wasn’t reading the lanes well and was using the wrong equipment,” Williams said. “I think I averaged about 211 for my first 11 games and once I got things figured out I think I averaged about 250 the rest of the way.”

In the second stepladder match, Bohn defeated 37-time PBA Tour, four-time PBA50 Tour winner and reigning PBA50 Player of the Year Pete Weber (right), 257-224, to advance to the semifinal match against Williams.

In the opening match, Weber beat Johnny Petraglia (left), a winner of 14 PBA Tour and eight PBA50 Tour titles, 225-193. At age 69, Petraglia was hoping to become the oldest player to win a PBA50 Tour title. The record is held by the late James Brenner at 66 years and 358 days.

The Pasco County Florida Open was presented by the Pasco County Tourist Development Council and sponsored by the Law Office of Lucas Magazine.

The PBA50 Tour heads to The Villages, Fla., for the second stop of the 2016 season where Spanish Springs Lanes will host the UnitedHealthcare Sun Bowl In The Villages presented by Radical April 23-26. Fans can catch all the action on PBA’s online bowling channel Xtra Frame.

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PBA50 Pasco County Florida Open

Lane Glo Bowl in New Port Richey, Fla., USA (April 16-19, 2016)

Championship Round:
1. Walter Ray Williams Jr. (right), Oxford, Fla., 503 (2 games), $7,500
2. Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 225 (1 game), $4,000
3. Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 480 (2 games),$3,000
4. Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 449 (2 games), $2,500
5. Johnny Petraglia, Jackson, N.J., 193 (1 game), $2,000

Championship Round:
First Match: No. 4 Weber def. No. 5 Petraglia, 225-193
Second Match: No. 3 Bohn def. Weber, 257-224
Semifinal Match: No. 2 Williams def. Bohn, 258-223
Championship: Williams def. No. 1 Duke, 245-225

Modified Match Play Round 2

Players with position, hometown, match play record and 6-game total, including match play bonus pins. Top five advanced to stepladder finals.

1, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 5-1, 1,691
2, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla., 4-1-1, 1,600
3, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 5-1, 1,591
4, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 3-3, 1,553
5, John Petraglia, Jackson, N.J., 3-3, 1,548
6, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 3-3, 1,533, $1,700
7, Stoney Baker, Canton, Ga., 4-2, 1,527, $1,700
8, Brian Voss, Centennial, Colo., 3-3, 1,489, $1,700
9, John Donovan, Melbourne, Fla., 3-3, 1,466, $1,400
10, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 4-2, 1,456, $1,400
11, Mike Dias, Lafayette, Colo., 2-4, 1,414, $1,400
12, Brian LeClair, Delmar, N.Y., 2-4, 1,402, $1,400
13, John Dougherty III, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., 1-4-1, 1,397, $1,400
14, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 3-3, 1,390, $1,400
15, Thomas Ream, Tampa, Fla., 2-4, 1,299, $1,400
16, Craig Auerbach, Sunrise, Fla., 0-6, 1,142, $1,400

Modified Match Play Round 1

Players with position, hometown, match play record and 5-game total, including match play bonus pins

17, Sam Maccarone, Blackwood, N.J., 3-2, 1,245, $1,250
18, Warren Nelson, Hemet, Calif., 2-3, 1,215, $1,250
19, Jerry Brunette Jr., Rochester, N.Y., 4-1, 1,202, $1,250
20, Brian Cooper, Henderson, Nev., 3-2, 1,199, $1,250
21, Bryan Goebel, Shawnee, Kan., 3-2, 1,194, $1,200
22, Kevin Croucher, Grants Pass, Ore., 2-3, 1,193, $1,400
23, Harry Sullins, Chesterfield Twp., Mich., 3-2, 1,182, $1,200
24, Darin Hays, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 2-3, 1,172, $1,150
25, C.K. Moore, Gulf Breeze, Fla., 2-3, 1,157, $1,150
26, Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., 1-4, 1,150, $1,250
27, Stephen Pavlinko, Sewell, N.J., 1-4, 1,144, $1,150
28, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 2-3, 1,140, $1,150
29, Todd Haney, Boiling Springs, S.C., 2-3, 1,095, $1,075
30, Darryl Bower, Middletown, Pa., 1-4, 1,078, $1,075
31, David Williams Jr., Omaha, Neb., 1-4, 1,043, $1,075
32, Frank Gallo Jr., Jacksonville, Fla., 1-4, 1,042, $1,050

Other Cashers

Players with position, hometown and 5-game total; ss-denotes PBA60 player ages 60 and over

33, Bo Goergen, Sanford, Mich., 1,127, $1,075
34, John Conroy, Mahopac, N.Y., 1,124, $1,075
35, ss-Bill Henson, Westerville, Ohio, $1,075
36, ss-Roger Kossert, Lithia, Fla., 1,119, $1,075
37, Christopher Keane, Cape Coral, Fla., 1,118, $1,075
38, ss-John Dudak, Orland Park, Ill., 1,116, $1,075
39, ss-Ron Mohr, Las Vegas, 1,112. $1,075
40, ss-Paul Mielens, Menomonie, Wis., 1,105, $1,075
41, Marty Berke, Allentown, Pa., 1,099, $1,000
42, Tommy Martin, Olive Branch, Miss., 1,098, $1,000
43, Brian Brazeau, Ocala, Fla., 1,096, $1,000
44, Bob Learn Jr., Erie, Pa., 1,083, $1,000
45, (tie) ss-Dave Bernhardt, Romeo, Mich., and ss-Lee Brosius, Ashburn, Va., 1,078. $1,000
47, Dennis Rakauskas, Apopka, Fla., 1,076, $1,000
48, Ernie Segura Jr., Taylor, Mich., 1,059, $1,000
49, ss-Ted Staikoff, Black Hawk, S.D., 1,057. $1,000
50, ss-Steven Jansson, Barnes, Wis., 1,044, $1,000
51, Dave Sill, Titusville, Fla., 1,043, $1,000
52, Don Breeden, Clive, Iowa, 1,031, $1,000
53, Doug O’Bryant, Ball Ground, Ga., 1,023, $1,000
54, James Hansen, Anchorage, Alaska, 1,017, $1,000
55, Todd Kjell, Roscoe, Ill., 1,013, $1,000
56, Tracy Teeters, Eugene, Ore., 993, $1,000
57, ss-James Knoblauch, Waukesha, Wis., 956, $1,000
58, Scott Greiner, Platte City, Mo., 947. $1,000