Tom Baker Leads PBA Senior Lake County Open in Hammond

Tom Baker has often found himself among the leaders in qualifying rounds of Professional Bowlers Association Senior Tour tournaments this season only to lose momentum in match play.

With a 228.75 16-game average, the PBA Hall of Famer and four-time Senior Player of the Year found himself atop the leader board once again after the second round of the PBA Senior Lake County Open at Olympia Lanes Wednesday.

Baker, a nine-time Senior Tour titlist, leads with a 3,660 16-game pinfall bowling 1,877 for eight games Wednesday after bowling 1,783 in Tuesday’s round. He leads a list of 32 players from the original field of 108 who advanced to Thursday’s match play rounds which begin at 9 a.m.

“It’s a situation I’ve found myself in before where I’ve qualified well but just can’t seal the deal in match play,” said Baker, whose best finish this year has been fourth in the Senior Miller High Life Classic and Senior Mark Roth Allentown Open.
In Wednesday’s second round Baker had games of 276, 200, 200, 257, 216, 235, 224 and 269 and found the need to make adjustments less dramatic than Tuesday’s round.

“Yesterday I had to make much bigger moves,” said Baker whose last Senior Tour win came a year ago in the Senior Decatur Open. “As the block progressed I was making 10 or 15-board adjustments. Today, I don’t think I had to move more than five boards and the lanes just seemed be a little more consistent.”

Baker leads hometown favorite and 2008 USBC Senior Masters winner Kenny Parks of Hammond in second with 3,608.

“It’s kind of up to me at this point,” said Parks, “It would be great to win because I’ve got a lot of support here. I just need to have some breaks go my way.”

Rounding out the top five are two-time Senior Tour titlist Harry Sullins in third with 3,575; Hall of Famer and three-time Senior Tour winner Mark Williams, in fourth with 3,567, and Ron Mohr, with three wins this season, in fifth with 3,543.

PBA.com’s live Xtra Frame coverage continues all day on Thursday. For subscription information visit www.xtraframe.tv>.

PBA SENIOR LAKE COUNTY OPENOlympia Lanes, Hammond, Ind.

SECOND ROUND (after 16 games)

1, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 3,660.
2, Kenny Parks, Hammond, Ind., 3,608.
3, Harry Sullins, Chesterfield Township, Mich., 3,575.
4, Mark Williams, Beaumont, Texas, 3,567.
5, Ron Mohr, Eagle River, Alaska, 3,543.
6, Randy Peterson, Carrington, N.D., 3,533.
7, Kerry Painter, Henderson, Nev., 3,502.
8, Dale Traber, Cedarburg, Wis., 3,461.
9, John Dudak, Orland Park, Ill., 3,459.
10, Gary Skidmore, Albuquerque, N.M., 3,455.
11, Patric Donaghue, Honeoye Falls, N.Y., 3,443.
12, John Chapman, Canada, 3,439.
13, Ron Profitt, Brookville, Ohio, 3,433.
14, Ricky Beck, Box Elder, S.D., 3,426.
15, Ray Johnson, Battle Creek, Mich., 3,419.
16, Mike Dias, Lafayette, Colo., 3,414.
17, George Lord, Lakeland, Fla., 3,410.
18, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 3,404.
19, Michael Henry, Brunswick, Ohio, 3,403.
20, Guppy Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., 3,402.
21, Kent Wagner, Palmetto, Fla., 3,401.
22, (tie) Michael Camerano, Brookfield, Ill., and Dale Eagle, Tavares, Fla., 3,394.
24, Peter Knopp, Germany, 3,378.
25, Tom Carter, Rockford, Ill., 3,377.
26, Vince Mazzanti Jr., Levittown, Pa., 3,373.
27, Timothy Kauble, Marion, Ohio, 3,363.
28, Brad Snell, Mount Prospect, Ill., 3,360.
29, Larry Popp, Marion, Ohio, 3,351.
30, Don Sylvia, Reno, Nev., 3,340.
31, Michael Truitt, Orland Park, Ill., 3,324.
32, Christopher Keane, New City, N.Y., 3,318.

