Iceman Stays Cool in Atlanta
Mike Immonen beat a solid field at the United States Professional Poolplayers Association’s fourth annual Atlanta Open, held at Murphy’s Brass Rail in Athens, Ga., Oct. 12-16.
Immonen came up the one-loss side after losing to Earl Strickland on Saturday. The Iceman beat Luc Salvas, Mike Davis and Troy Frank to secure a spot in the finals.
Waiting in the hotseat was Strickland, who was not as successful against the chilly Finn the second time around. Immonen blasted his way to a lopsided victory, 11-3. Immonen earned $10,00 for first place and Strickland took home $5,000. Frank and Davis came in third and fourth, respectively. Salvas and Tony Robles tied for fifth place.
Fisher Wins WPBA U.S. Open
Allison Fisher beat Karen Corr, 7-6, in the final of the Cuetec Cues WPBA U.S. Open, held Oct. 12-16 at the Sandia Casino in Albuquerque, N.M.
Fisher was sent to the one-loss side by Monica Webb, 7-5, in the winners’-side fifth round. On the left side, Fisher beat Helena Thornfeldt, 7-4, and advanced to play defending champ Ga Young Kim of Korea. Fisher took a 4-1 lead over Kim, and though Kim fought back to a tie, she never held a lead. Fisher won, 7-5, and moved on the play Webb.
Against Webb, the going was tougher for Fisher. Fisher took the first lead, but Webb got ahead 4-3. Tied at 5-5, Fisher again converted her opportunities into wins and took the match, 7-5. Webb collected $7,000 for third place.
Corr was waiting for Fisher in the hotseat. They tied on the hill and Fisher made the most of it, winning 7-6. Fisher took home $16,000 for first place, while Corr settled for $9,500 in second.
WPBA U.S. Open Offers Surprises
There have been a few early upsets at the Women’s Professional Billiard Association’s Cuetec Cues U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship, being held Oct. 12-16 at the Sandia Casino in Albuquerque, N.M.
Taiwanese player Hsin Huang beat No. 4-ranked Kelly Fisher, 9-5, while Megan Minerich defeated Gerda Hofstatter and Sarah Rousey beat Tiffany Nelson in the first round. Terri Mason, described on the WPBA’s Web site as a “WPBA newcomer and New York State champion,” also beat Romana Dokovic in the first round.
The competition continues through the weekend – visit www.wpba.com for the tournament chart and highlights.
Ewa Laurance, 2005’s Trick-Shot Queen
Ewa Laurance won the second annual Women’s Trick Shot Challenge, organized by Matt Braun’s promotional company Billiards International and held at the ESPN Zone in Las Vegas, Nev., on Oct. 4.
Laurance beat Allison Fisher, 10-7, in the final match. Both semifinals and the final match were taped for ESPN broadcasts beginning in November.
Four women played in the one-day event: Laurance, Fisher, Gerda Hofstatter and Dawn Hopkins. Fisher beat Hopkins, 11-8, in one semifinal while Laurance beat Horstatter, 12-11, in the other.
The format required each player to perform ten specific shots, with one point awarded for each successfully executed shot. Then the players challenged each other with shots of their own choice; the player’s opponent had to duplicate the shot or lose a point.
Laurance took home $25,000 for the win; Fisher collected $5,000 for second, and Hofstatter and Hopkins each won $2,000.
IPT Announces the Lucky 150
Marketing maven Kevin Trudeau’s new International Pool Tour has announced the 150 players who were accepted for membership in the IPT for its first regular tournament season, which kicks off with the IPT Masters’ 8-Ball Championship, January 31-February 4, 2006, at the Orlando Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. The advertised prize money for that event is an unprecedented $1 Million, with a first prize of $200,000. Only those players on the 150-person IPT membership list are eligible to enter the tour’s regular tournaments, though there are open events planned that will not have that requirement.
All events are to be 8-ball, on slow-nap cloth with 4 1/2-inch pockets. Jump cues and breaking from the side rail is prohibited, and the format is round-robin with the exception of the final match.
The IPT’s Web site, www.internationalpooltour.com, notes that, now that the 150 have been announced, it is no longer accepting applications for regular tour players.
At the end of 2006, the bottom 50 money earners on the tour will lose their tour card. An open qualifying tournament will be held to determine who gets those 50 spots for the 2007 season.
