By the Skins of His Teeth: Feijen Wins $42,500 at Skins Event Debut
Trailing badly late in the finals of the inaugural Skins Billiard Championship, steely Niels Feijen of Holland summoned the composure to win three games in a row and pocket a knee-knocking $35,000 – enough to seize the lead and eventually win the debut event.
“I got out, and I didn’t know how much it was for,” said the jubilant Feijen after accepting a massive winner’s check for $42,500. “I sat down, and I heard it was for like $35,000, and I was like, ‘Man!’ … I knew it was big. But to get the skin, that was the pressure. It was intense. I mean, I was almost going to faint after I made the 9. I was super-shaking.”
Producers Allen Hopkins and Billiards International hope that the Skins Billiards Championship, held Nov. 19-20 in Atlantic City, N.J., will fill TV viewers with the same sense of anticipation. Patterned after the “skins” game in golf, the event was designed to capitalize on the public’s recent rabid fascination with games of chance, such as Texas Hold ’Em poker.
Here, 16 of the world’s top shooters vied for a cut of the gaudy $130,000 prize fund. (Each player ponied up a $5,000 entry fee, and the promoters added another $50,000.) In the first round, four sets of four players squared off, with each player taking $500 for each game won. The top eight winners advanced to the semis (to be televised with the final on ESPN in January), where the “skins” came into play. Each game carried a value, which would roll into the next until a player could win three games in a row (the “skin”).
The fast-paced and unpredictable format seemed to trump the typical mano-a-mano 9-ball telecast. Here, players openly rooted against whichever contestant seemed closest to a skin, and the loose atmosphere prompted several zingy exchanges between players and audience members. In a bit of a coup for the promoters, loose cannons Keith McCready and Earl Strickland both made it into the televised semis, and their lips were flapping. After Strickland thwarted Charlie Williams’ run for a skin in the semis, he turned to the bench and quipped acidly, “You guys are lucky. You’re pulling for me now. It’s the only time a pool player has pulled for me.”
The swings in fortune were intense. Heading into the four-man finals, Thorsten Hohmann and Willams led with $22,000 and $21,500, respectively. Feijen and Rodney Morris pulled up the rear with just $7,500 and $6,500. But by the fourth game, Morris had won the first skin, worth a hefty $13,000. Morris later ruined Hohmann’s bid for the second skin (by then worth $18,000) with a quick break-and-run. Feijen took the advantage from Morris in the next game with a break-and-run, then watched as Williams missed the 1 in the next game, leading to a two-game streak. In the next game, Hohmann tried a chancy 1-9 combo a good 24 inches from the corner pocket, and missed. That let Feijen back to the table to wrap up his $35,000 skin in the 11th game of the 12-game final.
Morris then won a playoff for the remaining $6,000 skin, putting him in second place overall with $25,500. Williams and Hohmann left with the same amount they had at the beginning of the final.
“That is one advantage this has over the ring game format,” Williams said, comparing the skins event to the other gambling-style game currently in vogue at pool tournaments. “With a ring game, there is one winner and five losers. Whereas here, everybody can win some money.” — Mason King
Corr Wins Nationals
Karen Corr won the Women’s Professional Billiards Association’s National 9-Ball Championship, held at the Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City, Ore, Nov. 9-14.
Her triumph over Gerda Hofstatter in the final match solidified her lead over formerly dominant Allison Fisher, who took third in Oregon. Recent snooker import Kelly Fisher came in fourth place.
Corr won $12,500, while Hofstatter settled for $9,000. Allison Fisher and Kelly Fisher took home $7,000 and $5,500 respectively.
For brackets from the event and updated rankings, visit www.wpba.com.
Hillbilly Takes First Major at Glass City
Charles “Hillbilly” Bryant went undefeated through a 96-player field to take the $8,000 title at the Glass City Open at the Clarion Westgate hotel in Toledo, Ohio, Nov. 10-14.
Bryant, for whom this is his first major pro title, beat Danny “Kid Delicious” Basavich in the final, 10-6, to take the prize. Other notable wins included bouts against Earl Strickland and Keith McCready in earlier rounds.
“That was my first big ‘un!,” said Bryant after winning the title. “It is the biggest moment of my life, it’s everything I worked for. They say the first one is the hardest. I give my thanks to the good Lord.”
Billiard World Mourns “Babe” Cranfield
The Billiard Congress of America has regretfully announced the passing of Hall-of-Famer Arthur “Babe” Cranfield, 89.
Born in Buffalo, N.Y., Cranfield won the New York City and National Junior titles at age 15, breaking previous high-run records, and was the National Amateur champion in 1938 and 1940. After serving in World War II, Cranfield appeared frequently at world tournaments, and took the world straight-pool title from Luther Lassiter in 1964. He was inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame in 1997.
A resident of Syracuse, N.Y., he died Oct. 30, survived by his wife of 64 years, Ruth Fish; two sons, Lawrence and Gary; and related descendants.
Kim wins WPBA US Open
Korean Sensation Ga-Young Kim capped off an uncharacteristic final day of play with a 7-6 win over Karen Corr to win the 2004 WPBA US Open.
The TV rounds, usually only the domain of a few certain players, were invaded by not only Kim but also Melissa Herndon from California and Kelly Fisher who defeated Allison Fisher on Saturday night to earn her spot.
Corr won her first two matches on Sunday to earn her place in the finals against Kim. Corr and Kim had faced off in the finals of the same event last year with Kim missing a key 9-ball at hill-hill to lose this match. The score might have been the same this time, but it was a different winner as Kim hoisted the trophy high for her first WPBA tour win.
