Pete Weber, a Chip Off the Old Pin, Maintains Lead

Many sons of athletic stars follow in the footsteps of their dads. But few, as history shows, successfully fill the shoes of famous fathers.

But bowler Pete Weber of St. Louis thinks he is doing a pretty good job of emulating his father.

“If right now you asked my dad, I think he’d agree with me,” said the 25-year-old son of Dick Weber, also of St. Louis.

Young Weber, 25, had two more hot rounds Thursday night to keep the lead in the AC-Delco Professional Bowlers Assn. tournament at Gable House Bowl in Torrance.

He is 186 pins ahead of Wichita rookie Rick Steelsmith after 26 games.

Only 24 bowlers from the original field of 160 were left in the action as the survivors moved into the match play semifinals.

Marshall Holman and Wayne Webb were among the pro tour’s big gunners failing to make the cut.

And Pete McCordic won’t be around Saturday for another crack at the $100,000 bonus for a perfect game in the TV finals. McCordic, too, fell short of the making the round robin semis that will continue today and tonight to determine Saturday’s five finalists.

First prize in this $150,000 event is $27,000.

A third 300 game on the high-scoring Gable House lanes was scored Thursday by Walter Ray Williams, who was a champion here before settling in Stockton. Weber and Mark Williams of Beaumont, Tex. shot perfect games in opening play on on Wednesday.

It took a 219 average over 18 games to make the cut. Sweden’s Mats Karlsson, the defending champion barely survived with a rousing 279 on his 18th game.

Williams, Jim Tilton, Mark Baker, Randy Pedersen and Tim Schwerdtfeger were Southern California favorites among those advancing to the semis.