ARLINGTON, Texas – The second stop of the 2017 Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour will commence at Steve Cook’s Fireside Lanes in Sacramento, California, and Cherie Tan of Singapore is back to defend her title.
Tan, along with four of her Team Singapore teammates, will be in competition this week as they make their return to the PWBA Tour at the PWBA Storm Sacramento Open, which runs May 4-6.
For many fans, last season was their first introduction to the talented Team Singapore bowlers as a contingent competed in the first few events of the 2016 PWBA Tour season. Tan earned the top seed for the stepladder finals of the PWBA Storm Sacramento Open, and then connected on two strikes in the final frame to outlast Shannon Pluhowsky, 208-205, in the title match.
“I was honored to be able to win the PWBA Storm Sacramento Open after competing against such a great field,” said Tan, one of four players from Singapore to win a title on the PWBA Tour and was the runner-up at the Smithfield PWBA Tour Championship. “It was a dream come true. To me, to be able to win validates the hard work that I’ve put in over the years and I’m thankful that the team got the opportunity to do so with the support from Singapore Sports Institute and Singapore Bowling Federation.”
Also in 2016, Bernice Lim won the USBC Queens, while New Hui Fen captured the season-ending Smithfield PWBA Tour Championship along with Rookie of the Year honors. Jazreel Tan won the 2015 PWBA Lubbock Sports Open to become the first player from Singapore to win on the PWBA Tour.
Team Singapore’s success during the 2016 PWBA Tour season was more impressive considering most team members competed in only five events; New and Cherie Tan competed in six events after earning spots in the invitation-only Smithfield PWBA Tour Championship.
Sacramento-area bowling fans also will get a chance to see United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer Leanne (Barrette) Hulsenberg and 2015 event champion Elysia Current of Ephrata, Pennsylvania, at this year’s event.
Hulsenberg, who is originally from Roseville, California and now resides in Pleasant View, Utah, is third on the PWBA career titles list with 26, and has won two major titles, the 1999 USBC Queens and 2011 U.S. Women’s Open. She is coming off a match-play appearance at last week’s QubicaAMF PWBA Sonoma County Open.
Current captured the 2015 PWBA Storm Sacramento Open title, the first standard event of the relaunched PWBA Tour. Also competing this week will be Amber Vega of Orangevale, Calif., who was 31st in last season’s event as an amateur.
Other local competitors include Jeanette Adams, Jill Creamer, Heather Dettrey, Jennifer Dirckx, Michelle Duncan, Amanda Duplan, Amanda Fry, Joanne Gonzalez, Nichole Hiraoka, Roxanna Horton, Danielle Johnson, Kristie Leong, Jennifer Reven, Kristin Romero, Karen Russell, Jenny Scott, Cyndee Sutherland and Adrianna Tadiello.
The QubicaAMF PWBA Sonoma County Open is the second of 14 events on this year’s PWBA Tour schedule that will run through the first week of September, when the Smithfield PWBA Tour Championship takes place at Richmond International Raceway.
CBS Sports Network will televise the stepladder finals of 13 of the 14 PWBA Tour events starting May 23 with the USBC Queens, the first major event of the season, from the Raising Cane’s River Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The stepladder finals of the PWBA Storm Sacramento Open will be taped for broadcast at the River Center and will air Tuesday, June 13, at 8 p.m. Eastern on CBS Sports Network.
All qualifying and match play rounds of PWBA Tour events will be carried on Xtra Frame, the exclusive online bowling channel for the Professional Bowlers Association. Go to XtraFrame.TV for more information.
Visit PWBA.com to learn more and for complete coverage of the 2017 PWBA Tour season.
2017 PWBA STORM SACRAMENTO OPEN
(At Steve Cook’s Fireside Lanes, Sacramento, Calif.)
(All times local)
Thursday, May 4
4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.: Practice
7:30 p.m. – Pro-Am
Friday, May 5
9 a.m. – 10 a.m.: Practice
Noon – Qualifying Round 1 (fresh oil, six games)
6 p.m. – Qualifying Round 2 (fresh oil, six games)
Saturday, May 6
8:30 a.m. – Cashers’ Round (fresh oil, six games)
1 p.m. – Round-Robin Match Play (fresh oil, six games)
5 p.m. – Group Stepladder Finals (fresh oil)
About the PWBA
The Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) originally was formed in 1960. The PWBA Tour has events throughout the country, offering high-level competition and top prize money for women bowlers. The PWBA is supported by the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America (BPAA) and the United States Bowling Congress (USBC)