Did Not Advance
s-super seniors out of regular prize list cashing for $700

33, Henry Gonzalez, Colorado Springs, Colo., 3,317, $900.
34, Steve Ferraro, Kingston, N.Y., 3,315, $900.
35, Tom Howison, Chillicothe, Ohio, 3,309, $900.
36, Mark Everette, Aliquippa, Pa., 3,301, $900.
37, s-Barry Gurney, West Hills, Calif., 3,300, $700.
38, Dan Duskin Sr, Atlantic, Iowa, 3,290.
39, Robert Harvey, Boise, Idaho, 3,287.
40, s-Don Blatchford, Santa Monica, Calif., 3,278, $700.
41, s-Harley Trumbull, New Boston, Mich., 3,255, $700.
42, Shannon Starnes, Fort Worth, Texas, 3,254.
43, Kevin Croucher, Grants Pass, Ore., 3,251.
44, Rick Hara, Mount Prospect, Ill., 3,242.
45, Michael Chrzanowski, Shepherd, Mich., 3,241.
46, Mike Hastings, Millsboro, Del., 3,239.
47, s-Sal Bongiorno, Hollywood, Fla., 3,237, $700.
48, Todd Kjell, Roscoe, Ill., 3,234.
49, s-Dave Soutar, Bradenton, Fla., 3,232, $700.
50, s-Dave Bernhardt, Romeo, Mich., 3,231, $700.
51, Bill Neumann, Rensselaer, NY, 3,216.
52, (tie) Bo Goergen, Sanford, Mich., and Dave Patchen, Oregon, Ohio, 3,210.
54, s-Frank Gallo Jr., Jacksonville, Fla., 3,208, $700.
55, Russ Freeman, Antioch, Ill., 3,206.
56, Ralph Smith, Colorado Springs, Colo., 3,205.
57, Gary Hiday, Indianapolis, 3,202.
58, Robert Flaws, Chicago Ridge, Ill., 3,191.
59, Douglas Weese, Carson City, Mich., 3,185.
60, Vince Honeycutt, Buford, Ga., 3,183.
61, Bill Henson, Westerville, Ohio, 3,181.
62, James Brenner, LeClaire, Iowa, 3,173.
63, (tie)Keith Oszuscik, Plymouth, Pete Bryan, Laurel Del, and Bill Idzior, Crown Point, IN 3,172.
66, Rick Vittone, Canada, 3,171.
67, Dave Sill, Rockledge, Fla., 3,161.
68, Terry Metzner, Kentwood, Mich., 3,158.
69, Larry Matovina, Griffith, Ind., 3,157.
70, Bill McCorkle, Westerville, Ohio, 3,156.
71, Brendan Bierch, Grafton, Mass., 3,145.
72, Dannie Hettinger, Circleville, Ohio, 3,140.
73, Marc Lineberry, Camanche, Iowa, 3,135.
74, Gregg Schmied, Schererville, Ind., 3,129.
75, Mark Glover, Woodbridge, Va., 3,126.
76, Roy Buckley, New Albany, Ohio, 3,116.
77, John Shreve Sr., Elyria, Ohio, 3,093.
78, Rich Wilkinson, Bennington, Neb., 3,091.
79, Dennis Weatherman, Coloma, Mich., 3,066.
80, Dennis Amato, Pine Brook, N.J., 3,059.
81, Rod Michael, Florissant, Mo., 3,056.
82, Jake Greene, Chicago, Ill., 3,055.
83, Garry Blanton, Owensboro, Ky., 3,049.
84, Rick Woloszyn, Griffith, Ind., 3,046.
85, (tie) Emilio Mora Sr., Defiance, Ohio, and Larry Graybeal, Elizabethton, Tenn., 3,045.
87, Daniel Miner, East Moline, Ill., 3,038.
88, Barry Witmer, St. Charles, Mo., 3,037.
89, Perry Keplinger, Amherst, Ohio, 3,012.
90, Lyle Zikes, Arlington Heights, Ill., 2,998.
91, Radar Presley, Atlanta, 2,985.
92, (tie) Dale Holgate, Silver Lake, Ohio and Dave Schultz, Jackson, Wis., 2,979.
94, (tie) Donald Breihan, Columbia, S.C., and James Souder, Greeneville, Tenn., 2,977.
96, Thomas Ream, Tampa, Fla., 2,976.
97, Ken Waters, Kingsport, Tenn., 2,968.
98, Harv Pallas, Stevensville, Mich., 2,953.
99, Mike Walden, Stony Point, N.Y., 2,941.
100, (tie) Ray Randall, Dearborn, Mich., and Ernie Bourque, Acushnet, Mass., 2,909.
102, Allen Meskan, Addison, Ill., 2,885.
103, Frank Kobli Jr., Highland, Ind., 2,857.
104, Edward Szklarski, Burbank, Ill., 2,838.
105, Fred Baldwin, Sturgis, Mich., 2,799.
106, Jared Cudnohufsky, Kingsford, Mich., 2,760.
107, Robert Hernandez, Highland, Ind., 2,667.
108, Andy Ippolito, Forest Hills, N.Y., 2,377 (WD).