WPBA San Diego Classic Underway
First-round matches are underway today, April 20, at the 2006 WPBA San Diego Classic, at Viejas Casino in Alpine, Calif.
Kelly Fisher won her first U.S. title at this tournament last year, when she defeated Gerda Hofstatter in the final match. Both players have returned this year and, providing they both win their first three respective matches, are destined to meet again in the fourth round, scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Saturday, April 22.
Stay tuned to HeadString News for highlights, or watch for ongoing results at www.wpba.com.
Live Coverage of Florida Pro Tour This Weekend
The second stop of the Florida Men’s Pro Tour boasts a cramped marquis and live online coverage, taking place this weekend, April 15-16, at Players Billiards in Melbourne, Fla.
Players competing will include Earl Strickland, Nick Varner, Buddy Hall, Rodney Morris, Mike Sigel, Ronnie Wiseman, Troy Frank, Rob Saez, Ray Martin, Danny Diliberto, David Grossman, Neil Fujiwara and many more. Tournament coverage can be found at www.platinumbilliards.com where brackets will be updated match-by-match and for some, game-by-game.
Sponsored by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, the tournament is $8000-added, 10-Ball, race-to-8, rack your own, winner breaks.
Archer Remains On Target For Final In Calgary
Quarter-final matches will take place today between undefeated players Johnny Archer and Luc Salvas, Alex Pagulayan and Jason Klatt at the 2006 SML 9-Ball Open in Calgary.
Archer’s path to the final was almost thwarted by young Shane Van Boening in an early match on April 13, the third day of the tournament. The match was tied at 10-10 with Van Boening breaking, but a scratch on the break proved fatal as Archer ran out the final rack to remain undefeated.
After beating Stan Tourangeau, Archer’s next obstacle is Salvas of Quebec, who has built momentum with wins over formidable Filipinos Edwin Montal and Dennis Orcollo.
Defending champion Pagulayan and 2004 champion Archer are favored for the final.
Strickland’s Hall of Fame Speech Filled With “Pearls”
“Where are my friends?” demanded Earl Strickland, discussing the lack of respect given to pool players by professional athletes in other sports during his acceptance speech as the 50th inductee of the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame.
The fact is, Strickland was surrounded by friends during the well-attended induction banquet held on April 6, 2006 in conjunction with the BCA International Billiard & Home Recreation Expo in Houston.
Earl was introduced by longtime sponsors Janet Shimel, CEO of J-S Sales Company, Inc., and Lou Sardo, of Lou Sardo Products. Both shared stories of the volatile pool legend that were far more “pearly” than surly, and highlighted Strickland’s passion for the game.
“His heart is really much bigger than his mouth,” Shimel said.
“I have a passion for pool and it still burns and I’m still going to be playing, and I’m starting to get healthier. I had some kidney problems, and some back problems, and some marital problems, and some others. I’ve kind of fallen off the horse in the last few years, but I’m getting over it now, and when I get my game back, you better watch out Johnny [Archer]!” he said.
Strickland’s speech was peppered with many “pearls” of his own. “Finally, I have your undivided attention. That’s all I ever wanted,” began the 44-year-old, who has commanded attention in the pool world since his first pro tournament at age 15.
He expressed his desire to continue playing pool for as long as he’s capable. “I don’t know how much longer I got, to tell you the truth. Pool players live in dog years. When you’re 40, you’re like 80.”
Strickland is a five-time winner of the Billiards Digest “Player of the Year” award, and his career highlights include multiple world championships, five U.S. Open titles and nine Team U.S.A. victories at the annual Mosconi Cup. He has also gained the title of “Million-Dollar Man” after he ran an unbelievable 13 racks. Most recently, Earl won the World Pool Masters Trick Shot Challenge in 2003, took fourth at the U.S. Open in September 2005, second at the UPA Atlanta Open in October 2005 and another Mosconi Cup victory in December 2005.
Strickland’s bad temper is well-known and documented in the pool community, but he asserts that it always in the name of a deep adoration and reverence for the game. He compared pool to “the worst drug on earth.” “I would nearly want to kill someone to play a game. I stole from my own mother to play pool,” he admitted to a roaring audience.
His speech took a serious tone, however, when he spoke of his new distinction. “I’m a Hall-of-Famer now, I’ll be walking in another pair of shoes.”
Hatch Fulfills Prophesy, Wins First Major in 8 Years
A weeping Dennis Hatch cradled the championship trophy for the Gabriels Open 8-Ball Professional Players Championship, after mounting a furious comeback to win a second-set squeaker against undefeated challenger Mike Davis in the final.
