Lazo keeps composure, rules youth girls class

Playing with controlled pressure, Dale Lazo exceeded expectations by bagging her first international career title.

“I just enjoyed the game without expectations because the more you expect, the more you get pressured,” said the 16-year-old national youth mainstay who ruled the youth girls’ masters of the Philippine International Open-Tenpin Bowling Championships 2019 on Saturday.

Lazo pulled off a slim victory over tournament favorite Bea Hernandez, 180-177, after overcoming a seven-pin deficit and finishing the one-game faceoff with three strikes in a row.

“I see bowling as a mental game. You have to stay focused throughout,” said Lazo, an incoming Grade 12 student at La Salle-Dasmariñas in Cavite, who picked up the sport six years ago.

It was actually a double celebration for the Philippines after Filipino-Australian Jordan Dinham ruled the youth boys’ masters at the expense of Asian youth champion Merwin Tan, last year’s titleholder.

Trailing top qualifier Hernandez throughout the preliminaries, the second-seeded Lazo hurdled fellow national teammate Grace Gella, 212-171, at the start of the stepladder finals to forge the thrilling finale.

Dinham, whose popularity soared after claiming victory over 2018 World Cup champion Sam Cooley in a high-level tournament back home, defeated Tan, 189-155.

Born in the Philippines but growing up in Australia, Dinham placed third entering the stepladder finals. —JUNE NAVARRO