Seoul native tops women’s masters

Statuesque and graceful Hea Jin Su bowled consistently all through 12 games to top the 24th Annual May Masters Bowling Tournament women’s masters event that concluded early Sunday morning at the Saipan Bowling Center.

In an arduous and tension-filled masters event that started in the afternoon and lasted until the wee hours of the next morning, the 30-year-old righthander from Seoul, South Korea knocked down 2,197 pins for an average of 183.08 in the 12-game championship.

Su started strong and averaged an eye-popping 185 pinfalls in her first three games. She didn’t miss a beat in her next three and normed 183, including a tournament high 224 pinfalls in her sixth game.

The Mode Tour & Travel employee hit a rough patch in games 7, 8, and 9—rolling only scores of 160, 168, and178—but she bounced right back beautifully and concluded her amazing run with games of 193, 168, and 196.

Su, who tries to play bowling twice or thrice a week, dedicated her victory to her beloved husband and also thanked fellow members of the local Koran Bowling Association for supporting her all throughout the tournament.

Elena Soll finished 65 pins back of Su with 2,132 pinfalls or an average of 177.67. Last year’s third-placer Rizza Hensley was again second runner-up with 2,119 pinfalls, followed by veteran keglers Emi Williams and Diana Camacho, who wound up with 2,118 and 2,069 pinfalls, respectively.

Making the rest of the Top 10, with their scores in parenthesis, were as follows: Ron Cal (2,033 pinfalls); Gina Sablan (1,983); Hye Il Seo (1,973), Lynn Santos (1,947), and Del Camacho (1,940). A total of 23 players competed in the women’s masters.

The women’s masters was not the only category that Su dominated as she also took home the championships in the singles and all-events categories.

Su tattooed 643 pins in the three-game singles category to beat out Hensley (511) and Williams (506). She also made her mark in the all events, toppling 1,500 pins to outplay Marie Manansala (1,533) and youngster Jerrie Vales (1,516).

Manansala, meanwhile, teamed up with Sablan to win the doubles with their aggregate score of 1,124. Williams and Camacho came second (1,042), while Cora Muna and last year’s women’s masters champion Cindy Taitano were third (1,035).

Winning the team event were the quartet of Sablan, Manansala, Cal and Gigi Zapanta who rolled 1,995 pinfalls. There were two teams—the squad made up of Hensley, Sophie Fejeran, Dolly Villagomez, and Lucy DL Guerreo and the crew of Vales, Santos, Taitano, and Marie Masga—that shared second place with 1,943. Solo third place went to Cal, Sablan, Zapanta, and Lala Taitano.

The yearly May Masters tournament is organized by the Saipan Bowling Association and is sponsored by MARPAC, exclusive distributor of Budweiser; JET Holdings; Saipan Bowling Center; Saipan Grand Hotel; Pacific Telecom, Inc.; Marianas Visitors Authority; and SBA president Jerry Tan.

MARPAC and JET Holdings are the year’s biggest sponsors having graciously donated a total of $3,500 for the tournament.