MAIDEN WIN FOR EVELYN, DINO
PIPS LOCAL FAVOURITE REMY AT THE WIRE
SINGAPORE, 2 November 2003
(7pm) – Singapore’s Evelyn Chan and Remy Ong gave 600 plus local supporters
plenty to cheer on the final day of the 36th Singapore Open with
their heartwarming performances at Victor’s Superbowl
Chan, 27, confidently
disposed of teammate Jennifer Tan 204-193 to win her first international title,
while Asian Games champion Ong finished sixth in the Masters finals, climbed up
the step-ladder twice and pushed world trios champion Dino Castillo to two
games, before settling for the $8,000 runner-up cheque.
Women’s champion Chan, who
injured her lower back in Thursday’s Masters qualifiers, looked in control
throughout the day. She started the morning’s second block of 8 games in the
Masters finals with a 109pin lead and finished her series with a 79 pins margin.
In the stepladder final against teammate Tan, Chan was never troubled despite
playing with a heavily strapped back.
“No doubt, this was only my
third step-ladder final,” said Chan, who is only in her first full season on the
Singapore national team. “But I’m playing on home ground and in front of the
home fans, so I only had to worry about my bowling and not the crowd. Although I
was away from serious competitive bowling for the last five years, I had been
training on my own with Jack Wong. I also have to thank my Chinese physician who
helped me with my back injury.”
Chan is the first
Singaporean to lift the women’s title since Jesmine Ho in 1998 and her
well-deserved win makes her $5,000 richer. Her win was all the more significant
as one-third of the top 30 women Masters qualifiers were either current or
former World Champions. World Championships runner-up and current Asian number
one Liz Clutario only managed to finish sixth, while world trios champions like
Liza Del Rosario and Cecilia Yap were 10th and 16th
respectively. World doubles champion Kirsten Penny finished a poor 26th,
Asian Games champion Shalin Zukifli was only 18th position, while and
two-time defending champion Wendy Chai was a distant 22nd.
Singapore bowling captain
Ong nearly become the first Singaporean to win the men’s title since 1988. He
sneaked into the stepladder finals in sixth position, but he managed a narrow
win over Andrew Frawley (173) and Tom Hahl (152) with a 178 showing to move up
the step-ladder. Roared on by the supportive home crowd, Ong (202) managed to
win another tight battle in the next match against Korea’s Lee Sung Il (182) and
Taiwanese Kao Hai Yuan (193).
In the nailing final, Ong
started game one with a 1-3-7 split and trailed throughout to finish with a 196.
Castillo needed just a spare on the tenth frame to seal victory, but a
disastrous 2-10 split left him with a frustrating 193 and the match went into a
second game decider. With the boisterous crowd edging him on, Ong went in for
the kill and was up 118-99 halfway through the second game. But a disastrous
4-7-10 split on frame 8 ended Ong’s run and Castillo ended the match with a
turkey to seal the victory 228-183.
“I felt a bit down after
losing the first game,” said Castillo who walked away with a $20,000 winners
cheque on his first visit to Singapore. “I thought I hit a good shot in the last
frame in game one, but I must have caught an oil spot. My friends really kept me
going in the second game and it’s never easy playing against the hometown
favourite.”
“Finishing second is like
winning,” said Ong, who last victory came exactly a year ago at this same
bowling center. “There was really nothing much for lefties today and I was the
top lefthander in this tournament. I finished second five times before and that
was quite a good run for me, so I really don’t mind finishing second. “
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FINAL RESULTS |
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MEN'S STEP-LADDER FINAL |
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MATCH 1 |
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MATCH 2 |
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TOM HAHL (SIN) |
152 |
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LEE SUNG LI (KOR) |
182 |
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MATCH 3 |
MATCH 4 |
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ANDREW FRAWLEY (AUST) |
173 |
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REMY ONG |
202 |
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REMY ONG |
196 |
183 |
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REMY ONG (SIN) |
178 |
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KAO HAI YUAN (TPE) |
193 |
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228 |
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CHAMPION |
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DINO CASTILLO (USA) |
193 |
228 |
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DINO CASTILLO (USA) |
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FINAL RESULTS AFTER STEP LADDER |
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1 |
DINO CASTILLO (USA) |
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REMY ONG (SIN) |
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3 |
KAO HAI YUAN (TPE) |
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4 |
LEE SUNG LI (KOR) |
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5 |
TOM HAHL (SIN) |
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6 |
ANDREW FRAWLEY (AUST) |
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WOMEN'S STEP-LADDER FINAL |
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MATCH 1 |
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KIM EUN JUNG (KOR) |
190 |
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CHU YU CHIEH (TPE) |
222 |
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CHU YU CHIEH (TPE) |
158 |
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MATCH 3 |
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LIZA CLUTARIO (PHI) |
201 |
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202 |
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JENNIFER TAN (SIN) |
193 |
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PAN YU FEN (TPE) |
180 |
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EVELYN CHAN (SIN) |
204 |
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CHAMPION |
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EVELYN CHAN (SIN) |
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FINAL RESULTS AFTER STEP LADDER |
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1 |
EVELYN CHAN (SIN) |
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2 |
JENNIFER TAN (SIN) |
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3 |
PAN YU FEN (TPE) |
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4 |
CHU YU CHIEH (TPE) |
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5 |
KIM EUN JUNG (KOR) |
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6 |
LIZA CLUTARIO (PHI) |
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SINGAPORE 2 Nov (12pm) -
Singapore's Evelyn Chan emerged as the top qualifier at the end of the 2nd block
Masters final at the 36th Singapore Open. The 27-year-old led from start to
finish to score 3374 pinfalls (210 average) over 2 days to top a world-class
field of 30 bowlers.
