With the help of a first-round match play record of 7-1, Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Famer Amleto Monacelli (pictured left) of Venezuela, moved into the lead in the 66th Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open at Brunswick Zone Carolier.

Monacelli, a 19-time PBA Tour titlist who is bowling only in occasional PBA Tour stops this season, has a 7,738 35-game overall pinfall and leads defending U.S. Open champion Norm Duke (right) in second with 7,715 and reigning PBA Player of the Year Chris Barnes in third with 7,677. During match play, players receive 30 bonus pins for winning a match and 15 pins each in the event of a tie.

"I really look forward to bowling the U.S. Open because of the challenging lane conditions," Monacelli said. "I'm reading the lanes well and choosing the right equipment and feel like I'm bowling as well as I did 20 years ago when I was doing my best on Tour."

Monacelli, 47, hasn't competed full-time on Tour since 2006 when he developed a hip injury which he has only recently fully recovered from. He won back-to-back Player of the Year honors in 1989 and 1990.

Monacelli started the tournament in 33rd qualifying position and has moved steadily up the standings.

"I'm going into this tournament without any expectations," said Monacelli, who was voted No. 21 on PBA's list of 50 greatest players which was announced earlier this year as part of its 50th anniversary. "I'm just enjoying what's out there and hopefully I'll continue to be able to read the lanes well and match up the right equipment."

With a major title and Player of the Year implications hanging in the balance, Duke and Barnes (left) continued to be in good position to make the stepladder finals. If Wes Malott, (right) who is currently in 21st place, fails to make the stepladder finals, it will open the door for Barnes and Duke to make a run for Player of the Year if they can make the finals and then win.

Duke, who won Player of the Year honors in 1994 and 2000, has three titles this season, including winning the PBA World Championship which kicked off the season last October. Barnes had made five television finals appearances this season before winning back-to-back titles in March.

The 24 remaining players will compete in two more rounds of match play Saturday to determine the top five for the live two-hour ESPN stepladder finals which will take place Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern.

The winner earns a $100,000 prize and a three-year PBA Tour exemption.

 

Related Articles

U.S. Open bowler races against time and competition to make qualifying cut
Norm Duke struggles but holds on to lead 66th Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open
Norm Duke moves to the top after Round Two Qualifying in 66th U.S. Open
Chris Barnes eyes run at Player of the Year after taking first round qualifying lead in U.S. Open

 

66th Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open - Round 5 Match Play

Pos	Player	Hometown	Games	Pins	Ave.	W-L-T	Bonus	Total
1.	Amleto Monacelli	Venezuela	35	7528	215.09	7-1-0	210	7738
2.	Norm Duke	Clermont, Fla.	35	7565	216.14	5-3-0	150	7715
3.	Chris Barnes	Double Oak, Texas	35	7557	215.91	4-4-0	120	7677
4.	Tommy Jones	Simpsonville, S.C.	35	7424	212.11	5-3-0	150	7574
5.	Mike Scroggins	Amarillo, Texas	35	7350	210.00	7-1-0	210	7560
6.	Mika Koivuniemi	Hartland, Mich.	35	7347	209.91	6-2-0	180	7527
7.	Brad Angelo	Lockport, N.Y.	35	7366	210.46	5-3-0	150	7516
8.	Ron Nelson Jr.	Bridgeview, Ill.	35	7350	210.00	5-3-0	150	7500
9.	Doug Kent	Newark, N.Y.	35	7405	211.57	3-5-0	90	7495
10.	Richard Wolfe	Vienna, Va.	35	7289	208.26	6-1-1	195	7484
11.	Dino Castillo	Carrollton, Texas	35	7327	209.34	5-3-0	150	7477
12.	Jeff Lizzi	Sandusky, Ohio	35	7367	210.49	3-5-0	90	7457
13.	Pete Weber	St. Ann, Mo.	35	7359	210.26	2-6-0	60	7419
14.	Dave D'Entremont	Middleburg Heights, Ohio	35	7288	208.23	3-5-0	90	7378
15.	Billy Oatman	Chicago	35	7282	208.06	3-5-0	90	7372
16.	Ronnie Russell	Indianapolis	35	7223	206.37	4-3-1	135	7358
17.	Sean Riccardi	Piscataway, N.J.	35	7251	207.17	3-4-1	105	7356
18.	Craig Tuholski	Washougal, Wash.	35	7165	204.71	5-3-0	150	7315
19.	Rhino Page	Topeka, Kan.	35	7249	207.11	2-6-0	60	7309
20.	Robert Smith	Columbus, Ohio	35	7180	205.14	3-4-1	105	7285
21.	Wes Malott	Pflugerville, Texas	35	7222	206.34	2-6-0	60	7282
22.	Mike DeVaney	San Diego	35	7159	204.54	3-5-0	90	7249
23.	Eugene McCune	Munster, Ind.	35	7165	204.71	2-6-0	60	7225
24.	Ryan Shafer	Horseheads, N.Y.	35	7146	204.17	1-7-0	30	7176

