JUPITER, Fla. – Jason Belmonte posted an 8-4 record in match play Thursday as he moved into the lead at the 2021 Kia PBA Tournament of Champions.

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Belmonte leads with a 36-game total of 8,835, a 238.75 average, at Bowlero Jupiter after going 4-2 in matches in the early block and matching that with a 4-2 record in the evening session.

The field will return for two final six-games blocks of match play Friday live on FloBowling before the cut is made to the top five for Sunday’s stepladder finals.

In the final match of the night, Belmonte was able to move ahead of Anthony Simonsen for the top spot. The pair squared off in Match 12 with Belmonte taking the edge, 244-224, as Simonsen settled for second place.

Simonsen posted a 7-5 record on the day with a total of 8,798, a 238.56 average, while previous leader Tom Smallwood dropped to third on the day with a 5-6-1 record and 8,747 total.

Sean Rash sits in fourth place after going 5-5-2 and totaling 8,618, while Tom Daugherty is fifth with 8,594 after going 7-5 in matches.

Heading into the final day, there are seven players within 200 pins of fifth place, including Francois Lavoie, Jesper Svensson, Bill O’Neill, Nicholas Pate, Michael Davidson, Kyle Troup and Wes Malott.

The third of match play will begin at Noon Eastern on Friday, while the final round begins at 6 p.m. The day will finish with a position round that will finalize who makes the show.