Come and watch ‘perfect’ Bohn in action

PETALING JAYA: American Parker Bohn III has given the 18th Milo International Junior All-Stars Bowling Championships a shot in the arm.

Regarded as one of the greatest bowlers of all time, Bohn will make his debut with his two sons Justin, 15, and Brandon, 12, in the Dec 4-10 championships at the Sunway Mega Lanes.

Bohn will contend for the Masters crown – the tournament’s flagship event open to all ages – while his children will take part in the boys’ Under-15 category.

The 54-year-old Bohn is a 35-time US Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour winner. He also has a staggering 110 perfect 300 games in his illustrious career.

To date, Bohn has amassed over US$3.1mil (RM13.13mil) in career earnings. He is still competing actively on both the regular PBA Tour and PBA50 (Senior Tour). He has four wins in this season’s PBA50.

The PBA Hall of Famer is an idol to many bowlers worldwide, including Malaysian national team members Shalin Zulkifli and Alex Liew.

Australian Sam Cooley and Japanese Shota Kawazoe, who also ply their trade in the US, as well as South Korean Jeong Tae-hwa are the other three notable bowlers to have confirmed their entries to date.

Sunway Mega Lanes assistant general-manager Michelle Wong has promised to get more world-class players to sign up for the championships.

“The tournament never fails to attract the world’s best bowlers. It’s certainly going to be special this time with Bohn’s presence,” said Michelle.

“And he’s making it a family affair. Justin and Brandon come with impressive credentials too, having won a couple of age-group tournaments in the US. Brandon recently won the Under-12 crown in the USBC (United States Bowling Congress) Championships.

“It’s going to be a very interesting and exciting championships,” she added.

Prize money worth RM300,000 is up for grabs in the one-week championships.

The Masters winner will take home RM35,000. The boys’ Open (Under-21) champion will receive RM25,000 while the winner of the girls’ Open (Under-21) will get RM18,000.

Six other events – the boys and girls’ Graded, Under-12 and Under15 – will also be contested.