 

66th Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open - Round 4

The top 24 players advance to Match Play.

Pos	Player	Hometown	Games	B/F	Round 4	Total	+/-200	Ave.
1.	Chris Barnes	Double Oak, Texas	27	3949	1964	5913	513	219.00
2.	Norm Duke	Clermont, Fla.	27	3997	1878	5875	475	217.59
3.	Tommy Jones	Simpsonville, S.C.	27	3822	1954	5776	376	213.93
4.	Doug Kent	Newark, N.Y.	27	3840	1919	5759	359	213.30
5.	Jeff Lizzi	Sandusky, Ohio	27	3788	1961	5749	349	212.93
6.	Pete Weber	St. Ann, Mo.	27	3681	2032	5713	313	211.59
7.	Amleto Monacelli	Venezuela	27	3842	1864	5706	306	211.33
8.	Brad Angelo	Lockport, N.Y.	27	3844	1854	5698	298	211.04
9.	Mike Scroggins	Amarillo, Texas	27	3869	1814	5683	283	210.48
10.	Mika Koivuniemi	Hartland, Mich.	27	3755	1926	5681	281	210.41
11.	Billy Oatman	Chicago	27	3610	2068	5678	278	210.30
12.	Rhino Page	Topeka, Kan.	27	3727	1948	5675	275	210.19
13.	Sean Riccardi*	Piscataway, N.J.	27	3728	1936	5664	264	209.78
(tie)	Ronnie Russell	Indianapolis	27	3800	1864	5664	264	209.78
15.	Eugene McCune	Munster, Ind.	27	3774	1875	5649	249	209.22
16.	Ron Nelson Jr.*	Bridgeview, Ill.	27	3718	1929	5647	247	209.15
17.	Ryan Shafer	Horseheads, N.Y.	27	3710	1934	5644	244	209.04
18.	Dave D'Entremont	Middleburg Heights, Ohio	27	3717	1926	5643	243	209.00
19.	Dino Castillo	Carrollton, Texas	27	3662	1950	5612	212	207.85
20.	Craig Tuholski	Washougal, Wash.	27	3695	1912	5607	207	207.67
21.	Richard Wolfe	Vienna, Va.	27	3714	1891	5605	205	207.59
22.	Wes Malott	Pflugerville, Texas	27	3685	1913	5598	198	207.33
23.	Mike DeVaney	San Diego	27	3731	1863	5594	194	207.19
24.	Robert Smith	Columbus, Ohio	27	3727	1866	5593	193	207.15
25.	Steve Jaros	Yorkville, Ill.	27	3743	1847	5590	190	207.04
26.	Nathan Bohr	Wichita, Kan.	27	3737	1843	5580	180	206.67
27.	Liz Johnson	Cheektowaga, N.Y.	27	3582	1982	5564	164	206.07
28.	Peter Spreadbury*	Oak Forest, Ill.	27	3644	1910	5554	154	205.70
29.	Paul Pinto	Philadelphia	27	3688	1860	5548	148	205.48
30.	Anthony LaCaze*	Glen Ellyn, Ill.	27	3706	1840	5546	146	205.41
31.	Jason Couch	Clermont, Fla.	27	3692	1851	5543	143	205.30
32.	Troy Wollenbecker	Miami	27	3705	1837	5542	142	205.26
33.	William Barlow	Edgewood, Md.	27	3674	1859	5533	133	204.93
