Menu ≡ ╳

Hot News

World Cup Excitement grows for the 55th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup By Paul Lane
Championships Korea dominates Medal Tally as World Junior Championships conclude in Paris
Championships Korea wins four out of five gold medals in the WJBC Arena Finals
Championships 2019 World Junior Bowling Championships – Semi-finalsts determined in Masters
Championships Korea and Mexico to bowl for the Team gold medal

Home » Navigation » PBA » PBA National Tour » Williams beats Weber for top seed at 2017 USBC Senior Masters

Williams beats Weber for top seed at 2017 USBC Senior Masters

11 June, 2017

PBA National Tour

2225

Ads

Two of the greatest bowlers of all-time met Saturday to determine the top seed for the stepladder finals at the 2017 United States Bowling Congress Senior Masters, and Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Oxford, Florida, prevailed against defending champion Pete Weber of St. Ann, Missouri.

Williams, the 2014 USBC Senior Masters champion, defeated Weber, 707-626, at the Sam’s Town Bowling Center in Las Vegas to take the top spot. Weber, also the 2013 champion, will be the No. 2 seed.

The finalists at the 2017 USBC Senior Masters, from left to right, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Pete Weber, Norm Duke, Bob Learn Jr. and Andy Neuer

The stepladder finals of the 2017 Senior Masters will be broadcast live on BowlTV on Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern, with the winner taking home the $16,000 top prize.

Williams and Weber will be joined in the championship round by No. 3 Norm Duke of Clermont, Florida, No. 4 Bob Learn Jr. of Boynton Beach, Florida, and No. 5 Andy Neuer of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. The three advanced to the stepladder based on their performances in a four-player shootout round Saturday.

Williams (left), a 57-year-old right-hander, cruised through the double-elimination match-play bracket, averaging more than 244 on his way to a 6-0 record.

“This week, when I was able to get it going, I really got it going,” said Williams, a USBC and Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Famer. “Yesterday was the best I had thrown the ball in a long time, so it was nice to get a little confidence as well as a read on the lanes.”

As the top seed in the true double-elimination format, Williams would have to lose twice in the stepladder to be denied a second Senior Masters title. A win Sunday would make him the seventh player to with multiple Senior Masters titles.

Williams also is a two-time winner at the USBC Masters, one of two bowlers to win both events. He would become the only bowler to win both two times each.

“I feel good and like what I’m doing this week,” said Williams, a 47-time PBA Tour and 10-time PBA50 Tour titlist. “My ball is reacting well, and the pins are falling for me, so hopefully I’m able to continue that. I haven’t been bowling as well as I would have liked so far this summer, so it’s nice to get something going.”

Weber (right), who qualified second overall this week, was looking to earn the top seed for the stepladder for the third consecutive year. If he’s able to successfully defend his title, he would become the tournament’s first three-time champion and first back-to-back winner since Tom Baker of King, North Carolina, in 2007.

In the shootout round Saturday, Duke, a USBC and PBA Hall of Famer, set the pace in the high-scoring match, earning the third spot with an 817 series.

Learn solidified his spot as the No. 4 seed by firing a 300 game in the finale for a 734 series, and Neuer earned the final spot in the stepladder with a 649 series, advancing to the championship round for the second consecutive year.

Tony Rodriguez Jr. of Rancho Cucamonga, California, posted a 618 series in the shootout and was eliminated, finishing in sixth place.

All 277 competitors at the 2017 Senior Masters bowled 15 games over three days to determine the 63 bowlers who joined Weber in the double-elimination match-play bracket.

All rounds of qualifying and match play were broadcast live on BowlTV.

Pete Weber among unbeaten at 2017 USBC Senior Masters
Parker Bohn earns top seed for match play at 2017 USBC Senior Masters
Brian LeClair moves into lead at 2017 USBC Senior Masters
Amleto Monacelli leads after first day at 2017 USBC Senior Masters
Back-to-back USBC Senior events ready to begin in Las Vegas
2017 PBA50 Tour Schedule & Champions

2017 USBC Senior Masters – Match Play Bracket

Double elimination, three-game matches decided by total pinfall.

