Bohn grabs lead at Motel 6 Dick Weber Open

Jan 18, 2008 - 8:20 AM FOUNTAIN VALLEY, California (Ticker) -- They say the cream normally rises to the top. Hall of Famer Parker Bohn III once again has proven the adage true.

Bohn went 7-1 in the first round of match play Thursday night to take the top spot heading into the final two rounds of the 2008 Motel 6 Dick Weber Open.

The 31-time Denny's PBA Tour titlist broke a career-long 61-event drought in December to win for the first time since 2005, a victory which also came in the round-robin format. Bohn has been a dominant force in round-robin events, making the finals in seven of the 13 events in which the format has been used over the past three seasons.

Of those seven finals appearances, two came in this event as he finished second in 2006 and fifth a year later.

"I always try to get every pin I can, regardless of the format. I rarely throw away pins," Bohn said. "Today, it felt like we were bowling on the U.S. Open pattern. It was survival of the fittest out there. I think the pattern is scoreable, but I think because of the characteristic of the center, it's making it very challenging for everyone.

"You can get lined up and bowl a good game, but as soon as you get to the next pair, it's up for grabs."

On Thursday, Bohn was sixth after the 15 games of the qualifying round, but he won his first four matches to make his way up the standings. After falling to Chris Loschetter in his fifth game, Bohn defeated his next three opponents to take the lead heading into the final 16 games.

"I had a pretty good look early on, playing inside with a ball that had a little more surface. I bowled very well the first four games and obviously got some breaks," Bohn said. "I came down to the high end of the bowling center and my ball was out of control, not to mention there was some operator error.

"When I bowled a 150 the fifth game, I decided I better go back to what I had done earlier in the week when the lanes got challenging. I decided to bring out a shinier ball and punt. I just kept it very hard and firm and tried not to give the 1-2 pocket away."

Bohn, who also finished second in the 1994 AMF Dick Weber Classic named in the Hall of Famer's honor, will look to become the third consecutive lefthander to win the event after Jason Couch captured the first two tournaments.

Ritchie Allen went 6-2 on the night and finished with a 5,180 23-game pinfall, just 10 pins behind Bohn. Total pinfall includes all pins from qualifying and match play, plus 30 bonus pins for each win and 15 for each tie.

Mike Scroggins went 7-1 and is third with 5,126 pins. Chris Loschetter was 6-2 and is fourth with 5,096, while Brian Kretzer went 4-4 and is fifth with 5,083.

Hall of Famer Pete Weber, looking to make the finals for the first time in his father's event, went 4-4 and is eighth, just 85 pins out of fifth place.

All 24 bowlers return Friday for the final two eight-game blocks, the first of which gets underway at 2 p.m. EST. The top five will advance to Sunday's championship round, which will be televised live on ESPN.

Sunday's finals get underway at 1 p.m. EST, with the winner receiving $25,000 and an exemption for the 2008-09 season.