Don Herrington took the first-round lead Wednesday as the 2019 PBA50 River City Extreme Open got underway in Monticello, Minnesota.

Herrington posted an eight-game total of 1,874, a 234.25 average, to lead the field of 75 players. All players will return Thursday for eight final games of qualifying. Every round of the event is being broadcast live on FloBowling.

Herrington opened up the tournament with five big games, shooting 235, 258, 276, 246 and 242 before slowing down in the final three games. He finished the day with 213, 224 and 180.

Results: PBA50 River City Extreme Open Qualifying Round 1

PBA Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr. nearly caught Herrington down the stretch but finished in second place with 1,870.

Williams closed out his block strong with games of 300, 216 and 232 to make a run at the lead but fell four pins short. The perfect game was the first 300 for Williams using a two-handed approach. To see all 12 shots of the game, click here.

Amelto Monacelli sits in third place with 1,852, while James Campbell is fourth with 1,846. Ron Mohr and Henry Dawson are tied for fifth with 1,800.

After 16 games of qualifying, the field will be cut to the top 24 players for Friday’s match play. The advancers will bowl two six-game rounds of match play with the top five advancing to the stepladder finals, scheduled for 5 p.m. Central on Friday.