Five-time PBA champion Ryan Shafer was the top qualifier Wednesday as the field was narrowed at the 2019 PBA50 South Shore Open.

Shafer, who is seeking his first career PBA50 title, finished qualifying with a 16-game total of 3,714, a 232.13 average, and was one of eight players who earned a bye into the second round of match play on Thursday at Olympia Lanes in Hammond, Indiana.

Also earning byes into the second round of matches were Paul Fleming, Harry Sullins, Dean Billings, Bob Learn Jr., Brian Kretzer, Brian LeClair and Amleto Monacelli.

Results: PBA50 South Shore Open Qualifying Round 2

The players who qualified ninth through 16^th earned a spot in the first round of matches, while those who qualified 17^th through 30^th plus the next eight highest super seniors will bowl a cashers round Thursday morning.

All rounds of the event are being broadcast live exclusively on FloBowling with the stepladder finals scheduled for Thursday at 8 p.m. Eastern.

Shafer, who was fourth after the first round of qualifying, started his day with games of 279, 236, 235 and 238. He then closed with 212, 245, 232 and 181.

Fleming, who is looking to become the first PBA50 rookie to win this season, qualified second with 3,682, while Sullins was third with 3,655. Billings finished with 3,640 and was fourth, while Learn took the fifth spot with 3,633.

After a terrible first round and sitting in 62^nd place, 2018 PBA50 Player of the Year Michael Haugen Jr. started the second round with back-to-back 300 games to save his tournament.

Although he didn’t put up any other big numbers the rest of the block, he still managed to finish qualifying in 23^rd place and earn in the cashers round with 3,418.

Former MLB pitched John Burkett made a big run in the final two games of qualifying, finishing with 233 and 236, to earn the last spot into the cashers round in 30^th place with 3,358.