FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. - After a disappointing finish in the recent Professional Bowlers Association H&R Block Tournament of Champions, where he was trying for his fourth consecutive major title, Norm Duke of Clermont, Fla., regained his focus to take top-qualifier honors for Sunday's ESPN-televised stepladder finals of the Denny's Dick Weber Open at Fountain Bowl.

Duke, a 31-time PBA Tour titlist who was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame on Jan. 24 in Las Vegas, averaged 227.21 this week and posted a 17-7 overall match play record. His 9,371 total for 39 games put him 52 pins ahead of fellow Hall-of-Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, Mo., who qualified second for the TV finals.

"What else can I say, but to stay ahead of Pete Weber in a tournament named after Dick Weber, is unbelievable," Duke said. "All I heard was footsteps. It's going to be a tough one Sunday."

Weber, who is tied for third on the all-time PBA Tour title list with Mark Roth with 34 wins, will make his first television appearance of the 2008-09 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season and will be looking for his first win.

"To win this tournament would be like winning a major-it would obviously mean a lot," Weber said. "But I have to say, I've had good luck winning tournaments named after professional bowlers. I won one named after Parker Bohn III, Johnny Petraglia, and I think there might have been a Don Carter somewhere in there."

Qualifying in the third spot was four-time Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour titlist Ryan Shafer of Horseheads, N.Y., followed by the reigning PBA Player of the Year and 10-time Tour winner, Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas in fourth. Both will be looking for their first win of the season.

In a battle that went down to the final frame of the position round, Michael Fagan of Patchogue, N.Y., defeated Tony Reyes of San Bruno, Calif., 224-216, to earn the fifth and final stepladder spot. Fagan will be looking to win his second career Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour title.

The tournament featured the "traditional" qualifying and match play format used in PBA's early years and included three rounds of qualifying after which the top 24 advanced to 24 games of round robin match play to determine the five players for the stepladder finals.

Sunday's finals will get underway at 1 p.m. Eastern (10 a.m. Pacific). The winner will earn $35,000 and a one-year exemption on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour.

Denny's Dick Weber Open
At Fountain Bowl, Fountain Valley, Calif.

Friday's standings (After 39 games, includes match play records and bonus pins)

1, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 17-7, 9,371
2, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 13-11, 9,319
3, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 15-9, 9,132
4, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 13-11, 9,112
5, Michael Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 16-8, 9,041

6, Tony Reyes, San Bruno, Calif., 16-7-1, 9,037, $4,500
7, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 10-14, 9,000, $4,000
8, John Nolen, Waterford, Mich., 14-10, 8,911, $3,800
9, George Lambert IV, Canada, 15-9, 8,822, $3,600
10, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 13-11, 8,795, $3,400
11, Brian Voss, Kennesaw, Ga., 9-15, 8,763, $3,200
12, Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan., 13-11, 8,750, $3,000
13, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 13-11, 8,739, $2,900
14, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 11-12-1, 8,705, $2,800
15, Jason Belmonte, Australia, 11-13, 8,667, $2,750
16, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 11-13, 8,661, $2,700
17, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 12-12, 8,652, $2,650
18, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 10-14, 8,540, $2,600
19, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 9-15, 8,528, $2,550
20, Jeff Carter, Springfield, Ill., 10-13-1, 8,525, $2,500
21, Troy Wollenbecker, Miami, 10-14, 8,428, $2,450
22, Mike DeVaney, San Diego, 11-13, 8,370, $2,500
23, Dave D'Entremont, Middleburg Heights, Ohio, 6-17-1, 8,348, $2,350
24, Vance Sisk, Sun City, Calif., 8-16, 8,103, $2,300