(tie)	Tony Reyes	San Bruno, Calif.	27	3873	1660	5533	133	204.93
35.	Mike Rose Jr.*	Rochester, N.Y.	27	3693	1822	5515	115	204.26
36.	Mike Edwards	Tulsa, Okla.	27	3754	1759	5513	113	204.19
37.	P.J. Sonday	Avoca, Pa.	27	3739	1773	5512	112	204.15
38.	Chad Kloss	Greenfield, Wis	27	3626	1885	5511	111	204.11
39.	Matthew O'Grady	South Amboy, N.J.	27	3808	1701	5509	109	204.04
40.	Chris Loschetter	Avon, Ohio	27	3697	1808	5505	105	203.89
41.	Shannon Buchan	Waterloo, Iowa	27	3589	1913	5502	102	203.78
42.	Jeff Morin*	Hoptacong, N.J.	27	3595	1903	5498	98	203.63
43.	Lindsay Baker*	Amherst, N.Y.	27	3636	1853	5489	89	203.30
44.	Bill O'Neill	Southampton, Pa.	27	3707	1781	5488	88	203.26
45.	Kenneth Jessee	Huber Heights, Ohio	27	3720	1765	5485	85	203.15
46.	Todd Book	Wapakoneta, Ohio	27	3546	1937	5483	83	203.07
47.	Sean Rash	Wichita, Kan.	27	3607	1871	5478	78	202.89
48.	George Lambert IV	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada	27	3582	1892	5474	74	202.74
49.	Tom Hess	Urbandale, Iowa	27	3689	1777	5466	66	202.44
50.	Michael Machuga	Erie, Pa.	27	3682	1778	5460	60	202.22
51.	Ritchie Allen	Columbia, S.C.	27	3699	1749	5448	48	201.78
52.	Don Allen III	Vancouver, Wash.	27	3745	1698	5443	43	201.59
53.	Patrick Allen	Wesley Chapel, Fla.	27	3633	1806	5439	39	201.44
54.	Bobby Hall II	Landover, Md.	27	3600	1835	5435	35	201.30
55.	Jesse Buss	Wichita, Kan.	27	3688	1743	5431	31	201.15
56.	Jeff Carter	Springfield, Ill.	27	3637	1793	5430	30	201.11
(tie)	Mitch Beasley	Puyallup, Wash.	27	3653	1777	5430	30	201.11
58.	Jack Jurek	Lackawanna, N.Y.	27	3593	1833	5426	26	200.96
59.	Brian Voss	Kennesaw, Ga.	27	3593	1832	5425	25	200.93
60.	Parker Bohn III	Jackson, N.J.	27	3562	1854	5416	16	200.59
61.	Jim Thomas*	Binghamton, N.Y.	27	3590	1822	5412	12	200.44
62.	Chris Forry*	Bridgeport, Conn.	27	3620	1789	5409	9	200.33
63.	Jim Tomek Jr.	Camp Hill, Pa.	27	3654	1753	5407	7	200.26
64.	Joe Bailey	Pittsburgh	27	3602	1804	5406	6	200.22
65.	Rick Hara*	Darien, Ill.	27	3706	1680	5386	-14	199.48
66.	James Wallace	Hicksville, N.Y.	27	3678	1705	5383	-17	199.37
67.	Don Breeden	Clive, Iowa	27	3632	1749	5381	-19	199.30
68.	Vinny D'Ambrosio III	Staten Island, N.Y.	27	3748	1631	5379	-21	199.22
