Frederic Caudron Crowned Champion at the 2006 Sang Lee International Open
After playing over 500 matches from start to finish, two three-cushion players remained standing at the Sang Lee International Open, both determined to be this year’s strongest billiard player. It all came down to a single momentous point made by great Belgium carom player, Frédéric Caudron, in order to dethrone defending champion Torbjörn Blomdahl of Sweden in the final match.
Eighty-two world-class three cushion players representing 18 countries, descended onto Carom Café’s 10-table arena from August 13-20 for a grueling round-robin competition to vie for the $85,000 prize fund. Blomdahl and Caudron burned up the heated carom tables to make it to the final, where, if Blomdahl would score his last point, both players would then have an identical 6-3 record and thus force a sudden-death 15-point playoff. Caudron, who is undisputedly the supreme straight, balkline, and one-cushion carom player of all time, was on a mission to prove that he stands above the greatest giants in three-cushion billiards – by winning this Sang Lee title. To start the final match, in the presence of a huge crowd and in front of the TV cameras, Caudron literally burst out of the gates with a sudden 19-6 lead over Blomdahl in a race to 40 points. Intent on defending his “home-turf”, as Blomdahl affectionately terms New York — due to his numerous titles taken down in the three-cushion city, Blomdahl fought back aggressively to narrow the gap 28-26. Caudron immediately responded by surging ahead and was the first to hear the referee’s call, “Playing for three” — leaving his opponent trailing desperately behind 37-28. In typical Blomdahl fashion, the great champion stepped right up and ran an amazing 10 points – missing his 39th point by a single hair. At this critical moment, both players traded unbelievable near-misses while they simultaneously hedged themselves with carefully planned safety moves — bringing the score up to 39-39 while every single audience member inched themselves to the very edge of their seats in anticipation.
It was then that Caudron unleashed a breathtaking out-shot and immediately upon delivering the winning blow, shook his cue tightly with two clenched fists and let out a deep victory roar that was heard all around the three-cushion world. As he hoisted the massive Carom Cup trophy over his head, the enthusiastic crowd gave him a highly spirited and lengthy standing ovation for his monumental accomplishment.
-provided by Ira Lee, Sang Lee International Open director
Oushan Qualifies for Upcoming IPT Event
Jasmin Ouschan, the winner of the fierce, international field at the BCA Enjoypool.com 9-Ball Challenge held in May, will now be in the running for a piece of the $3-million payout at the International Pool Tour’s World Open in Reno next month.
The 20-year-old Austrian qualified to compete in the single event at The Elbow Room in Oslo, Norway this past weekend, along with Ben Davies. Other players who qualified over the weekend were Antonio Lining and Lee Huewagen in Las Vegas, Ben Nunan and Goh Takami in Victoria, Australia, Teddy Garrahan and Jeff Beckley in Chelmsford, Mass., and
Davide Pascasi and David Alcoberro in Madrid, Spain.
The IPT World Open 8-Ball Championship will take place Sept. 2-10 at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nev. The first-place finisher will walk away with $500,000, the largest payout in the history of pool. Check out www.internationapooltour.com for ticket information.
Jennifer Chen Disappears; Huge Gambling Debts Reported
Taiwanese billiard superstar Jennifer Chen is reportedly missing and believed to be hiding from gangsters after running up enormous gambling debts.
Asian TV and print media have been buzzing about Chen’s disappearance since early August, reporting that the 31-year-old WPBA pro allegedly had lost as much as $600,000 gambling on Taiwanese and U.S. baseball, and the 2006 World Cup.
Reports of her whereabouts have varied, with some claiming she has gone into hiding in Hong Kong, and others claiming she has fled to the U.S.
It’s a case with the whiff of the sensational in Taiwan, where the photogenic Chen has long been a celebrity as a pool player, sports broadcaster and actress.
According to a report in the Aug. 13 edition of the Taipei Times, prosecutors in a related case involving a gambling ring were able to gather intelligence on Chen’s gambling debts. Allegedly, gangsters met with Chen on July 24 and demanded that she give up her Taipei residence in order to cover the debts, the Times reported. Chen went missing soon after the meeting.
WPBA officials have not heard from Chen since mid-June, according to tour director Peg Ledman. Chen did not compete in the WPBA’s Florida Classic in late June, nor the Midwest Classic, held July 27-30 in East Peoria, Ill., dropping her ranking to 19th.
Chen told Ledman in mid-May that she did not intend to play in the two events, and that she instead would be working with an acting coach, the tour director said. Their last contact was in mid-June, when Chen confirmed via telephone that she would not attend the Florida Classic.
Chen won a bronze medal in billiards at the 2001 World Games and a silver medal at the 2005 World Games.
Archer’s At It Again
After winning the International Challenge of the Champions one week prior in Uncasville, Conn., Johnny Archer continued his streak at the Joss Tour’s Turning Stone Classic VII, held Aug. 17-20 at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, N.Y.
The final match was a marathon that lasted into Monday morning, as Archer defeated Santos Sambajon, 13-9, to top the 128-player field.
Sambajon took the hot seat on Sunday afternoon with a 9-5 win over Archer, but Archer overpowered Shawn Putnam, 9-3, on the one-loss side to earn the rematch with Sambajon in the finals. Putnam settled for a third- place finish with Jerry Slivka finishing in fourth. Karen Corr and Jeanette Lee proved their prowess, each turning in a fifth-place finish.
