Williams pads PBA Senior Open lead

Walter Ray Williams Jr. on Thursday continued his march toward become the first player in Professional Bowlers Association history to win both the U.S. Open and Senior U.S. Open titles.

Williams expanded his lead as the field of 24 match-play finalists heads into today's final rounds of the PBA Senior U.S. Open at the Suncoast Bowling Center.

The 51-year-old Williams, a second-year PBA Senior Tour competitor from Ocala, Fla., won six of eight matches Thursday, averaging 237 to finish with a 35-game total of 8,226 pins, including match play bonus pins. He built a 203-pin lead over two-time Senior U.S. Open winner Wayne Webb of Columbus, Ohio.

While Williams is chasing his slice of U.S. Open history, Webb and Tom Baker of King, N.C., are trying to become the first to win the Senior U.S. Open three times. Webb won in 2008 and 2009. Baker, who was 16th after five rounds, won in 2005 and 2006.

Williams won the PBA Tour's U.S. Open titles in 1998 and 2003. A 47-time PBA Tour title winner, Williams is the only player in the field who also has won the national tour's U.S. Open.

The remaining 24 players will return today for two additional eight-game, round-robin match-play rounds. After 51 games, the top four bowlers will advance to the stepladder finals at 3:30 p.m.