After nearly two years without a title, Team Turbo Staff Member Cherie Tan of Signapore returned to the winner’s circle at the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Lilac City Open, contested at ABC Gates Bowl in Rochester, New York. It’s Tan’s sixth PWBA title and first since the 2024 PWBA BowlTV Classic.
“We (Team Singapore) always enjoy coming out for the PWBA season because the competition is really good, and I think it’s growing every year,” Tan said. “To see the sport grow here, and to be able to come back and compete, is a blessing.”
Tan qualified as the No. 1 seed for the stepladder finals as the highest seed to win her Round of 8 match in the match-play bracket and waited to see who her opponent would be. The victory would not come easy as Tan would face another Team Turbo Staff member Shannon Pluhowsky of Dayton, Ohio. Pluhowsky was seeking her eighth title and second win this week at ABC Gates Bowl after a victory during the PWBA BowlTV Open just two days prior.
The victory was especially meaningful for Tan, who spent the past two seasons rebuilding her physical game after struggling with timing and consistency.
“I came quite close last year a couple of times, but I knew my game wasn’t quite right,” Tan said. “I’ve been working on it every time I go back to training, and I’m slowly seeing some progress.”
Tan added that the process required her to essentially start over.
“The weight transfer was not right, and I kind of made it worse by working more and more on it,” Tan said. “I had to restart everything and reprogram my footwork. It takes time because I bowled for about a year with bad timing. I needed to start from scratch again.”
With the win ending a nearly two-year title drought, Tan now turns her attention to the remainder of the PWBA Summer Series.
“It’s not about carrying the momentum,” Tan said. “It’s about staying present and taking one shot at a time.”