Rafiq fumbles in first tournament on US PBA Tour

PETALING JAYA: World champion Rafiq Ismail has kickstarted his six-week playing stint in the United States Professional Bowlers’ Association (PBA) Tour on a quiet note.

The 21-year-old’s participation in the PBA Players Championship was shortlived after he failed to make the top 24 cut in the 18-game qualifying rounds in Ohio on Thursday.

Rafiq could only manage a 3,702 total to be placed 57th out of 120 competitors.

Australian Jason Belmonte, who had just picked his 19 PBA Tour titles by winning the PBA Tournament of Champions last week, shared the top spot with homester Brad Miller on 4,109 pinfalls.

The lefties, including Rafiq, were certainly having a hard time coping with the tricky lane conditions at the Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl.

Even the in-form Jakob Butturf of the United States, who boasted a victory and a runner-up finish in his first four starts of the season, was not spared as he finished 54th after amassing a 3,702 total.

Sweden’s Jesper Svennson and American A.J. Rice were the only two southpaws who made it to the next round.

Rafiq will switch his attention next to the PBA Indianapolis Open in Indiana from Feb 19-24.

The Indonesia Asian Games gold medallist will aim to improve on his last year’s thirdplaced outing at the PBA Jonesboro Open in Arkansas (Feb 26-March 3) before ending his stint with the World Series of Bowling in Allen Park, Michigan (March 10-21).

Rafiq is playing in the PBA Tour for the third straight season.

He has claimed two top three results thus far, having also come in third at the WBT Thailand, an event jointly sanctioned by PBA Tour, in Bangkok last year.