FILE– Filipino bowler Merwin Tan. PHILIPPINE BOWLING FEDERATION PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Southeast Asian Games champion Merwin Tan brought his act to the United States and ruled a cutthroat competition featuring the finest bowlers on that side of the planet.
The 22-year-old Tan rolled 216 in the finals of the Professional Bowlers Association Bowlers Academy Open in Clovis, California on Monday, beating the highly favored PJ Haggerty for the men’s singles crown.
Haggerty, a US touring pro from Roseville, California, rolled 203 in his championship face-off with Tan at the Bowlero Bowling Center after surviving Dupree Dickie of Oakland, California in the semifinals.
With foreign coach Joe Slowinski guiding him all the way, Tan went through the three-game quarterfinals in a breeze by booting out Nickolas Freiberg of Sparks, Nevada, 258-188, 236-243, 248-190, and weathering Nevada’s Brandon Kring’s fightback, 222-214, 213-218, 247-209, in the semifinals.
Patrick Nuqui, Tan’s gold-medal companion in the team of four during the SEA Games in Vietnam last year, managed to finish 10th out of 74 competitors.
Tan broke an 11-year drought for the Philippines in the SEA Games after winning the men’s singles in Vietnam. He joined forces with Nuqui, Christian Dychangco and Ivan Dominic Malig in a triumphant team of four.