RJ topples Granger for TBAM crown

One-time RP Youth team member RJ Bautista bagged the 4th TBAM Easter Classic title, whipping Purvis Granger, in their final showdown Sunday at the Coronado lanes in Makati.

Bautista of TBAM-Phenomena outbowled PBAP-Bowlmart’s Ranger, 245-224, in the stepladder finals to win the championship of the week-long meet organized by Tenpin Bowling Association of Makati (TBAM) and sponsored by Boysen, Blu Skies, Goldilocks, Equitable PCI Bank, Prima Pasta, RCBC, Silver Wings and Astor Enterprises.

The win was worth P100,000 of gift certificates for Bautista, who totalled 2890 pinfalls in the championship round.

The loss was a big letdown for Granger, who settled for runner-up honors after topping the three-day eliminations and was seeded no. 2 going into the finals. Among those who made it to the final six other than Bautista and Granger were Joone Gatchalian (TBAM-Prima), Ces Yap, Paolo Valdez (TBAM-Prima) and Arnold Lecaros (TBAM-Prima).

Seeded fifth, Yap almost went all the way after winning the first shootout match against Valdez and Licaros, only to fall short opposite Granger in the second shootout game.

Ezzie Gan, Kuala Lumpur SEA Games gold medalist Liza del Rosario, Manoy Sengson, who scored an eight-game series high of 1988 and Biboy Rivera completed the top 10 roster of the event also supported by Edward Keller, Conveyance Inc., La Filipina Uygongco Corp., Manila Overseas Comm’l Inc., Mercury Int’l Security Printing Corp.; Oriental Assurance, Prudential Guarantee & Assurance Inc., Tone Guide Press and Tri-Star Products.

Meanwhile, the 10th TBAM Juniors Prima Pasta Open Championship gets underway today at the Coronado lanes.