Belmonte Holds On To Lead at US Open

Australia’s Jason Belmonte barely held onto the lead after the opening round of match play in the 67th Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open at Woodland Bowl Friday, fending off challengers Bill O’Neill of Southampton, PA, and Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, SC.

Belmonte, who led by 178 pins heading into Friday’s competition, finished the
day with a 5-3 match play record, 7,871 total pins for 35 games and a 27-pin
edge over O’Neill. Jones, who came into match play 273 pins behind of the
Australian two-handed star, was in third place, 79 pins behind after both he and
O’Neill had closed to within eight pins of the lead with one game to go.

Parker Bohn III of Jackson, NJ, was in fourth place with 7,664 pins and
two-time U.S. Open champion Walter Ray Williams Jr., who is trying for his 48th
career victory and second major title of the season, was in fifth place with a
7,657 total.

“It was me and Frodo Baggins walking to Mordor tonight,” Belmonte said. “It was
an adventure like Lord of the Rings. I needed a map.

“In match play the lanes are going to play differently depending upon who played where and how the oil was broken down as you move across the center,” Belmonte added. “It’s really different in the U.S. Open because earlier in the day, guys played all over the lanes. It was hard to find anything, but Tommy Jones found something. Everyone else was bowling 180s and he had nothing under 205. But that’s what makes players at his echelon as good as they are. They rise up.”

O’Neill, who said he made a change in his timing and the way he was playing the lanes after he wound up in 185th place after the first six games, almost
overtook Belmonte.

“I’m bowling good now. I’m getting a good ball reaction and I got some good luck tonight. Three times guys could have beat me in the 10th frame and they didn’t,”
O’Neill said. “I was fortunate. I’ll have to do better tomorrow or I won’t be
around on Sunday.”

The 24 match play finalists will bowl two more eight-game match play rounds
Saturday to determine the top four players who will advance to Sunday’s live
ESPN stepladder finals at 12:30 p.m. Eastern.

67TH LUMBER LIQUIDATORS U.S. OPEN
Woodland Bowl, Indianapolis, Friday, Feb. 26

FIFTH ROUND (after 35 games, including won-lost records and pinfall including
match play bonus pins)
1, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 5-3, 7,871.
2, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 6-2, 7,842.
3, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 6-2, 7,792.
4, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 4-4, 7,664.
5, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 6-2, 7,657.
6, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 5-3, 7,652.
7, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 6-2, 7,625.
8, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 3-5, 7,613.
9, Dave D'Entremont, Middleburg Heights, Ohio, 6-2, 7,599.
10, Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 4-4, 7,589.
11, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 5-3, 7,562.
12, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 2-6, 7,550.
13, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 6-2, 7,527.
14, Robert Smith, Columbus, Ohio, 3-5, 7,492.
15, Ronnie Russell, Camby, Ind., 5-3, 7,467.
16, Jason Wojnar, Chicago, 4-4, 7,458.
17, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 3-5, 7,440.
18, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 3-5, 7,414.
19, Brian LeClair, Athens, N.Y., 5-3, 7,411.
20, David Beres, Waukesha, Wis., 2-6, 7,404.
21, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 3-5, 7,379.
22, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 2-6, 7,292.
23, Anthony Jordan, Sycamore, Ill., 2-6, 7,284.
24, Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela, 0-8, 7,266.