Here is the complete 2006 IPT membership list:
2006 IPT Players (Last, First – Country)
Adkins, Dee – USA
Alvarez, Frank – USA
Amine, Ouahbi – France
Amir, Ibrahim bin – Malaysia
Appleton, Darren – UK
Archer, Johnny – USA
Bartram, Chris – USA
Basavich, Daniel – USA
Beaufils, Yannick – France
Blyzes, Brian – USA
Brienza, Paul – USA
Broadhurst, Jackie – USA
Bryant, Charles – USA
Bustamante, Francisco – Phillippines
Butera, Lou – USA
Butera, Sal – USA
Calderon, Jerry – Venezuela
Carte,r Linda – USA
Carvajal, Alejandro – Chile
Catledge, Wayne – USA
Cemero, Michael – USA
Chamat, Marcus – Sweden
Chenman, Lee – China/Hong Kong
Chohan, Tony – USA
Colenso, Colin – China
Corr, Karen – USA
Coutts, Glen – New Zealand
Crane, Wade – USA
Czetli, Aaron – USA
Daulton, Shannon – USA
Davenport, Kim – USA
Davis, Mike – USA
Deuel, Corey – USA
Di Liberto, Dany – USA
Di Toro, John – USA
Dodson, Robin – USA
Dominguez, Ernesto – USA
Eberle, Max – USA
Eckert, Ralph – Germany
Edey, Tyler – Canada
Ellerby, Sarah – USA
Facquet, Vincent – France
Feijen, Niels – The Netherlands
Fisher, Allison – USA
Fisher, Kelly – USA
Frank, Troy – USA
Franken, Aaron – Aruba
Friend, Bernie – USA
Fusco, Jimmy – USA
Fusco, Pete – USA
Gay, Leil – USA
Goh, Tuan Kiat – Singapore
Gonzalez, Rafael – Venezuela
Gulyassy, Mike – USA
Hall, Buddy – USA
Hann, Quinten – Australia
Harrison, Philip – England
Hatch, Dennis – USA
Hill, Mick – UK
Hofstatter, Gerda – USA
Hohmann, Thorsten – Germany
Holtz, Patrick – UK-Scotland
Hopkins, Allen – USA
Hundal, Raj – United Kingdom
Hunter, Bobby – USA
Immonen, Mika – USA
Incardona, William – USA
Jahnke, Bernd – Germany
Jakulj, Zlatko – Croatia
Jones, Loree Jon – USA
Jones, Sammy – USA
Jones, Tammy – USA
Jones, Jeremy – USA
Juva, Markus – Finland
Kelly, Ed "Champagne" – USA
Kennedy, Thomas – USA
Kenniston, Mary – USA
Klasovic, Andreja – Serbia/Montenegro
Kutcher, John – USA
Laurance, Ewa – USA
LeBron, Mike – USA
Lely, Alex – The Netherlands
Leonardo, Gunnar – Aruba
Lin Sheng – Young Taiwan
Lipsky, Steve – USA
Lohtander, Marko – Finland
Macias, John – USA
Manabu, Mori – Japan
Manalo, Marlon – Phillipines
Martin, Ray – USA
Massey, Mike – USA
Mathews, Grady – USA
McCready, Keith – USA
Mckenna, Robert – United Kingdom
Minici, Joe – Australia
Montal, Edwin – Canada
Morris, Carl – UK
Morris, Rodney – USA
Murphy, Austin – USA
O’Sullivan, Ronnie – UK
Owen, Gabe – USA
Parica, Jose – Phillipines
Petroni, Fabio – Italy
Potier, Paul – Canada
Putnam, Shawn – USA
Putnik, Ivica – Croatia
Raney, Jim – USA
Raybone, Neil – UK
Reljic, David – Australia
Rempe, Jim – USA
Reyes, Efren – Phillipines
Roberts, James – USA
Robles, Tony – USA
Runnels, Ike – USA
Sabtu, Suhana Dewi – Malaysia
Sakai, Miyuki – Japan
Saleh, Brian – UK
Salvas, Luc – Canada
Sambajon, Santos – Phillipines
San, Souci George "Ginky" – USA
Santl, Stefan – Germany
Schmidt, John – USA
Schwartz, Larry – USA
Sigel, Mike – USA
Soquet, Ralf – Germany
Stalev, Evgeny – Russia
Storm, Tom – Sweden
Strickland, Earl – USA
Thornfeldt, Helena – USA
Thung, Denny – Indonesia
Tourangeau, Stan – Canada
Townsend, Scotty – USA
Travers, Laurent – France
Van den Berg, Nick – The Netherlands
Varner, Nick – USA
Vickery, Howard – USA
Watson, Gerry – Canada
Webb, Monica – USA
West, Dallas – USA
Wetch, Jimmy – USA
Wheeler, Adam – USA
White, Jimmy – UK
Williams, Charlie – USA
Wims, John – Australia
Yee, Kwan Suet – Malaysia
Younger, Johl – Australia
Yuen, Ooi Fook – Malaysia
Zimmerman, Michael – USA
Irrepressible Pagulayan Wins Second Major in All-Filipino U.S. Open Final
Alex Pagulayan ran undefeated through a 256-man field to win the 30th Annual U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships, which this year could well have been called “The Philippine Open” after placing three Filipinos in the top three spots.
“A win is a win is a win,” an ebullient Pagulayan said after beating Jose Parica in an error-filled final, 11-6. Parica had knocked Francisco Bustamante out of the running in the losers’-bracket final, 11-10.
