New wins sixth career title at PWBA Northern Colorado Open
May 10, 2026
Final Standings
GREELEY, Colo. – It was nearly déjà vu for Singapore’s New Hui Fen at the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Northern Colorado Open, contested at Highland Park Lanes, but this time she came out as the winner, defeating Stephanie Zavala of Long Beach, California, 228-202, for her sixth PWBA title.
New earned the No. 1 seed after 24 games of qualifying and waited to see who her opponent would be before watching Zavala, the No. 4 seed, work her way up the stepladder. It was nearly identical to last week’s PWBA Bowlers Journal Rockford Open finals, where No. 4 Sin Li Jane of Malaysia climbed the ladder and defeated the top-seeded New in a high-scoring title match.
New came out swinging yet again just like in Rockford, striking five times in the first six frames for an early lead over Zavala, including a messenger that saw the Singaporean bowler show rare emotion.
“I’m not a very animated bowler and I felt a lot of pressure and anxiety,” said New. “That was my way of loosening up.”
Zavala, on the other hand, fell behind despite staying clean until an untimely split in frame seven, leading to a runner-up finish with 202 and earning $9,000. New didn’t miss the pocket until the game was sealed up, finishing with 228 for her sixth PWBA title and $18,500 top prize.
It’s been a great run of consistency for New the last two plus seasons on the PWBA Tour as she’s had nine championship-round appearances since 2024 to go along with those six titles and PWBA Player of the Year honors in 2025, a credit to the work she’s put in to stay healthy.
“I’ve had more confidence the last three or so seasons,” said New. “I’m not worried like ‘What if I slide and my knee starts to hurt?’ That fear is gone, and I know my body is strong enough because of the work I’ve done. I know I can handle it.”
It’s not just about how physically sound she’s become either, her mental game has also come a long way.
“It’s about being very intentional with everything and sticking to the routine, every thought that goes through my head is also intentional,” she said. New now heads to the United States Bowling Congress Queens in Las Vegas with winning momentum.
Zavala started her climb up the ladder against Sweden’s Nora Johansson, who was making her third championship-round appearance since 2025 and was looking to be the first two-hander to win on tour.
Johansson shook off an opening split and kept pace with Zavala halfway through the match, but that’s when Zavala fired off five strikes in a row on her way to a 234. The Swedish bowler didn’t miss the pocket yet couldn’t carry the 10 pin and finished with 201, earning $5,150 for fifth place.
Next for Zavala was Shannon Pluhowsky of Dayton, Ohio, who finished the 2025 season with two straight wins, including the season-ending Tour Championship for her fifth title and third major title.
Zavala started with the first five strikes while Pluhowsky was unable to get a double until the middle of the game, down 45 pins by the sixth frame. Three more strikes were thrown by Zavala over the next four frames, pulling ahead to finish with 257 to Pluhowsky’s 221, who earned $6,150 for her fourth-place finish.
Waiting for Zavala in the semifinal match was Jordan Snodgrass of Adrian, Michigan, seeking her seventh career title. The match became who could carry the 10 pin as neither player could strike early, then exchanged doubles before an open in the seventh by Snodgrass allowed Zavala to pull ahead late with 205. Snodgrass closed out with 188 and a third-place finish, good for $7,500.
Through two events in 2026, two international players have won events, setting the stage early for a potential third straight Player of the Year winner from outside of the United States. More will be known after the first major of the year, the USBC Queens at Gold Coast Bowling Center in Las Vegas running May 13-19.
For more information about the USBC Queens, click HERE.
GREELEY, Colo. – It was nearly déjà vu for Singapore’s New Hui Fen at the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Northern Colorado Open, contested at Highland Park Lanes, but this time she came out as the winner, defeating Stephanie Zavala of Long Beach, California, 228-202, for her sixth PWBA title.
New earned the No. 1 seed after 24 games of qualifying and waited to see who her opponent would be before watching Zavala, the No. 4 seed, work her way up the stepladder. It was nearly identical to last week’s PWBA Bowlers Journal Rockford Open finals, where No. 4 Sin Li Jane of Malaysia climbed the ladder and defeated the top-seeded New in a high-scoring title match.
New came out swinging yet again just like in Rockford, striking five times in the first six frames for an early lead over Zavala, including a messenger that saw the Singaporean bowler show rare emotion.
“I’m not a very animated bowler and I felt a lot of pressure and anxiety,” said New. “That was my way of loosening up.”
Zavala, on the other hand, fell behind despite staying clean until an untimely split in frame seven, leading to a runner-up finish with 202 and earning $9,000. New didn’t miss the pocket until the game was sealed up, finishing with 228 for her sixth PWBA title and $18,500 top prize.
It’s been a great run of consistency for New the last two plus seasons on the PWBA Tour as she’s had nine championship-round appearances since 2024 to go along with those six titles and PWBA Player of the Year honors in 2025, a credit to the work she’s put in to stay healthy.
“I’ve had more confidence the last three or so seasons,” said New. “I’m not worried like ‘What if I slide and my knee starts to hurt?’ That fear is gone, and I know my body is strong enough because of the work I’ve done. I know I can handle it.”
It’s not just about how physically sound she’s become either, her mental game has also come a long way.
“It’s about being very intentional with everything and sticking to the routine, every thought that goes through my head is also intentional,” she said. New now heads to the United States Bowling Congress Queens in Las Vegas with winning momentum.
Zavala started her climb up the ladder against Sweden’s Nora Johansson, who was making her third championship-round appearance since 2025 and was looking to be the first two-hander to win on tour.
Johansson shook off an opening split and kept pace with Zavala halfway through the match, but that’s when Zavala fired off five strikes in a row on her way to a 234. The Swedish bowler didn’t miss the pocket yet couldn’t carry the 10 pin and finished with 201, earning $5,150 for fifth place.
Next for Zavala was Shannon Pluhowsky of Dayton, Ohio, who finished the 2025 season with two straight wins, including the season-ending Tour Championship for her fifth title and third major title.
Zavala started with the first five strikes while Pluhowsky was unable to get a double until the middle of the game, down 45 pins by the sixth frame. Three more strikes were thrown by Zavala over the next four frames, pulling ahead to finish with 257 to Pluhowsky’s 221, who earned $6,150 for her fourth-place finish.
Waiting for Zavala in the semifinal match was Jordan Snodgrass of Adrian, Michigan, seeking her seventh career title. The match became who could carry the 10 pin as neither player could strike early, then exchanged doubles before an open in the seventh by Snodgrass allowed Zavala to pull ahead late with 205. Snodgrass closed out with 188 and a third-place finish, good for $7,500.
Through two events in 2026, two international players have won events, setting the stage early for a potential third straight Player of the Year winner from outside of the United States. More will be known after the first major of the year, the USBC Queens at Gold Coast Bowling Center in Las Vegas running May 13-19.
For more information about the USBC Queens, click HERE.