Hj Bahzi Hj Damit during last year's Megastrike Classic tournament at the Megastrike Bowling Centre. Courtesy of Asnal Metussin
Hj Bazhi Hj Damit will be looking to qualify for the Top 24 in the 47th Singapore International Open.
The Singapore Open, which started yesterday and will finish on June 7, is an annual bowling tournament held at the Orchid Bowl, Orchid Country Club in Singapore with a total cash prize of over SGD$110,000 to be distributed to the winners.
An extra cash prize of SGD$10,000 is also set aside for bowlers who achieve a perfect game of 300 through the whole tournament. Hj Bahzi will fly to Singapore on June 2 for his qualifying round and he is looking to better his performance at last year's Singapore Open, which he failed to qualify for the Top 24 by only 13 pins.
"I'm aiming to qualify for the finals (Top 24) in the Singapore Open, InsyAllah," said Hj Bahzi. "More so when I think about my performance from last year. Those 13 pins have haunted me," he jokingly said.
After winning four local tournaments this year including two gold medals at the National Day Championship, the 25-year-old bowler the importance of competing in the region to further his developments as a bowler.
"The experience of playing and competing overseas is very important as it exposes me to a different level of competition that helps with my growth as a bowler," said Hj Bahzi. "I have sacrificed time and money in my bowling career and I have to keep pushing myself and finding that extra bit of motivation that will help me win.
"It sounds hard and time consuming, but if you're passionate about the game, it's all worth it." When asked if he has received any financial help with his bowling career, Hj Bahzi mentioned that his family and Megastrike has been a big help to him.
"Alhamdulillah, I'm glad MegaStrike (Bowling Centre) is able to support me in local and overseas tournaments. "Without the support of my family and MegaStrike, things would be a lot harder. Especially when we're trying to develop a youth team and build the sport further in Brunei."
A MegaStrike Bowl team comprising of Hj Bahzi, Md Wafiuddin Hj Bakar and Abu Khaledi Asya'ari Abu Bakar participated at the EuroMed-Bevida Storm International Masters in Manila from May 11-16. Hj Bahzi would finish sixth in the finals after averaging 215 pins per game with a 2161 pin series over 10 games, according to a press release sent by MegaStrike last week.
