Macpherson Loses Lead to Davenport

The curtain was falling on Wendy Macpherson’s lead in the fourth round of the $30,000 Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour tournament at Kearny Mesa Bowl Tuesday, amid a series of splits, stubborn 10-pins and ornery six-pins.

Between turns, the San Diegan sat on a step wearing the expression of someone who had just dumped a ball into the gutter.

While talking to a member of her family, which was well-represented to support her hometown appearance, Macpherson glanced up at a small child who had been placed on top of lockers about four times his height. He was laughing. She laughed at him.

That was her only laugh of the final hour of match play.

It was during that time that she surrendered her lead to Diana Davenport, a third-year pro from Shreveport, La., who crawled out of the depths of her morning inconsistencies to take a seven-pin lead by the day’s end. Macpherson was second with 7,198 pins.

Frustrated? “A little bit,” said Macpherson, who had a high game of 244 and a low of 162. “The balls that I thought were good shots made a big snap at the end.

“I have nothing to complain about. I’m very pleased with my whole day. You have your ups and downs.”

For that very reason, Davenport never calls her family between the morning and afternoon rounds. Too much can change.

This time, things changed for the better. Davenport, 27, spent the morning panicking with each tough shot.

In the afternoon, she concentrated on bowling without emotion. She wasn’t flashy, but consistency, including two 235 games, carried her to the top.

So she had something good to tell her family on the phone.

“They’re going to freak out,” said Davenport, who has never led in a tournament before.

Monday’s leader, Aleta Sill of Dearborn, Mich., dropped to fourth behind Robin Romeo of Van Nuys.

Macpherson figures to have a slight psychological edge entering today’s final eight games of match play and, if she makes it, tonight’s stepladder finals. This is her crowd, as evidenced Tuesday by the clutter of fans standing behind her lanes.

“It sure beats being by yourself,” she said, “and having no one root for you.”