Bryon Smith was used to near misses.
Now he has a made to his credit.
Smith, the former Denny's Professional Bowlers Association Tour member from Roseburg who barely missed earning exemption for last season a couple of times, made it to match play Thursday in the Earl Anthony Medford Classic at Lava Lanes.
Smith, a league bowler now who occasionally competes in PBA regional events, placed ninth in the round of 64 with a pinfall of 3,244. He got into the field by qualifying on Wednesday.
Tim Criss led with a count of 3,422, followed by Bill O'Neill at 3,343.
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Among those who weren't so fortunate to continue were hometown favorite Marshall Holman, Central Point amateur Matt Eilenberger and Grants Pass' Chris Warren; two former winners here in Pete Weber and Mike Wolfe; and superstars Walter Ray Williams Jr., Parker Bohn III and Brian Voss.
Smith bowled for 11 seasons on tour and made his lone victory a major, the 2003 Masters.
But for the 2004-05 season, he placed 41st on the season's point list, one place from earning exemption the following season. Then at the tour trials that summer, he place 11th, again one spot shy.
So he returned home and went into business. He and partners are in the process of building bowling centers in Roseburg and Salem.
"I miss hanging out with all my friends and a little bit of the competition," said Smith, "but the rest of it, no. I really like staying home, spending time with my wife and family and sleeping in my own bed."
Being away from the tour didn't rob him of his competitive edge.
"My goal is to try to win every tournament," said Smith. "It doesn't matter if it's a local tournament or out here with these guys, I bowl to win."
Smith was relaxed from the get-go, a by-product, he said, of not relying on his bowling scores to pay the bills anymore.
He opened the morning block of seven games — there were 14 games spread over two sessions — with games of 248, 269, 244 and 277 to entrench himself near the top of the leaderboard.
From there, he just trusted what he saw.
"The pattern matched up to what my eyes like to see," he said. "When you see your ball doing what you like it to do, you get comfortable."
Smith meets Del Ballard Jr. in the round of 32.
Another match of note is Criss' against defending champion Brian Himmler.
Himmler needed a 257 final game — his best of the evening block — just to get into match play. He edged out Brian LeClair by one pin for the final spot.
Himmler's battle with Criss will be a rematch of one of last year's semifinals.
Criss averaged 254.86 over the final seven games Thursday to gain the top seed.
"My carry percentage was just incredible tonight," he said. "... The lanes normally play pretty tight here, which favors my ball speed so I don't feel like I have to fight the early hook like I do in other centers."
Among other first-round matches today, Tommy Jones plays Mika Koivuniemi and Brian Kretzer faces Wes Malott.
Eilenberger, the lone amateur in the field, finished strong with four of his final five games 225 or better — including a 268 — but it wasn't enough. He placed 59th.
Holman was 31st through the first block but finished 54th. Warren never really got anything going and was 46th.
Round of 64
(Pos., name/hometown and 14-game pinfall. Top 32 advance to match play. Positions 33-64 earn $1,800.
1, Tim Criss, Bel Air, Md., 3,422; 2, Bill O'Neill, Levittown, Pa., 3,343; 3, Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y., 3,332; 4, Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., 3,320; 5, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 3,313; 6, Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan, 3,295; 7, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 3,278; 8, Mike Machuga, Erie, Pa., 3,274; 9, Bryon Smith, Roseburg, 3,244; 10, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 3,238; 11, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 3,227; 12, Wes Malott, Argyle, Texas, 3,217; 13, Jason Hurd, Titusville, Fla., 3,208; 14, Steve Weber, Chalmette, La., 3,199; 15, Chris Barnes, Flower Mound, Texas, 3,198; 16, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 3,197; 17, John May, Lincolnton, N.C., 3,196; 18, Marv Sargent, Temecula, Calif., 3,181; 19, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 3,172; 20, Troy Wollenbecker, Toledo, Ohio, 3,171; 20, Brian Kretzer, Kettering, Ohio, 3,171; 22, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 3,165; 23, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 3,163; 24, Del Ballard Jr., N. Richland Hills, Texas, 3,154; 25, Tony Reyes, San Bruno, Calif., 3,153; 26, Patrick Healey Jr., Mexico, 3,144; 27, Chris Collins, Savannah, Ga., 3,141; 27, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 3,141; 29, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 3,140; 30, Ronnie Russell, Indianapolis, 3,134; 31, Jeff Carter, Springfield, Ill., 3,130; 32, Brian Himmler, Cincinnati, 3,128.
33, Brian LeClair, Athens, N.Y., 3,127; 34, Richard Wolfe, Vienna, Va., 3,126; 35, Chris Johnson, Garland, Texas, 3,110; 36, Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., 3,109; 37, Mike DeVaney, Temecula, Calif., 3,106; 38, Michael Haugen Jr., Cave Creek, Ariz., 3,090; 39, Chris Hayden, Orlando, Fla., 3,077; 40, Michael Fagan, Greenlawn, N.Y., 3,075; 41, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 3,066; 42, Riga Kalfas, Florence, Ky., 3,065; 43, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 3,062; 44, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 3,047; 45, David Tessman, Lake Placid, Fla., 3,036; 46, Chris Warren, Grants Pass, 3,035; 47, Rick Steelsmith, Wichita, Kan., 3,021; 48, Tommy Delutz Jr., Flushing, N.Y., 3,012; 49, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 3,010; 50, Patrick Girard, Jonquiere, Quebec, 2,992; 51, Billy Oatman, Chicago, 2,989; 52, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 2,988; 53, Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, 2,962; 54, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 2,961; 54, Marshall Holman, Medford, 2,961; 56, Dale Traber, Cedarburg, Wis., 2,954; 57, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 2,945; 58, Matt Freiberg, Somerset, N.J., 2,944; 59, Matt Eilenberger, Central Point, 2,911; 60, David Traber, Hebron, Ill., 2,901; 61, Paul Fleming, Bedford, Texas, 2,882; 62, Brian Voss, Alpharetta, Ga., 2,864; 63, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 2,848; 64, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 0 (WD).
Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail ttrower@mailtribune.com
