YES, SHAHRUKH CAN! AT THE MASTERS
Yes, Shahrukh can as he stuns top S. Korean pro to rule The Masters
PETALING JAYA: Youngster Shahrukh Amin Zulkifli is set to earn a national call-up after defying the odds to win the The Masters Bowling Championships.
The 17-year-old, who has just completed his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), showed he was hardly a novice when he upstaged top South Korean professional bowler Jeong Tae-hwa 226-210 in the stepladder finals at Sunway Megalanes yesterday.
He pocketed RM35,000 for his feat. Shahrukh helped Malaysia defend the title that was won by Kang Bo Long last year.
All, however, had seemed lost for the top qualifier from Pahang when Shahrukh started with an open frame but he bounced back with five strikes in a row to beat the more fancied South Korean for his first international title.
The win is indeed special for the Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) student as he overshadowed two-time PBA Player of the Year Parker Bohn III of United States, Asian Games gold medallist Kim Hyo-mi, Malaysia’s top bowlers Rafiq Ismail and Timmy Tan in the tournament that featured some of the region’s best men and women keglers.
National chief coach Holloway Cheah was pleased to see another gem of a bowler emerging for Malaysia. He was bowled over by Shahrukh’s composure en route to the title.
“Shahrukh will surely be invited for either the national youth or back-up team following his good performances here,” said Holloway.
“The final was shown live on television but he was calm. He didn’t panic even when he faced an open frame in the opening game. He kept his composure to win it.
“He showed that he was not nervous even when he was down, and we look for bowlers with such a mindset.”
Holloway said they had kept an eye on Shahrukh since last year.
“He did well to win the junior circuit finals last year. We did offer him a place in the national youth squad but he declined because of his SPM. We will extend another invitation to him and will continue to watch him closely,” said Holloway.
Meanwhile, Holloway was not too concerned with the performances of Rafiq and Timmy, who finished ninth and 10th respectively.
“It has been a hectic year for them but they still made it to the final. They did quite well to stay close to the top six, who made it to the stepladder finals. They’ve one more assignment for this year,” said Holloway.
Rafiq and Timmy will join Sin Li Jane, Shalin Zulkifli and Siti Safiyah Abdul Rahman for the Korean PBA’s Storm Cup from Dec 17-21.