Qualifying for the step-ladder finals in second to sixth are Taiwan's Pan Yu Fen
(3295), Singapore's Jennifer Tan (3263), Korea's Kim Eun Jung (3232), Taiwanese
Chu Yu Chieh (3214) and Philippines Liza Clutario (3200).
Malaysia's Wendy Chai failed in her bid to become the first bowler to win
three Singapore Opens in a row when she finished 22nd (3048). Asian Games
champion Shalin Zukifli finished in 18th (3086), while England's world doubles
champion Kirsten Penny was 26th (2859).
The men masters final are ongoing at press-time. The women and men
step-ladder finals will commence at 3pm.
TEXAN ON A ROLL WHILE
HOMETOWN FAVORITE IS WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE
SINGAPORE, 1 November 2003 (7pm) – American world trios champion Dino
Castillo lived up his billing as one of the pre-tournament favorites by grabbing
the midway lead at the 36th Singapore Open Masters final at Victor’s
Superbowl. The Texan crowd favorite, however, had to do it the hard way.
After his first three games
(181, 163, 169), the 32-year-old pro-shop manager was floundering near the
bottom of a field of 42 Masters qualifiers. But Castillo soon got into the
groove from Game 4 and averaged 256 in his next five games (247, 255, 254, 248,
278) to charge right to the top of the standings with a 1,795 showing (224
average).
“I was trying a few things in
my first few games as I felt the lanes were still fresh,” said Castillo, who is
one of four bowlers who rolled a perfect 300 game during the week’s MQs. “But I
found myself all over the place and I was getting splits in every direction.
Then I noticed South Korean Lee Sung Il was going very far right, so I tried to
follow that. In game three, I hit a seven-bagger and I decided to go even
further right. Once I was locked in, I knew I was going to make a big run. And
well, it turned out to be a really big run.”
While Castillo had a slow
start, local favorite Remy Ong led the field after the very first game with a
259. Halfway through the first flock of 8 games, the Asian Games champion
remained among the early pace-setters and lurked in fourth (863). At that
point, Lee Sung Il of Korea (963) was heading the field after a 299 in game
four. The Korean saw his hopes of claiming $10,000 vanished, when pin 7 refused
to fall on his 12th ball.
Lee and Ong stayed in first
and second after 6 games, but Castillo jumped from behind the pack to grab the
lead. Korean Lee, who was only the 31st best qualifier is currently
second 24 pins behind leader Castillo, while Malaysia’s Zulmazran Zulkifli
(1739), Taiwan’s Kao Hai Yuan (1714), Singapore permanent resident Tom Hahl
(1704) and hometown favorite Ong (1700) are second to sixth respectively.
“It’s still anybody’s game,”
said Singapore ace Ong, who is currently 95 pins behind leader Castillo. “The
conditions are tough for everybody and when the lanes are tough, spinners like
Kao will have a good chance as the margin for error are not as big for spinners.
I am not worried about the media and public expectations. You can bowl well and
not win. And I have bowled badly before and won. I just want to manage my own
expectations. I’ve put myself in a position where I got a chance to win and
let’s hope the effort pays off.”
Asian Games champion Ong has
failed to win a title since claiming the Santa Claus Open almost a year ago at
this same venue. While local fans will be pinning their hopes on the national
bowling captain tomorrow, his teammates are also within striking distance of the
leaders. Shaun Ng, who represented Singapore in this year’s AMF World Cup, is
currently eighth (1682) and Asian Games trios champion Sam Goh is 11th
(1,658) respectively. Alvin Kwang, the top local qualifier, failed to start as
he was ill, while second-best local qualifier Faizal Chew (1597) is currently 22nd.
