Richard Turner | SUGBU photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — American kegler Richard Turner turned back the clock and showcased his vintage winning form by ruling the Sugbuanon Bowlers United (SUGBU) Shootout Tournament last Sunday, March 23, at the SM Seaside City Cebu Leisure and Bowling Center.
The 65-year-old former pro league bowler from the United States clinched the title with a stellar 221-pinfall performance in the finals, outclassing Dory Enoveso and Celis Viloria, who finished second and third with 186 and 165 pinfalls, respectively.
This wasn’t Turner’s first taste of victory in the tournament, having previously bagged the February monthly title.
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Enoveso, who continues to impress despite being one of Cebu’s oldest active bowlers at 83, delivered a solid 186-pinfall output in the finals. Viloria, another seasoned competitor, rounded out the podium with 165 pinfalls.
SUGBU DIVISION A
Before his dominant finals performance, Turner pulled off a major upset in Division A’s qualifiers by defeating local favorites, including former national team member and past SUGBU champion Jomar Jumapao and former national champion Aui Padawan.
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Turner topped the qualifiers with 906 pinfalls, while Padawan, who had one of his best games this year, settled for second with 882 pinfalls. Jumapao finished third with 832.
Padawan came close to achieving a perfect game in the opening round, recording an impressive 10 consecutive strikes.
However, his bid for perfection fell short in the 11th frame when he settled for a 7-of-10 split on a perfect pocket hit, denying him the coveted 300-pinfall score and the gold ring awarded by SUGBU for such a rare feat.
In Division B of the SUGBU tournament, Viloria topped the leaderboard with 812 pinfalls, edging out Manny Bueno (740) and Robert Sarvida (734), who placed second and third, respectively.
Meanwhile, Enoveso reigned supreme in Division C, scoring 669 pinfalls to narrowly beat Steve Bahani (654) and Flor Hodgkinson (653).