Imperfect but happy, New Hui Fen wins Bowler of the Year accolade

SINGAPORE – For most of her career, national bowler New Hui Fen chased the perfect shot.

She was critical of every shot she took and became fixated when she could not execute them as well as she wanted.

The 34-year-old said: “Shot by shot, I would feel it’s not perfect, I needed to do better and felt this can be better, that can be better.

“I was always not satisfied with the way I throw, then I would always try to seek that perfect shot. But that also created a mental lock because it’s very hard to achieve that perfect shot.”

But at the end of 2024, feedback from consultant coach Shawn Ryan shifted her mindset, making her realise that she did not always have to attain perfection.

“I’m now able to take what I see with a pinch of salt and not add too many flavours to it. I tried to keep it simple and it was easier to enjoy the competition a bit better,” she said.

The change led to better performances and results on the lanes in 2025, with New picking up the BowlTV Open, Rock ‘n’ Roll Open and the US Women’s titles en route to becoming the first Singaporean to win the Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) Player of the Year award.

The 2016 PWBA Rookie of the Year is also the second Asian bowler to earn the prestigious accolade after Malaysia’s Sin Li Jane in 2024.

Her achievements in a standout year saw her named Bowler of the Year at the Singapore Bowling Federation’s (SBF) annual awards night at Raffles Town Club on April 7.

New said: “It’s nice to have this recognition because within the team it’s always been quite competitive.

“Last year was more like reaping the fruits of all the hard work that I put in over the last few years and seeing it come to fulfilment.”

In preparation for the 2026 season, New has been working in the gym to increase her strength and manage the physical demands of long games on tour.

She will head to the US to compete in several PWBA Tour events from April to June.

Also on her calendar is October’s International Bowling Federation World Cup in Germany, where she hopes to claim individual and team titles.

Another bowler feted on April 7 was Mike Ong, who was named Youth Bowler of the Year.

The 20-year-old clinched the boys’ Masters gold at the 2025 Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships, his first individual title since he became a national youth bowler at 13.

He had come close several times, placing second in the men’s open at the Thailand International Open Bowling Championships in 2024 and 2025.

“It was a breakthrough and it proved my inner self-doubts wrong. The year before that, I felt a breakthrough was coming but I just didn’t know when,” said Ong, who will be enlisting for national service in July.

“Having to keep working at it and also putting in the hard work with no definite time when the breakthrough was going to come, I felt a bit impatient but thankfully it came through.”

While it was not always easy, he credited the support from those around him.

He said: “Having a great group of friends in training who have a like-mindedness helps ease the journey a little bit, so I’m very thankful to the guys for getting me through it.”

In her speech at the ceremony, SBF president Valerie Teo called 2025 an “exceptional year” for Singapore bowling.

Apart from New and Ong’s achievements, Darren Ong became the first Singaporean bowler to win a Professional Bowlers Association title, while the Republic bagged two golds and four bronzes at the Thailand SEA Games.

Teo said: “Tonight is more than just a celebration of achievements; it’s really about the journey behind them, the effort, the sacrifices, the shared commitment that defines our sport.

“We’re here to honour these stories and the people behind them.”