ARLINGTON, Texas - It's no secret there's a great collection of global bowling talent on the Professional Women's Bowling Association, and the success international players have had in 2016 supports that sentiment.
The finals of the PWBA Wichita Open will showcase another international standout when Syaidatul Hamidi of Malaysia (No. 4 seed) attempts to win her first PWBA title, and first title of any kind on American soil.
The show will air on CBS Sports Network on Tuesday at 9 p.m. Eastern, and the opening match will feature Hamidi against No. 3 seed, Shannon Pluhowsky of Dayton, Ohio. No. 2 seed Maria Jose Rodriguez of Austin, Texas, and No. 1 seed Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, New York, round out the top four.
Hamidi is a five-time member of the Malaysian national team and is one of eight Malaysian players who made the trip to the United States to compete against the best players on the PWBA Tour. Hamidi, along with her teammates, made their Tour debut at the United States Bowling Congress Queens in Las Vegas in May. Hamidi performed admirably against a strong field of 256 bowlers, finishing tied for 25th.
The 24-year-old right-hander already has a defining moment on Tour - a 300 game in the PWBA Wichita Open Group A stepladder final versus Diana Zavjalova of Latvia to earn the fourth seed for the finals. The 300 nearly was a 299 game, but a stubborn 9 pin fell late to give Hamidi the lone perfect game of the event.
Afifah, as her friends call her, has rolled two previous 300 games in competition, including one during last year's Masters qualifying at the Malaysian Open, an event she eventually won.
"I didn't expect that at all," said Hamidi, who first represented her country in international competition at the age of 10. "I did very well in Wichita, and that was amazing to me. I never expected to make the TV show. I came just wanting to focus, give my best and make the top 32."
Hamidi was able to shine at Northrock Lanes, but she didn't do it alone. All of her Malaysian teammates were watching and cheering her on during the group stepladder final, just as the team did when Li Jane Sin appeared on the live televised finals of the USBC Queens, where she finished fifth.
In fact, Sin reached the Group B stepladder final in Wichita, which set up the possibility of the two teammates facing each other on TV, but Sin lost her final match to Pluhowsky, 276-228.
Individually, Hamidi's bowling childhood was no different than most. She picked up the sport from her father and found herself doing homework daily at the bowling center while watching him compete. Eventually, she began training with Sin, and now they are teammates attempting to win professionally in a different country.
"Li Jane and I have known each other since we were 8 years old," said Hamidi, who won gold in doubles with Sin at the 23rd Asian Tenpin Bowling Championships in January. "We come from the same state and have been training together since we were young. We represent our school, state and country together."
The re-launch of the PWBA Tour has provided the chance for the best women bowlers to chase their dreams, and the same can be said for Team Malaysia.
Hamidi said one of the best parts about bowling on Tour is the chance to compete against her idol, Kelly Kulick, whom she shared the lanes with in January at the inaugural Bowling World Open in Tokyo, Japan, where Hamidi finished fifth.
Sin also is excited about the opportunity to see her dreams come true by competing on the PWBA Tour. As a young bowler, she looked up to Malaysian superstar, Shalin Zulkifli, and continues to keep Zulkifli in mind as she competes professionally.
Zulkifli, who finished tied for third at the 2008 U.S. Women's Open, is a five-time Malaysian Sportswoman of the Year. She was inducted into the World Bowling Writers Hall of Fame in 2003, was named International Bowler of the Year in 2002 and has won countless gold medals during a career that has now spanned more than two decades. She just might be the greatest Malaysian bowler of all-time.
"Of course this has been one of my dreams since I was a little girl because of Shalin," said Sin, who is the No. 1 seed for the PWBA Greater Detroit Open, which will air on CBS Sports Network on Tuesday, July 19, at 9 p.m. Eastern. "When I was a little girl I would always see Shalin in newspapers. She's been in the United States competing with professionals. I'm very happy to be here. I think my dreams are starting to become a reality."
While Team Malaysia is competing on the PWBA Tour, each player's performance also carries weight toward being selected to compete in future competitions. Malaysia will host the 29th Southeast Asian Games in 2017, for which eight players will be selected to represent Malaysia. The SEA Games is just one of several competitions National Chief Coach for Malaysia, Holloway Cheah, will consider when he begins his team selections.
"We've been looking forward to taking part in this competition because we know the competition here is of the highest standards," said Cheah, who also is the head coach of the Malaysian men's national team. "We are preparing for our Southeast Asian Games next year, and the team has gained some good experience. I'm quite happy with our overall performance because the best is here. All of them have made a cut to the top 32, so I'm quite happy overall. We know the competition here is very high and that's why we're here."
The qualifying, match play and group stepladder rounds of the PWBA Wichita Open took place June 3-4 at Northrock Lanes in Wichita, Kansas, and were broadcast live on Xtra Frame, the exclusive online bowling channel of the Professional Bowlers Association.