Archer earned $8,000 for first place while Sambajon settled for $5,300. Putnam took home $3,800 and Slivka pocketed $2,700 for fourth place.
Check out the October issue of Billiards Digest for in-depth coverage.
Hatch and Davis: Star-crossed Players in Fair Verona
The second Joss Turning Stone Classic of the year is under way at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, N.Y., with 128 players fighting for a piece of the $25,000-added prize fund.
The star-studded field includes Marlon Manalo, Ralf Souquet, Johnny Archer, Dennis Hatch, Mike Davis, Shawn Putnam, Karen Corr, Ryan McCreesh, Keith McCready, Jeanette Lee, Allen Hopkins, George Breedlove and Santos Sambajon.
One of the field’s two top players will be banished to the one-loss side today, Aug. 17, as Mike Davis and Dennis Hatch will duel in the first round.
BCA Hopes to Rev the Industy’s Engines with New Executive Director
In a move that Billiard Congress of America directors hope will put the association’s desire to become more of a marketing arm for the industry on a fast track, the BCA announced the selection of veteran motorsports executive Rob Johnson as its new executive director.
Johnson, whose most recent duties as executive vice president/general manager of Sutton International Motorsports included the staging and marketing of the Grand Prix of Denver, was unanimously confirmed by the BCA board of directors at its meeting in Baltimore, Aug. 13. At Sutton, Johnson managed sales, marketing and public relations initiatives for NASCAR, Baja and Champ Car projects. In 2002, Johnson formed Professional Sports Management, a company that managed and operated the Pikes Peak International Raceway, a 1,200-acre, 42,000-seat motorsports complex that hosted major events, including NASCAR and Indy Racing League.
“We’re very fortunate to have found someone of Mr. Johnson’s caliber,” said BCA President Gregg Hovey, of Olhausen Billiards. “He has experience taking major projects from inception to the finish line. He’s gotten major races off the ground, and has put butts in the seats.”
The move follows the retirement of Steve Ducoff, who led the BCA office for nearly six years, and coincides with the association’s revised long-term vision. “We’re looking for someone to develop ideas to get pool into the forefront of consumers’ minds,” said Hovey. “We think this will also get our membership excited, and will even help grow our membership.”
Johnson, who graduated from the University of Colorado’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications, currently resides in the Denver area. With the lease on the BCA’s current Colorado Springs offices set to expire in April 2007, Hovey did not discount the notion that the association’s offices might relocate to Denver. “We’ll wait for Rob’s proposal once he’s had a chance to work in the office and evaluate the staff and the association’s needs,” Hovey said.
Archer is the Champion of Champions
In the final of this year’s winner-take-all $50,000 International Challenge of the Champions, the 2 ball created cartoon-like hijinks, running and hiding from competitors Thorsten Hohmann and Johnny Archer.
Archer eventually put that 2 ball in its place: the pocket, in the single-game tiebreaker, and ran out for the valuable victory.
Archer started the day on Thursday with a match against Marlon Manalo. Manalo took the first set, 5-3, but Archer fought back and won the second set, 5-1, to force a single-game tiebreaker. Archer had been in this same position on Wednesday when he won the lag and proceeded to break and run the tie-breaker rack to eliminate Alex Lely. Once again, Archer won the lag and went on to break and run the single rack to eliminate Manalo and earn Archer a spot in the finals.
Archer’s opponent in the finals was IPT North American Open 8-Ball Champion Hohmann. Hohmann defeated defending champion Fong Pang Chao, 5-1 and 5-3, to earn his spot in the finals.
Hohmann came out strong in the finals against Archer and won the first set, 5-2. The next set was all-Archer as he came back and won the set, 5-1, to force yet another single game tie-breaker to determine the final winner.
Once again, Archer won the lag and made the 1 ball on the break, but the 2 ball began its hide-and-seek game. Archer could only see part of it, so he opted to push and Hohmann played him safe on the 2. Archer took an intentional foul on the, knowing that it was not playable even with ball in hand and Hohmann played another safe on the 2. Archer took on a tough shot that had him elevating his cue and trying to bank the 2 ball into a ball that was near a pocket but was not successful. Fortunately for him, Hohmann found himself dead hooked on the 2 after the balls stopped rolling. Hohmann failed to contact the 2 ball and Archer maneuvered his way through the final rack for the tournament win and $50,000 in prize money.
By Day’s End, One Champion Will Remain at the International Challenge
Day one of the 2006 International Challenge of Champions is complete and the field of eight players has been sliced in half.
Among the elite, international players, every game in the best-of-three matches carried great importance. In the first match of the day, Johnny Archer defeated Alex Lely in a one-game tie breaker to advance.
The second match saw IPT North American 8-Ball Champion Thorsten Hohmann defeat Santos Sambajon, 5-2 and 5-3, to earn his spot in the next round.
The third match of the day featured another single game tie-breaker, as Marlon Manalo came back from a 5-2 loss in the first set and won the second set, 5-2, and then won the tie breaker to eliminate Niels Feijen.
The final match of the day saw defending champion Fong Pang Chao defeat German Ralf Souquet, 5-1 and 5-4, to advance to today’s play.
The match-ups for today should make for an intense climate in the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn. The first match will feature Archer vs. Manalo at 5 p.m. EST and Hohmann vs. Chao at 6:30 p.m. EST. The winners of those two matches will face each other in the finals at 8 p.m. EST where the winner will pocket $50,000 in this winner-take-all event.