WICHITA, Kan. – On a day filled with drama that saw five-time champion Pete Weber withdraw from the tournament, Kristopher Prather of Plainfield, Illinois, emerged as the qualifying leader after the first round at the U.S. Open.

Prather, who made all three stepladder finals at the recently concluded FloBowling PBA Fall Swing, fired an eight-game total of 1,823, a 227.88 average, to lead the field of 144 bowlers.

In the final two games of the block, Prather shot 248 and 258 to surge into the top spot on the tough 37-foot flat lane pattern. Greg Ostrander of Freehold, New Jersey, sits in second with 1,808.

The field will bowl two more rounds of qualifying Saturday and Sunday before a cut to the top 36 is made for one more round of qualifying. The top 24 will then advance into round robin match play to determine the five players who will bowl for the title Wednesday night on CBS Sports Network.

While Prather was making news with his performance on the lanes, Weber made news off the lanes as he offered his very candid opinion on the tournament minutes after withdrawing.

Weber only completed one game before deciding to exit the tournament with a significant hip injury that limited his mobility.  

FloBowling’s live coverage of the U.S. Open will continue Saturday morning at 8 a.m. Central with the second round of qualifying.