Van Nuys Bowler Falls to Fifth Place in Pro Tournament

Robin Romeo of Van Nuys fell from second to fifth place Thursday after 34 games in the $30,000 Brunswick L.A. Open tournament. Romeo has won six of 16 matches in the tournament, sponsored by the Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour, that began Monday and will end Saturday.

Romeo has 7,517 points and trails Nikki Gianulias of Vallejo, 7,995, Jeanne Maiden of Solon, Ohio, 7,778, Betty Morris of Stockton, 7,588, and Carol Norman of Ardmore, Okla., 7,548.

The players have eight games remaining in the tournament, which is being held at Anaheim’s BRC Wonder Bowl, to improve in the standings. “I feel real good. I’ve been throwing the ball real well all week,” Romeo said. “It’ll be tough to catch Nikki, but I’m just trying to stay in the top five.”

If Romeo finishes among the leaders, she will appear on ESPN in Saturday’s final. The winner will win $5,000, the second-place finisher gets $2,500 and third place offers $1,500.

“I’ve got a realistic shot at third place,” Romeo said. “These are the best bowlers in the world. The competition is tough, but I’ve been doing this for eight years, so I feel like I belong.”

Sixty-eight women bowled 18 games attempting to qualify for the tournament. Only the top 24 were allowed to compete. The women have bowled 24 games of match play each day. The winners get 30 bonus points for winning head-to-head competitions.

Romeo was in second place Wednesday.

Her strongest competition in the tournament comes from the leader Gianulias and Maiden, who is attempting to win her fourth tournament of the season.

“It’s a cut-throat competition,” Romeo said. “You have to beat the girls one on one and that’s grueling. At times, I’ve had a tough time beating my opponents. The breaks haven’t gone my way so far, but I’m hanging in there because I’m bowling well. But I need to win more matches.

“I need to kick some butt today.”