Parica fills out Skins Semifinals
Jose Parica snared the final spot in the semifinal round of the Skins Billiards Championship late on Friday night and, in doing so, narrowly averted a playoff with at least two other opponents to reach the big-money rounds of the $130,000 tournament.
Parica will be joined in the semis – where $42,000 will be up for grabs – by Johnny Archer, Luc Salvas, Rodney Morris, Santos Sambajon, Ralf Souquet, Cory Deuel and Danny Basavich. The four players then advancing to the finals will play for an additional $54,000.
The Skins opening round kicked off Friday afternoon at the Resorts hotel and casino in Atlantic City, N.J., with 16 players divided into four brackets, playing for $500 per game. Each bracket consisted of 16 games, thus allowing a total of $8,000 in prize money per bracket. The eight players with the highest prize totals at the end of the round would advance to the semis.
By the end of play in the third bracket, it became clear that a player would need at least $2,000 to have a shot at the semis. When Basavich reached $3,000 late in the fourth bracket, all the pieces fell into place. If Parica could win one more game and reach $2,500, the final eight would be set. If he finished with just $2,000, he and at least two other players with $2,000 would have to duke it out in a playoff for the eighth spot
It came down to the 15th game, when the shooting order allowed Parica one final turn to break.
Charlie Williams and Mika Immonen, both with $2,000 from previous rounds, huddled in the back of the cavernous Superstar Theatre, rooting for Basavich to win the deciding game. But even on the ropes, Parica was too clever for his foe. Stymied by a safety, Parica decided to foul intentionally and sabotage Basavich’s runout by nestling the 5 next to the 8. Sure enough, Basavich’s runout stalled at the 5, and Parica nailed a tough cross-side bank on the 5 to take control of the table and eventually win the game.
“I’m more experienced than anybody,” the plucky Filipino said. “I think. I make the smart play.”
The Skins action will finish up Saturday evening. Check back for the final results.
Sang Lee Passes
Sang Lee
A former Korean champion at several carom styles, Lee was a dominant force in U. S. three-cushion circles since moving to the U.S. in 1987. His achievements include winning 12 consecutive national three-cushion titles, beginning in 1990. He solidified his world-class credentials by beating Torbjorn Blomdahl and Hall-of-Famer Raymond Ceuelmans on his way to winning the 1993 Billiards Worldcup Association world Championship.
From 1990 to 1994 in U.S. national competition, he won 41 straight games in the finals, eclipsing a record set by Willie Hoppe in 1941. He also held the U.S. grand average record of 1.835 in a national tournament.
Julie Kelly Triumphs in Windsor
Julie Kelly finally broke through for a WPBA title win.
The ebullient Irishwoman took a 7-5 victory over perennial top-ranker Fisher at the Cuetec Cues Canadian Classic in Windsor, Ontario, Oct. 6-10. Kelly lost to friend and road partner Corr in round four and went to the losers’ side, defeating Gerda Hofstatter, 9-8, Romana Dokovic, 9-3, Vivian Villareal, 9-7, and Hsin Huan, 7-2, to earn a semifinal rematch with Corr, who she dismissed handily, 7-4, to move forward into the final and trump Fisher.
Kelly was ecstatic after her long-awaited win, and took the opportunity to thank members of her family back in Ireland, as well as Corr, for their help and support in reaching her goal.
Deuel Wins Sudden Death 7-Ball, Massey Scores Trick Shot Magic Title
After a long tournament-title drought, Cory Deuel won Sudden Death 7-Ball, held Oct. 6-7 at the ESPN Zone in Las Vegas, Nev. Deuel overcame Thomas Engert in the final, by scores of 7-1 and 7-5, to seize the crown. Deuel cashed in $25,000, while Engert took home $5,000.
In the trick-shot event, held Oct. 7, also at the Las Vegas ESPN Zone, Massey edged out Canada’s Nick Nikolaidis to grab the $25,000 top prize.
Both contests will be shown on ESPN and ESPN2. Check BD’s online TV listings for updates on those air times as they become available.
Sambajon’s Train Finally Arrives
After four previous failures, Santos Sambajon, Jr., finally added his name to the list of Filipino imports to win major pro tour titles in the U.S. when he defeated Mike Davis, 7-5, Sunday afternoon in the finale of the World Summit of Pool in New York City.
“This is good for me,” said the 44-year-old Sambajon, whose most recent bridesmaid appearance came at the Billiard Congress of America Open 9-Ball Championships in Las Vegas in May. “This is good for me up here,” he said, pointing to his head. “And here,” he added, tabbing his hand over his heart.
Sambajon went undefeated through the 68-player field in the United States Poolplayers Association (UPA) tournament, staged with substantial fanfare at the city’s landmark Grand Central Station.
Earlier in the day, Sambajon had squeaked past Davis, 7-6, in the winner’s bracket. The final four matches were shortened to races to seven to accommodate taping for future airing on ESPN.
After struggling through the early racks of the finale, Sambajon ran out from the break on his final three attempts in the alternating-break format. With the match tied, 5-5, Davis attempted to slide the 1 ball into the side pocket but missed, a tricky shot that would prove to be his last of the match. Sambajon cleared the table, then ran out from the break to seal the match.
“I think he’s supposed to play safe there,” said Sambajon, who earned $12,000 for the title. “But I’m glad he didn’t.”
Davis earned $6,000 as runner-up. Earl Strickland placed third in the event, followed by Danny Harriman.