Tom Hess On Top at PBA50 Fort Myers Classic
Fort Myers, Florida – It seems only fitting that during a PBA50 Tournament at Lightning Strikes Bowl, one of the hottest players on tour would be leading the way. During Monday’s opening seven games of qualifying, Tom Hess paced the 128-player field. The PBA50 Fort Myers Classic defending champion rolled games of 239, 269, 246, 237, 230, 236 and 224 for 1,681, an average of 240.14. He is the only player without a game under 200 on the Badger 47-foot oil pattern.
He stayed in the same ball until he reached lanes 21 & 22, where his first shot hooked more than any other shot, he had thrown all day. He made a couple of ball changes, ultimately finishing with the same ball he used to win this tournament last year. He admits he has a great cross this week with guys that have stayed further right than him, so he hasn’t dealt with much transition so far. He came into this week confident knowing he is seeing the lanes right and he is making a lot of really good shots, plus he is in a bowling center he has had early success at.
“I love this center. Two years ago, my first block out here, I got less than 9 one shot,” he said. “I bowled 80 clean frames to start my tournament. My ball sees it right here. It’s a place I really like, and I bowl really good. It was also the site of my very first PBA50 event and I cashed.”
Hess has enjoyed a lot of success since that first event and looking ahead to Tuesday’s final seven games of qualifying, he aims to wash, rinse and repeat, hoping to retain his lead.
Hess and the rest of the B squad will take to the lanes first at 8 a.m. Eastern Tuesday for the final seven games of qualifying followed by the A squad at 2:30 p.m. After qualifying is complete, the top 42 players will move into Wednesday’s Advancers Round.
Last week’s winner at the PBA50 The Villages Classic Parker Bohn III, along with Ryan Shafer and Michael Haggitt are currently at the cut line at +40.
Watch the final day of qualifying only on BowlTV.
Top 10 PBA50 Fort Myers Classic standings:
- Tom Hess, 1,681 (+281)
- John Janawicz, 1,620 (+220)
- Chris Warren 1,606 (+206)
- Christopher Keane 1,581 (+181)
- Jon Rakoski, 1,561 (+161)
- Danny McMillan, 1,561 (+161)
- James Campbell, 1,555 (+155)
- Brad Angelo, 1,551 (+151)
- Don Herrington, 1,539 (+139)
- Andres Gomez, 1,537 (+137)