ROCHESTER, N.Y. – After nearly two years without a title, Singapore’s Cherie Tan 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 none other than 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.
Pluhowsky put herself into the title match after qualifying as the No. 3 seed and winning two matches, first defeating Erin McCarthy of Elkhorn, Nebraska, 235-197, before knocking off Canada’s Felicia Wong in the semifinal match, 218-191.
Tan and Pluhowsky, both left-handed bowlers, exchanged strikes in the first two frames before Tan missed a 7 pin in the third frame. Pluhowsky was unable to capitalize on the opening, however, leaving the 4-6-10 split in the fifth frame and taking only the 6-10 to leave the competitors tied through five frames.
Over the next three frames, Tan struck three times while Pluhowsky managed just one strike between a pair of converted 7 pins. According to Tan, the transition on the left side of the lane helped play into her strengths.
“I tend to swing the ball a little bit more than Shannon and Felicia,” Tan said. “Because the front part of the lane was burned up, being able to go right and shape it up was more natural for me, and I think that played to my strong suit. I think it showed during the match.”
In the ninth frame, Tan nearly gave new life to Pluhowsky when a pocket 7-10 split stood momentarily before the 7 pin toppled and Tan ran the 10 pin down the following shot.
With one mark in the final frame, Tan would be a champion once again, and she delivered with a strike before closing out with a 225 game, the title and the $10,000 top prize. Pluhowsky finished with 206 and earned $5,000 for her runner-up finish.
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.”
The stepladder finals opened with McCarthy and Singapore’s New Hui Fen. McCarthy was looking to add another title in 2026 after a major win at the United States Bowling Congress Queens while New was making her fifth championship-round appearance in six tries this season.
Neither bowler was able to pull away as New opened three times before the 10th frame while McCarthy couldn’t string strikes together, leading to a tense final frame. McCarthy was working on a double and could shut New out with a mark, but her ball went high leaving the 4-6-10 split and closing with a 190. New needed all three strikes in the 10th but her ball went high as well for a 6 pin.
McCarthy advanced to face Pluhowsky while New finished with a 177 and her fifth top-five finish this season, good for $3,000.
The second match was all Pluhowsky, who cruised to a 235 win over McCarthy’s 197 game that included multiple ball changes. McCarthy earned $3,500 for her fourth-place finish.
In the semifinal match, Wong and Pluhowsky were separated by only a few pins through the opening frames, but a series of solid shots that failed to carry in frames six through nine allowed Pluhowsky to pull away with 218 to Wong’s 191. Wong’s second career championship-round appearance ended with a third-place finish that earned her $4,000.
The PWBA Tour continues June 4-6 with the PWBA Barbara Chrisman Classic presented by Storm in Columbus, Ohio, at HPL Bowling Center. For more information on that event, click HERE.
For complete results from all three PWBA Summer Series events, click HERE.
