BOWLING / SENIOR PBA AT LAKEWOOD : Stus Gains Top Seeding for Final Day

At the moment, Gene Stus, retired auto executive from Allen Park, Mich., is in an enviable position among vintage pro bowlers.

Wednesday, the 6-foot-2, 240-pound bowler gained the top seeding for tonight’s title shootout in the $55,000 Pacific Senior PBA Tournament at Cal Bowl in Lakewood.

The final is at 9.

Joining the 50-year-old Stus in the showdown will be four 51-year-olds--John Handegard, Jimmy Certain, Jim Brenner and Robert Gibbs.

They remain from a field of 144 bowlers age 50 and older, who spent the past three days and nights testing aging knees and waning reflexes.

Stus, a standout league player in the Detroit area, has had two bypass operations. He recently retired from General Motors, where he supervised quality control.

Wednesday, he was the quality of the field, winning all six matches in the sixth round with games of 255, 248, 257, 225, 235 and 223 to pass Handegard for the No. 1 spot.

The leader said he is surprised to have done so well since joining the tour three tournaments ago. He was 11th at Escondido and fourth a week ago in Colma, Calif.

“I’m flabbergasted about it all,” Stus said. “Everything worked for me in the match play.”

Handegard is a former plywood maker; Jimmy Certain is a longtime pro bowler; Brenner is a retired planning processor, and Robert Gibbs is a body-shop owner.

Asked if he’s bowling well, Certain, who avoids using the word sure to please fans, answered, “I certainly am.”

Certain is among the most successful of senior pros. He has three pro titles and was selected Senior PBA Bowler of the Year in 1989.

With the top seeding, Stus will need to bowl only the last game of the title playoff.

The other finalists will shoot it out to determine Stus’ opponent. The winner will earn $5,000.