Top qualifier Jason Belmonte
(1509), however, had a bad day and is struggling in 32nd position,
some 286pins behind the leader. Last month’s American Zone number one ranked
Andres Gomez also failed to make an impact and is 33rd position, a
further 2 pins behind Belmonte.
The second block of eight
games will commence at noon tomorrow and the top six will enter the step-ladder
finals, where the winner walks away with $10,000. Earlier in the day,
Singapore’s Jazreel Tan was crowned Girls Youth champion, while Philippines
Markwin Tee was the Boys Youth Champion. A total of 377 bowlers from 16
countries had entered the $100,000s Singapore Open. The women masters finals is
ongoing at press time.
INJURED EVELYN STUNS A FIELD
OF TEN WORLD CHAMPIONS IN MASTERS FINAL
SINGAPORE, 1 November
2003 (9pm) – Singapore’s Evelyn Chan gave local supporters and onlookers a
fever pitch excitement, when she led from start to finish in the first block of
8 games in the women’s masters final of the 36th Singapore Open.
Chan, 27, who is only in her first full year on
the Singapore national team, started with a sizzling 279 game and never looked
back. After two games, she was 57 pins clear of the field and at the halfway
mark, Chan was 66 pins ahead of her nearest rival and teammate Catherine Kang.
With the crowd solidly behind her, Chan kept her momentum going and by game 6,
she was already 106 pins ahead of second-placed teammate Alice Tay.
The right handed hook bowler eventually
finished 109 pins clear of the field with a 1,811 total (279, 233, 202, 209,
215, 226, 236, 211). Hong Kong’s Vanessa Fung and Taiwan’s Pan Yu Fen are
currently second and third with 1, 702 and 1,660 respectively.
“I’m quite surprised with my performance today
as I injured my lower back during Thursday masters qualifying,” said Chan, who
was visibly in pain when she sat down at the media center for the post-game
interview. “I have been going to a Chinese physician for massages the last two
days and I had to wear a waist guard. At the start, I was just thinking of
trying to finish the first block without aggravating my injury.”
Chan’s performance is made more outstanding
considering as one-third of the 30 women field are either current or former
world champions. Besides Singapore’s 2001 and 2002 World Ranking Masters
champions Jesmine Ho and Jennifer Tan, there were also eight current world
champions - England’s Kirsten Penny (world doubles champion), Philippines world
champions trios of Liza del Rosario, Liza Cultario and Cecilia Yap and Malaysian
world team champions Shalin Zukifli, Wendy Chai, Sarah Yap and Choy Poh Lai.
“I was aware I was in the lead but I just kept
my focus throughout,” said Chan, who has yet to win her first international Open
title. “I haven’t really thought about winning this tournament before the start.
I was just aiming to finish in the top 16 and to qualify for the ESPN Aviva
Asian Bowling Tour. I don’t know how I will feel tomorrow morning when I wake.
Hopefully, my back will hold up and I can keep up my momentum. My best finish in
an Open tournament is fifth at this year’s Thailand Open. It’s a long long way
to go, but I will try my best.”
It was a good day for local supporters as there
are currently three Singaporeans in the top ten. Besides Chan’s sensational
performance, spinners Alice Tay (1648) and Jennifer Tan (1613) are in fourth and
sixth positions respectively.
Philippines world trios champions Liza Clutario
and Liza del Rosario are not out of contention yet. World championships runner
Clutario is currently seventh, 203 pins behind the leader, while current Asian
number 2 Rosario, the 2003 Malaysian Open champion, is a further 11 pins adrift.
Other pre-tournament favourites, however, will
have a bit of catching up to do. Malaysia’s Wendy Chai, who is aiming to be the
first person to win three Singapore Opens in a row, is in 13th
position, world doubles champion Kirsten Penny is 22nd, while Asian
Games champion Shalin Zukifli is surprisingly only 25th in a field of
30 top qualifiers.
The
second block of eight games will commence tomorrow morning (9am) and the top six
will enter the step-ladder finals, where the winner walks away with $5,000.
Earlier in the day, Singapore’s Jazreel Tan was crowned Girls Youth champion,
while Philippines Markwin Tee was the Boys Youth Champion. American Dino
Castillo has the midway lead in the men’s Masters final, while Singapore’s Asian
Games champion Remy Ong is in sixth position.
For
more information, please contact the media center at 65-62241012
Kelvin
Phang Tel: 65-92375118, Email:
kelvin.phang@octagon.com
Issued
on behalf of Singapore Tenpin Bowling Congress by Octagon RTA, the Event
Communications Consultants, for the 36th Singapore Open
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