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Ocala's Walter Ray Williams became the second player to reach 40 PBA career titles Sunday when he defeated Doug Kent to win the Uniroyal Tire Classic 268-248 in Wickliffe, Ohio.
The PBA Hall of Famer needed to strike in the 10th frame to move within one of the all-time leader, the late Earl Anthony.
Kent put pressure on Williams, striking from the third through eighth frames to take a one-pin lead heading into the ninth. With both working on strikes, Kent left a 10-pin and Williams threw one of his seven straight strikes to close out the victory.
"Being able to have the opportunity to perform in a pressure situation and actually doing it is very satisfying," Williams said. "To get up there in the 10th frame needing to throw a strike and coming through, that is one of the best moments for a bowler."
Williams won $40,000 and an exemption for next season. Kent won $20,000.
Williams defeated Titusville's Jason Hurd 268-186 in a semifinal match. Hurd opened three times in the first five frames and took home $10,000. In the other semifinal, Kent defeated Lonnie Waliczek 247-198. Waliczek tied for third and won $10,000. Waliczek ousted Clermont's Jason Couch, and Bryon Smith stopped Clermont's Norm Duke in the round of 32.
Liz Johnson became the first woman to qualify for a national PBA Tour event when she finished fourth in the tour qualifying round. Johnson rolled 2,074 over nine games for a 230.44 average as the top qualifying amateur. The top five nonexempt PBA members and the top amateur join the 64-person field for single-elimination match-play rounds.
Johnson's long-time bowling buddy, Brad Angelo beat her 4-2 in the round of 64.
"It was awesome. It was great to be able to bowl with Brad, and in a way it made things easier for me," said Johnson, who this past summer bowled against Angelo in the Buffalo area.
Johnson was an 11-time winner on the now-defunct PWBA tour. She won the 1996 PWBA U.S. Open on her way to becoming PWBA Rookie of the Year.
HIMMLER SCORES: Brian Himmler flirted with a perfect game, striking in the first seven frames, on his way to defeating Brian Voss 277-217 at the PBA Chicago Open on Nov. 7 in Vernon Hills, Ill.
The tour is at Valley Park, Mo., in the St. Louis area, for the PBA BowlersParadise.com Classic which opened Wednesday . ESPN will televise the finals Sunday from 1-2:30 p.m.