69.	Michael Fagan	Patchogue, N.Y.	27	3642	1735	5377	-23	199.15
70.	Brian LeClair	Athens, N.Y.	27	3605	1771	5376	-24	199.11
71.	PJ Haggerty	Clovis, Calif	27	3646	1729	5375	-25	199.07
72.	Chun Bae*	Cedarhurst, N.Y.	27	3608	1765	5373	-27	199.00
73.	Joe Ciccone	Buffalo, N.Y.	27	3560	1804	5364	-36	198.67
74.	Butch Cormier*	Lafayette, La.	27	3558	1799	5357	-43	198.41
75.	Kenny Parks	Hammond, Ind.	27	3553	1798	5351	-49	198.19
(tie)	Brian Kretzer	Dayton, Ohio	27	3576	1775	5351	-49	198.19
77.	Thomas Smallwood	Flushing, Mich.	27	3545	1805	5350	-50	198.15
(tie)	Christopher Collins	Savannah, Ga.	27	3553	1797	5350	-50	198.15
79.	Danny Wiseman	Baltimore	27	3607	1736	5343	-57	197.89
80.	Edward VanDaniker Jr	Essex, Md.	27	3624	1716	5340	-60	197.78
81.	Ray Edwards	Middle Island, N.Y.	27	3557	1772	5329	-71	197.37
82.	Alex Aguiar*	Dartmouth, Mass.	27	3549	1774	5323	-77	197.15
83.	David Haynes*	Las Vegas	27	3660	1662	5322	-78	197.11
84.	Shawn McKee	Concord, N.C.	27	3666	1655	5321	-79	197.07
85.	Michael Marsico	Chesapeake Beach, Md.	27	3558	1759	5317	-83	196.93
86.	Joe Paluszek	Bensalem, Pa.	27	3554	1758	5312	-88	196.74
87.	Walter Ray Williams Jr.	Ocala, Fla.	27	3595	1711	5306	-94	196.52
88.	Dennis Beagle*	Lehigh Acres, Fla.	27	3546	1759	5305	-95	196.48
89.	Nick Weber*	St. Charles, Mo.	27	3605	1690	5295	-105	196.11
90.	Scott Lavy	Troy, Troy, Mo	27	3553	1732	5285	-115	195.74
91.	Paul Gibson	Bunswick, Ohio	27	3556	1728	5284	-116	195.70
92.	Lonnie Waliczek	Wichita, Kan.	27	3638	1643	5281	-119	195.59
93.	Jason Sterner	McDonough, Ga.	27	3586	1675	5261	-139	194.85
94.	John Furey	Freehold, N.J.	27	3670	1580	5250	-150	194.44
95.	Jason Wojnar	Chicago	27	3620	1618	5238	-162	194.00
96.	Robert Mockenhaupt	Pompton Lakes, N.J.	27	3553	1677	5230	-170	193.70
97.	Gean Perez*	Puerto Rico	27	3550	1675	5225	-175	193.52
98.	Derek Petty*	Potomac Falls, Va.	27	3579	1621	5200	-200	192.59
99.	Ron Dixon	Boynton Beach, Fla.	27	3545	1639	5184	-216	192.00
100.	Tom Sorce	Blasdell, N.Y.	27	3554	1589	5143	-257	190.48
101.	Jason Baker*	Sharon Springs, N.Y.	25	3628	1305	4933	-67	197.32
102.	Jeff Kubasak*	Staten Island, N.Y.	25	3563	1304	4867	-133	194.68
103.	Geoff Wetzler*	Tolland, Conn.	20	3562	336	3898	-102	194.90

*Non-PBA members