Liza, Irene pace PBC Open elims

A rivalry is fast shaping up between Liza del Rosario and Irene Benitez as two of the country’s top female bowlers fought it out for the top spot in the all events (class O) of the 32nd Boysen-PBC International Open Bowling Championships at the Green Valley Center.

By the end of Day 4 of the meet sponsored by Boysen, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Kegel Asia and AVIVA, del Rosario dispatched Benitez, the leader after the opening day, from the No. 1 slot as she beat out the latter’s 1674 total by scoring 1698 pinfalls.

Benitez fell to second place while a mere five pins away is another RP team member in Jojo Canare.

Her latest surge on top made del Rosario leading three of the four major events at stake in this two-week meet also backed by PRIMA, AMSTAR, Astor, BQS Management, Kenway, Tone Guide, Silver Wings, Mercury Int’l Security Printing, Paper Handling Systems, Confident Feminine Napkins and H.S. Pow Construction.

The reigning Asian tenpin singles champion also dislodged Benitez on top of the singles class O earlier, only to team up with her rival later on to take the lead in the doubles event class O.

Only in the team event class O where del Rosario has yet to dominate as her Boysen-Euromed squad, also composed of Benitez and Jojo Canare, are trailing the Liza Clutario-bannered RP team, 1225-1185.

In the men’s side, it’s still Purvis Granger, the national team mentor, who showed the way in both the singles and all events (class O).

The same thing with the doubles event class O, where PBAP-Bowlmart’s Johnson Cheng and Frederick Ong continue to hold the lead over the TBAM-Prima duo of JC Tupaz and Ian Dychangco.

Ong, Cheng and Granger combined forces to take the team event class O lead (1256), ahead by just a single pin from the TBAM-PRIMA trio of Tyrone Ongpauco, Arnold Lecaros and Biboy Rivera.