June 29, 2021 Jill Winters

Lubbock, Texas - Pete Weber is on a mission to pass Walter Ray Williams Jr. in career PBA50 Titles this year. He is just two away from doing just that and if he continues to bowl the way he is, that will likely happen this season.

During his first five-games of qualifying Monday at the PBA50 Cup, presented by South Plains Lanes & Lubbock Sports Authority, the PBA Hall of Famer shot 258, 268, 256, 266 and 235 for a total of 1,283. That’s a stellar average of 256.60.

After a short break, the 72-player field returned to South Plains Lanes for five more games of qualifying. Weber had 214, 228, 267, 223 and 256 to increase his 10-game total to 2,471. He is currently in first place despite dealing with a hip issue that’s throbbing.

“The less bowling balls you have to throw in a squad, it’s beneficial for the pain,” he said after qualifying. “It’s just something that you have to deal with and I’m happy to be out here.”

Weber thrives on long oil patterns, and this is the 45-foot Dick Weber pattern. He used the Storm Axiom Pearl that he relied on to earn his first win earlier this season at the 2021 Florida Blue Medicare PBA50 National Championship in The Villages, Florida. As long as his equipment continues to strike, he doesn’t plan to make any changes heading into Tuesday’s five-games of qualifying, which begin at 9 a.m. Central.

The field will then be cut to the top-16, and they will bowl eight-games of match play beginning at 1:30 p.m. Central. All qualifying rounds can be seen on FloBowling.com.

“I just think it is going to get better,” Weber said as he looks ahead to Tuesday.

Weber has a 22-pin lead on Amleto Monacelli who sits at +449. Monacelli’s first five-game block included scores of 268, 275, 253, 224 and 215 for a 10-game total of 2,449. Bob Learn Jr. averaged 243.50 for his 10-game block to move into third place.

Top 10 at the 2021 PBA50 Cup:

  1. Pete Weber 2,471 total pins
  2. Amleto Monacelli 2,449 total pins
  3. Bob Learn Jr. 2,435 total pins
  4. Steven Smith 2,393 total pins
  5. John Marsala 2,356 total pins
  6. Keith Lesko 2,346 total pins
  7. Brad Angelo 2,320 total pins
  8. Chris Barnes 2,297 total pins
  9. Tony Rodriguez Jr. 2,295 total pins
  10. Mitch Beasley 2,291 total pins

Current standings for the 2021 PBA50 Cup: pba.com/PBA50Cup