Lucky Rusty wins Bowler of the Year

Talk about a Cinderalla story in bowling.

Rusty Musca was the 13th and final qualifier for the nine-game roll-off then proceeded to top it before out-dueling youth bowler Raymond Zapanta in the finals of the 2008 Philippine Bowling Association Budweiser Bowler of the Year Tournament.

Musca, who works for the cross town Capital Bowling Center in Garapan, would have to thank his lucky stars for how be dodged bullet after bullet yesterday at the Saipan Bowling Center.

The 35-year-old right-hander first had to survive a three-player roll-off for the 13th and final slot for the nine-game roll-off. He fulfilled his part of the bargain by scoring 39 in the two-frame roll-off as against Gina Sablan’s 29 and Bernard Paraiso’s 15. All three finished the qualifiers with an identical score of 520.

He then made good on his second opportunity by rediscovering his bowling stroke in the final nine-game roll-off that determined the Top 5 that would advance to the elimination round and in the championship.

Musca literally came out of nowhere by knocking down 1,826 pinfalls, good for a 202.89 average, to take the No. 1 seed in the stepladder finals.

Zapanta finished No. 2 with his 1,821 and 202.33 average, while Efren Cacdac (1,740 and 193.33), Nick Gutierrez (1,734 and 192.67), and Dannie Robles (1,731 and 192.33) made up the rest of the stepladder finalists.

In the elimination round, Robles came out on top by firing 156 as opposed to Gutierrez’s and Cacdac’s 152 and 145 scores.

Robles, however, lost steam against Zapanta in the semifinals making good on only 155 pins to Zapanta’s 220.

In the finals, Musca showed his rustiness after sitting out the eliminations and semis when he yielded the first game, 210-165, against the veteran of the 20th Asian Tenpin Bowling Championships.

Musca, however, battled Zapanta tooth and nail in the second game, as both keglers were neck-and-neck before the latter took a 150-143 lead after eight frames on a seven spare.

The 2004 Bowler of the Year appeared headed for the sure win when Musca could only muster a 182 in 10 frames, but he succumbed to the pressure with a seven split in the 10th to hand over the win to Musca, 182-176.

Musca was a lost for words after his come-from-behind rollercoaster win. He said he never entertained thoughts of winning the 2008 Bowler of the Year and was actually contented just to qualify for the stepladder finals.

He said he would like to dedicate his Bowler of the Year win—his first—to his wife Nora and 13-year-old child A.J.

What made Musca’s win even more impressive is the 10-year bowling veteran only plays at the Oleai bowling venue on Saturdays as he is busy tending the CBC the rest of the week.

Gutierrez (623 and 207.67), Edward Baluyan (621 and 207), Ronald Epan (589 and 196.33), Robles (588 and 196.33), Cacdac (586 and 195.33), Yho Villavicencio (584 and 194.67), Raphael Zapanta (550 and 183.33), Percy Omechalang (547 and 182.33), Pabs Amog (533 and 177.67), Jonathan Eparwa (533 and 177.67), Tony Verdaguer (529 and 176.33), and Jorge Soledad (521 and 173.67) finished in the Top 12 of the qualifiers roll-off.