Ongkeko tops SM Cup Pepsi bowl final

MANILA, Philippines - Gerry Ongkeko stormed past Jose Rolly Delideli, 274-221, to rule the ninth SM Bowling Cup Pepsi grand national finals at the SM Mall of Asia Bowling Center in Pasay City over the weekend.

After playing solidly to top the 10-game, 24-player last-day qualifiers and earn a twice-to-beat edge in the championship series, the bespectacled Ongkeko settled the issue with seven straight strikes in the first match to win a 2010 model Chery Tigo worth nearly P900,000.

Delideli, who finished sixth overall and had to prevail in two earlier stepladder matches and earn a crack at Ongkeko, couldn’t keep pace with his sizzling rival and settled for the runner-up honors worth P100,000 in the event sponsored by SM, Pepsi, Lipton Tea and Chery Motors.

Awarding the prizes and trophies to the winners were SM senior marketing manager for Bowling and Ice Skating Ana Aguila, Pepsi marketing manager Jerome Agustin and Mark Pangandian, representing Raymund Tribdino, Chery Motors vice president for marketing and after sales. 

“It’s amazing that I could play this consistent all the way,” said the 57-year-old Ongkeko, a CPA who boasts of a 5-handicap and has been bowling for the past 11 years, of his big win.

Basically using a 16-pound Columbia 500 ball and 16-pound Global Break 70 ball, Ongkeko bowled a 10-game series of 2403, for a 235 average, in topping the qualifiers.

“After the last two stepladder games, I felt tired. But Ongkeko was solid all throughout,” said 47-year-old businessman Delideli, who has 10-handicap, of his fellow SM North Edsa Bowling Center mainstay. “He deserved to win.”

Another SM North Edsa bowler, Wilson Hernandez, finished third and took home P50,000.

SM bowling division manager Boni Solis, a former national bowler, disclosed Ongkeko and Delideli were former runners-up in previous SM Bowling Cup legs “so this championship series was interesting to watch.”

“The SM Bowling Cup was conceived to encourage more recretational bowlers to compete in tournaments, and judging from the turnout, we are achieving that,” Solis said.

“That bowlers with low handicaps won this time shows that the system we put in place improving, although we expect to make further refinements,” he added.