A buzz is developing around Kenny Parks.

Local bowlers are already anxious for him to return to his pro shop in Lynwood after several Senior PBA Tour stops on the West Coast.

Don Rodkin, friend and former Tuesday night teammate of Parks, thinks it's good for Region rollers.

"Anything that causes this much interest in a local guy, who happens to be very approachable, is good for bowling," Rodkin said.

Parks currently leads the Senior Tour in points and total earnings at $21,500.

The bulk of that cash came when Parks did the unthinkable by beating three-time champion Tom Baker to take the Masters, a major, in Las Vegas on June 13.

The mullet-clad Parks beat Baker, who had won the event the previous two years, 681-589 in the title match.

The $16,000 first prize was Parks' first professional title after two years on the senior circuit. His previous best was a second-place finish in a recent PBA regional tournament.

But that's not to say Parks, technically a second-year pro, is inexperienced.

He was once named Illinois amateur of the year and set an Indiana state record in 1996 with an 887 series.

Rodkin said Parks believes he wasn't mentally ready to bowl in the big time when he tried to make the PBA Tour a quarter century ago. He and Parks talked about that before Parks joined the Senior Tour.

"I knew he had the physical talent. The mental aspect of the game was probably more difficult," Rodkin said. "The competitive approach was the biggest obstacle."

Parks, who did not return several voicemails for this story, has closed in on several titles in the past, only to lose close matches at the end.

"When we talked, Kenny agreed that the more he needed to strike in order to close out a match, the harder he was trying and consequently, tightening up," Rodkin said. "Once he realized that he just needed to stay more relaxed and duplicate the approach that had been working for him earlier, he felt more confident that he could handle the late game situations."

Despite his struggles in the past, Parks recent success hasn't come as much of a surprise to anyone who's watched him bowl over the years.

"Once I saw that he could be competitive, I was pretty sure that sooner or later he would break through against the Senior Pros," Rodkin said.