Petteri Salonen (pictured left) of Finland was the best bowler in Thursday's qualifying squads 8-10 posting a 1471 six-game series, an average of 245.17, to jump into second place in the overall standings in the 12th Brunswick Euro Challenge at Dream-Bowl Palace in Munich, Germany.

The World and European champion, who is still looking for his first victory on the European Bowling Tour, had games of 267, 205, 268, 249, 255 and 227 to lead squad 9 and to miss the top spot by mere five pins.

Sean Rash (above right), an eight-time PBA champion and former PBA Player of the Year (2011-12) of the United States, continued to lead the 199 players from 27 countries with 1476 and a 246 average.

Syafiq Ridhwan (left), one of 16 Malaysian national team members, men and women, in this tournament, slipped to third place with 1462. 2010 PBA Tournament of Champions winner, Kelly Kulick (right), United States, was the best of 44 women in the field in fourth place with 1455 including 48 pins handicap, an equality handicap provided to women in all EBT events.

Another two players of Squad 8 and three players of Squad 9 move into top 12, who will receive a first-round bye at the end of the qualifying.

New Hui Fen (left) of Singapore, gold medalist in women's Masters at the 23rd Asian Tenpin Bowling Championships in January, led Squad 8 with 1389 scratch, 231.50 average, and 1437 total to leap into fifth place.

Last year's runner-up Daniel Fransson (right) of Sweden was one pind behind in sixth place after finishing second to Salonen in Squad 8 with 1436. PBA champion Jason Sterner, United States, skipped from fourth to seventh place with 1435 and was followed by Mohd Nur Aiman of Malaysia who finished Squad 8 with 270, 245 and 254 for 1429.

Aiman pushed back his compatriot Adrian Ang (left) to ninth place with 1428 including the lone 300 game of the tournament so far. Norwegian national team member Glenn Morten Pedersen (right) had six games between 253 and 219 to move into 10th place with 1426.

Squad 1 leader Tobias Börding of Germany stayed in the top 12 in 11th place with 1425, while Kim Bolleby, who bowls for Thailand, took 12th place with 1422 or an average of 237.

PBA Touring pro Martin Larsen (below right) of Sweden, a multiple world and European champion, led Squad 10 on Thursday evening with 1389, an average of 231.50, good for 25th place overall. Larsen started his series with five games between 223 and 233 and closed with a his high game of 255.

The score to make the cut in 52nd place raised by 84 pins on Wednesday (by 233 pins since Wednesday) to 1331, an average of 221.83, set by Danish international Anders Lousdal.

Qualifying continues on Friday, March 20, with Squads 11, 12 and 13 scheduled to start at noon, 4 and 8 p.m. Central European Time (CET).

The 12th Brunswick Euro Challenge is the 10th tournament on the 2015 World Bowling Tour and also the sixth stop on the 2015 European Bowling Tour and the second of three EBT "Platinum" events this season, the highest of the four EBT tournament categories.

The BEC will be held from March 14-22 at Europe's biggest bowling center, 52-lane Dream-Bowl Palace in Unterföhring in suburban Munich, Germany.

Players will compete for total prize money of 112.000 Euro with 12.000 Euro going to the winner, 9.000 Euro to the runner-up and 6.000 Euro to the third place finisher.

According to an agreement between World Bowling and the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), the Brunswick Euro Challenge will award a PBA title, if won by a PBA member.