Match Play Bracket

Winners Bracket Round 3

Winners remain in winners bracket. Losers move to elimination bracket.

(16) Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla., def. (32) Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 748-612
(41) Darryl Dempsey, St. Petersburg, Fla., def. (57) Roger Kossert, Lithia, Fla., 792-688
(5) Brian LeClair, Delmar, N.Y., def. (12) Eddie Graham, Centerville, Ohio, 703-606
(4) Bob Learn Jr., Boynton Beach, Fla., def. (20) Junichi Yajima, Japan, 760-707

(14) Andy Neuer, Lewisburg, Pa., def. (62) John Chovanec, Sugar Land, Texas, 732-686
(22) Lennie Boresch Jr., Kenosha, Wis., def. (59) James Wallace, Hicksville, N.Y., 731-565
(55) Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., def. (26) Tony Rodriguez Jr., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., 711-687
(2) Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., def. (47) Scott Kraye, La Habra, Calif., 691-554

Elimination Bracket Round 4

Losers eliminated, earn $1,350.

(8) Doug Becker, Clermont, Fla., def. (1) Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 741-729
(9) Paul McCordic, Sugar Land, Texas, def. (30) Sam Lantto, Eden Prairie, Minn., 658-603
(36) David Smith, Fort Worth, Texas, def. (37) William Nichols, Bella Vista, Ark., 658-558
(44) Ron Mohr, North Las Vegas, Nev., def. (45) Charles Vashaw, Deephaven, Minn., 702-658

(17) Joe Salvemini, Yuba City, Calif., def. (56) Christer Petersson, Sweden, 679-575
(46) Bryan Goebel, Shawnee, Kan., def. (40) Marv Sargent, Temecula, Calif., 680-645
(34) Dana Wright, St. Paul, Minn., def. (21) Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 659-583
(29) Tish Johnson, Colorado Springs, Colo., def. (28) Brian Kretzer, Kettering, Ohio, 786-707

Winners Bracket Round 4

Winners remain in winners bracket. Losers move to elimination bracket.

Williams def. Dempsey, 734-676
Learn def. LeClair, 690-619
Neuer def. Boresch, 685-655
Weber def. Duke, 738-706

Elimination Bracket Round 5

Losers eliminated, earn $1,500.

Becker def. Graham, 715-665
McCordic def. Yajima, 742-640
Koivuniemi def. Smith, 720-689
Mohr def. Kossert, 710-692

Kraye def. Salvemini, 695-661
Rodriguez def. Goebel, 651-631
Wallace def. Wright, 633-560
Chovanec def. Johnson, 702-673

Winners Bracket Round 5

Winners remain in winners bracket. Losers move to elimination bracket.

Williams def. Learn, 717-704
Weber def. Neuer, 658-574

Elimination Bracket Round 6

Losers eliminated, earn $2,000.

McCordic def. Becker, 676-671
Koivuniemi def. Mohr, 739-647
Rodriguez def. Kraye, 685-653
Chovanec def. Wallace, 773-659

Winners Bracket Round 5

Winner earns No. 1 seed for Sunday’s BowlTV finals; loser is No. 2 seed.

Williams def. Weber, 707-626

Elimination Bracket Round 7

Losers eliminated, earn $2,500.

Duke def. McCordic, 719-673
Koivuniemi def. Boresch, 759-676
Rodriguez def. LeClair, 706-646
Dempsey def. Chovanec, 640-614

Elimination Bracket Round 8

Losers eliminated, earn $3,000.

Duke def. Koivuniemi, 771-739
Rodriguez def. Dempsey, 623-574

Elimination Bracket Round 9

Three highest scores advance to Sunday’s BowlTV finals, high score is No. 3 seed, second high is No. 4, third high is No. 5, lowest score is eliminated, earns $3,500).

Duke 817, Learn 734, Neuer 649, Rodriguez 618.

Herbert Bickel