Philippine national team bowler Merwin Tan of the Philippines settled for third place in the U22 5th Fukuoka Summer Cup by Storm that was held from August 7 to 11 at the Toyo Sports Palace in Fukuoka, Japan.
The 20-year-old was seeded second but bowed to eventual champion Hideaka Hata of Japan. It was actually a dramatic climb for the Japanese who placed 20th up to the 5th game. A perfect 300 game catapulted Hata to 6th place.
Hata needed a big finishing kick to Jeremiah Camacho of Guam. The Japanese punched out in the 10th frame, finishing with a 258 compared to Camacho’s 255.
When asked on his thoughts about his performance in the tournament, Tan said that he was happy making it to the top three but a bit disappointed knowing he could have won it all.
“Each tournament is a different learning experience because I play on a different pattern. I learned how to adjust and adapt to different situations. I am happy that I made it to top 3 but a bit disappointed because I know that I could have won the tournament,” said Tan.
Regardless, Tan knows he did well although he was not spared from bad shots. Looking ahead, he will try to work on those miscues and prepare for his next tournament.
“This was not a setback to me because I did well. I made some bad shots during the game and these were costly. I will practice more for the next tournament. Thank you PAGCOR PBF PSC MVP SPORTS!” ended Tan.