Cherie in US Women's Open finals

National bowler Cherie Tan has made the step-ladder finals of the US Women's Open in second place after four rounds of qualifying and three matchplay rounds.

Her 11,998 total was just behind top seed Josie Barnes (12,003).

The other bowlers who will feature in this morning's step-ladder finals at Double Decker Lanes in California are Americans Shannon Pluhowsky (11,950) and Stephanie Zavala (11,875), as well as Latvia's Diana Zavjalova (11,926).

Tan said: "We feel blessed for the opportunity to be able to compete after being out of action for 20 months. The team has done quite well and this shows that the training programme we had during Covid is going in the right direction.

"Going into tomorrow, I'll focus on the process and staying present and hopefully it will all fall into place."

The winner of the event, which featured 71 bowlers, will take home a record US$100,000 (S$134,400).

Fellow Singaporeans Shayna Ng and Daphne Tan finished 11th and 22nd respectively.

Before the pandemic wreaked havoc on the international sports calendar, Tan, 33, had enjoyed an excellent 2019 as she became the first Singaporean to win the Masters title in the World Bowling women's championships and the first Asian to capture the Professional Women's Bowling Association Players Championship.

She was also voted the World Bowling Athlete of the Year by the international bowling community and public in January last year.

Pinfalls after 56 games for Cherie Tan in the US Women's Open, to enter the step-ladder finals in second spot.