Hatch, 35, had won the first set, 5-3, but found himself down 4-1 in the second. It looked for a moment like the match would go to a one-game sudden-death tiebreaker, but Hatch was able to break and run out to make it 4-2, and then took advantage of a Davis scratch and dry break to steal the set, 5-4.
“I just felt like I was going to win it,” Hatch said of the event, held March 16-19 in conjunction with the Super Billiards Expo in Valley Forge, Pa. “I was playing better than anyone else. … It’s been about eight years since I won a major — that’s why I cried.”
Hatch’s last major win came at the 1998 Denver 10-Ball Open. He spent roughly two years incarcerated for drug-related charges until his release in September 2003, and since has played sparingly on the Joss Northeast tour.
“For the past two months now — three months, tops — I’ve been playing every day and getting myself back in shape,” he said.
In the final, Hatch avenged his 5-3, 5-4 loss to Davis in the hot-seat match. He defeated Ralf Souquet, 5-4, 4-5, 1-0, to earn the rematch against Davis.
Hatch made a show of kissing a hand and laying it on the crystal vase championship trophy before both his semifinal and final matches.
“Let me kiss my trophy,” he said prophetically.
Last But Not Least: Peach and Alcaide earn final spots in the IPT
At the fifth and final International Pool Tour qualification event in Weert, The Netherlands, David Alcaide of Spain and Daryl Peach of England nabbed the final two spots on the 150-player roster for the 2006 season.
After defeating Peach on Saturday night in a hill-hill nailbiter, Alcaide showed up Sunday morning determined. He met Goh Takami in the winners’ bracket final, and Japan’s “Rising Sun” wasn’t able to stop the Spaniard, who won the match, 10-5.
Peach suffered through a lengthy match against Germany’s Michael Schmidt before reaching the one-loss side final against Takami. It looked as if he were going to run six racks for the $5,000 bonus, but missed a tough cut on an early 2 ball when the score was 7-3. Peach was able to win that rack and only allowed Takami one more game before winning the last match, 10-4.
Ga-Young Kim Takes Second World Championship in Taipei
The world has a new women’s 9-ball champion in Ga-Young Kim of Korea. It’s a title she’s had before, in 2004, and one that she stole away from former 2002 champion Shin-Mei Liu, in the final match of the 2006 Women’s World 9-Ball Championship that took place in Taipei, Taiwan. The four-day tournament culminated March 5.
Kim was the favorite against American Jeannie Seaver in the quarter final. Seaver’s break was plagued by scratches and Kim was victorious, 7-5.
Her next match was a defensive battle against Japan’s Akimi Kajitani. With Kim on the hill, 8-6, Kajitani’s scrupulous safety placement escaped her and she left the opening Kim needed to run the remaining balls for a spot in the final, where she would meet Lui.
In the all-Asian final, points didn’t come easily and the defensive play that ruled the day continued. Kim eventually made it to the hill, 10-8, on an awe-inspiring pocket-speed shot. Within one game of the championship, Kim left Liu an opening, which she took and ran with, until she faced a poor lie on the 9. Liu went with a thin cut-shot, and the 9 ball rattled between the jaws, coming to rest just shy of the pocket. Kim easily knocked it in for the world title.
This year, the tournament yielded 64 participants from all over the world, competing for the high distinction. A few headliners were not in attendance, including Allison Fisher and Jeanette Lee.
Robert Huang, organizer of the Amway Cup was quoted in the Tapei Times as saying, “Jeanette Lee’s appearance fee rose to US$10,000 per day this year. We weren’t prepared to pay that type of money for her to play.”
Kiamco, Breedlove make the IPT cut
The International Pool Tour gained two new players after its fourth qualification event ended Feb. 26 at in Chelmsford, Mass.
Warren Kiamco of the Philippines advanced steadily through the the winners’ side, scorching Furuta Kazao 10-2 and then besting George Breedlove 10-10-8 in the winners’-side finals. Breedlove was down, but not out. Facing an 8-5 deficit in the one-loss side finals to Karl Boyes of the U.K., Breedlove ran five racks in a row in a comeback victory for the coveted tour card.
Players who had been eliminated from the tournament could play Hall of Famer Mike Sigel for a free entry into the final qualifier, to take place March 10-12 in the Netherlands. Imran Majid and Chris Melling, both from the UK, defeated Sigel, while Kevin Brown and Kevin Becker were unsuccessful.