CGU Asian kegfest underway

The third leg of the CGU Asian Bowling Championships gets going today , with Frederick Ong, Liza Clutario and Liza del Rosario leading the Philippine campaign in the 14-member cast of the regional ranking tournament at the Pearl Bowling Center in Paranaque.

The three also kept the Philippines’ hopes alive in the 31st Boysen-PBC International Open, making it to the finals of the men and women’s open masters yesterday at the Green Valley Center.

On the day local campaigners got waylaid one after the other, Ong, Clutario and del Rosario rose the occasion and kept the Filipinos going in the CGU Asian Bowling Tour’s third leg where the top 14 performers of the Boysen-PBC International Open are qualified.

Ong, champion of the boys youth masters, topped the men’s side with 3571 and was joined by national team mentor Purvis Granger (3407), ranked fifth, in the stepladder finals together with Duane Camacho of Guam (3534), Azidi Ameran (3473) and Lim Zhong (3426) of Chinese Taipei.

Del Rosario, last year’s World Cup runner- up, rolled 3341, just enough to make it to the final six of the stepladder championship of this meet sponsored by Boysen, Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Prudential Guarantee, Prima Pasta, Bowlmart, Kegel, ILO Construction and Manila Galleria Suites.

Another Chinese-Taipei bet, Tseng Su Fen (3375), and Malaysian Sarah Yap (3348) completed the finals cast.

Women’s singles class O champion Irene Benitez failed to make the finals list but finished at No. 9 (3257) to make it to the top 14 women.

Others who made it to the two-day knockout event were the Korean pair of Shin Hyun Soo and Lee Mi Young, Malaysian Sharon Chai, Jesmine Ho and fellow Singaporeans Jennifer Tan, ranked No. 1 in the world today, Valerie Teo and Seok Kim Yap.

National women’s team captain Jojo Canare failed to qualify by just six pins while fellow national Ces Yap came 13 pins short.

Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Chester King also didn’t make it to the men’s masters finals but qualified in the Asian Bowling Tour competition along with Ong and Granger.

They were joined in the top men’s 14 by Masahiro Hibi of Japan, the lone Boysen-PBC perfect gamer, Gerald Samuel of Malaysia, Thailanders Teerapol S. and Watcharapong U., Korean Tac Bum Yang and Singaporean Remy Ong and Sam Goh.

Meanwhile, SLETBA’s Elmer de Leon ruled the men’s graded masters (2437) over TBAM-Prima’s Ronald Arkoncel (2418) and Korean Sung Yoo Keung (2394) while MBA’s Eve Lombos (2214) won the distaff side at the expense of Indonesian Tan Bie Ling (2187) and PBAP-Bowlmart’s Aleson Go (2174).

In the associate men’s masters,DATBI’s Henry Lok (1965 bested the MTBA pair of Bennieson Co (1908) and Edgar Barroga(1906) for the men’s crown.