WEEDSPORT - The agreeable surroundings, an adjustment to his game and a good attitude paid off for Lee Burnett on Sunday.

The smooth left-hander from Waterloo fired a 768 series and emerged as high qualifier in The Citizen Masters at Rainbow Lanes.

“This is awesome,” Burnett said moments after rolling his score on the 11 a.m. squad. “I enjoy bowling here and in this tournament so much. It's a ton of fun. These guys are so good, it just makes you want to bowl better.”

While Burnett cruised into match play, others found it more difficult. There were 246 contestants for qualifying. Four bowlers tied at 610, where the final cut stood. There will be a 9:30 p.m. roll-off today at Rainbow to determine the last three spots.

Tom Hitchcock Jr., one of the four, heard the news as he walked in for his Sunday night league.

“Oh no,” he said, tilting back his head. “I don't need that kind of pressure.”

Michael Rouse, Jason Lukins and Dan Guzalak will join him in the roll-off.

Rainbow owner Ron Rizzo set out to keep the qualifying score down with a condition that tested the bowlers. His blueprint succeeded to the letter. The consensus throughout the weekend was that the shot was playable.

Phil Perkins, a former runner-up who was hurt by a 176 start and finished with 591, underscored those thoughts.

“It was all me,” he said. “I wish I could blame the condition, but it was completely fair out there. I just didn't throw the ball the way I needed to.”

Perkins hoped that his son, Andrew, would carry the torch. However, he eventually missed the cut by a single pin.

Trailing Burnett on the 11 a.m. squad were Ed DeTomaso (684), Mike Sheehan (679), Matt Thomas (678) and Tim Waters (671).

Derek Locastro, meanwhile, had things going his way. He rode a 267 middle game to a 719 triple, which led the 2 p.m. squad. Other top scores belonged to Jamie Mills (681) and George Donahue (645).

It was the second straight 700 in Masters qualifying for Locastro. Last year, he fired a 714 to reach match play.

Locastro's father, John, said his son's game has come around nicely.

“He's definitely matured,” he said. “He doesn't let things bother him the way they used to. I don't have to tell him much anymore because he knows what he has to do.”

Burnett, for his part, devours tips that will elevate his game. A week ago, Burnett had a hesitation after the first step of his approach. That caused his backswing to get out of line and resulted in the occasional bad shot. Benny Appleby, his teammate on Wednesday nights at Rainbow, noticed the hitch and the ensuing correction worked wonders.

“Since then, I've been hitting my mark 9 out of 10 shots,” Burnett said.

Burnett, who subs in Weedsport largely because it makes him eligible for the Masters, also credited teammates Greg Spinelli, Rick Liccion, Dan Pilat and Suslik for his success.

It all paid off Sunday. After starting with 222, Burnett fired the first nine strikes his second game for 279, then fired the front seven in the third, finishing with 267.

Clearly, he was freewheeling with few distractions.

“I was a little jittery that first game, you know, the nerves were working a little bit,” he said. “But then I told myself that it was only bowling, go out and do it.”

The field of 64 will be determined after tonight's roll-off. The tournament resumes 1 p.m. Saturday at Starlite Lanes for match play.

Rick Liccion is seeded as defending champion. The women's tournament gets underway this weekend with qualifying squads 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Cedar House Lanes.