GREEN BAY, Wis. - Kelly Kulick of Union, New Jersey, averaged more than 251 a game Thursday as she took the opening-round lead at the 2015 United States Bowling Congress Queens, a Professional Women's Bowling Association event.

Kulick, a two-time Queens champion, had a five-game total of 1,258 (251.6 average) to top the field of 205 of the best women bowlers in the world at The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley.

Qualifying continues Friday with the second round and the event concludes with the live ESPN2 finals Tuesday at 8 p.m. Eastern. All qualifying and match play rounds will be broadcast live on Xtra Frame.

"The Queens is really two tournaments in one - qualifying and match play," Kulick said. "My goal is to make match play for now and then it turns more strategic once you get to match play."

Kulick fired games of 257, 245, 269, 248 and 239 on the opening squad of the day to earn the top spot. Verity Crawley of Babson Park, Florida, nearly caught Kulick on the second squad of the day but ended up second with 1,241, including a 300 game.

USBC Hall of Famer Kim Kearney of Grand Prairie, Texas, sits in third place with 1,178, and Samantha Kelly of Streamwood, Illinois, was fourth with 1,145.

Brittany Smith of Des Moines, Iowa, who fired a 300 game, is tied with Laura Beuthner of Germany in fifth place with 1,140. USBC Hall of Famer Leanne Hulsenberg of North Ogden, Utah, also had a 300 game and is 12th overall with 1,120.

All players will bowl 15 games of qualifying over three days to determine the 63 bowlers who will join defending champion Maria Jose Rodriguez of Colombia in match play. The player who survives the bracket to win the event will take home $20,000 of the estimated $125,000 prize fund.

For more information on the event, visit BOWL.com/Queens or PWBA.com. To watch qualifying and match play, visit XtraFrame.TV.