Pagulayan first beat Parica in the winners’-bracket final, 11-6, and then earned the $40,000 top prize by taking advantage of a Parica miss on the 4 in the 17th rack of the finals. It was a dream come true for the tiny Canadian-by-way-of-the-Philippines, and his second major title after winning the 2004 World Pool Championship.
“The only dream I have left is to grow another two inches – either taller or the other way, I don’t care,” the irrepressible Clown Prince of Pool joked.
It was a bittersweet win for a couple reasons. Parica failed again to take the title after reaching the semis of the U.S. Open several times, and the finals at least twice. And Pagulayan, perhaps the most talented player of his generation, said after the event that he has all but forsaken mainstream U.S. pool events for poker – both tournament play and online gaming.
“The money is terrible,” he said, echoing a longtime lament of many top pool pros. “I can make a lot more playing poker.” For the time being, Pagulayan expected only to compete in the States at the Derby City Classic and U.S. Open.
Upsets Galore at U.S. Open as Former Champs Drop to One-Loss Bracket
The giants all fell from the winners’ bracket on Friday night at the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship in Chesapeake, Va., as Johnny Archer, Francisco Bustamante, Efren Reyes, Ralf Souquet, Niels Feijen and Jeremy Jones dropped to the one-loss side in the same round of matches.
The carnage started at 9 p.m. Friday with Filipinos Alex Pagulayan and Francisco Bustamante lagging on the TV table. The wily Pagulayan jumped to a quick 5-0 lead, allowing his foe near the table only once – and that was for a push. Regaining his world-beating form after two years of ho-hum play, the resurgent Bustamante rocketed back to take the lead at 9-8, but a hung 4 ball in the 18th rack brought Pagulayan back to the table, where he ran out and then ran the next two racks for an 11-9 victory.
“At the end I got lucky with the 4 ball,” Pagulayan said. “That was the key to the match. I was thinking when it was 8-8, just give me one more chance.”
On the next table over, Filipino expatriate Jose Parica kept one step ahead of countryman and longtime rival Reyes to win, 11-9. Reyes was joined soon on the one-loss side by several other former Open champions: Johnny Archer fell to Troy Frank, 11-6; Jeremy Jones lost to Andreas Roschkowsky, 11-9; and Ralf Souquet dropped a hill-hill slugfest with upstart Sylver Ochoa, 11-10.
This was all in the same round, mind you, and all within an hour of each other. Other significant winners’-bracket results from the 9 p.m. round included Nick Van den Berg smashing Charlie “Hillbilly” Bryant, 11-4; Viet Nam native Tang Hoa elbowing Holland’s Feijen, 11-8; and Charlie Williams halting Ernesto Dominguez.
That left eight men still in the winners’ bracket, and dozens left to brave the extraordinarily deep one-loss bracket in this field-of-256 competition with a $200,000 prize fund. At 3 p.m. EST, Tang will play Roschkowsky, Pagulayan will face Frank, Van den Berg will meet Parica, and Williams will lag against Ochoa.
U.S. Open Field Down to Half
Ochoa’s play is turning some heads.
Reno Open winner Marlon Manalo and 2003 BCA 9-ball Open titlist Tony Robles found themselves slugging it out deep in the one-loss bracket on Friday afternoon. Nearby, major event winners Marcus Chamat and Mike Davis faced off as red-hot Robb Saez and 2004 BCA champion Thorsten Hohmann battled for survival in the one-loss bracket.
Playing on diamond tables with 4 1/2 inch pockets and an absolutely unforgiving cut the finesse players and most experienced pros seemed to have an edge.
“You aren’t seeing a lot of guys breaking and running out,” said pro Tony Crosby.
Among the 16 players left in the winners’ bracket was Efren Reyes, who dropped defending U.S. Open champ Gabe Owen to the one-loss side, 11-8 on Thursday night. Reyes will meet Filipino countryman Jose Parica on Friday night. After a weak showing at the World Pool Championships, the Filipino contingent is performing quite well here; Alex Pagulayan and a resurgent Francisco Bustamante will meet in a winners’-bracket match on Friday night as well.
So far, the surprise of the tournament is young Sylver Ochoa, 19, a college sophomore at Texas-Pan American and a mainstay on the Fast Eddie’s regional tour. Ochoa beat Keith McCready Thursday night, 11-8, to stay undefeated. He will face Ralf Souquet on Friday night in a winners’-bracket match.
The sixteen players now left in the winners’ bracket are:
Nick Van den Berg, Charlie “Hillbilly” Bryant, Jose Parica, Efren Reyes, Ernesto Dominguez, Charlie Williams, Ralf Souquet, Sylver Ochoa, Tang Hoa, Niels Feijen, Andreas Roschkowsky, Jeremy Jones, Alex Pagulayan, Francisco Bustamante, Johnny Archer and Troy Frank.
U.S. Open Update!
Gabe Owen is the defending champ.
But many favorites are still undefeated after two rounds, including Efren Reyes and John Schmidt (who play each other today), as well as former U.S. Open Champs Johnny Archer and Francisco Bustamante and defending champ Gabe Owen.
BD Live Chat with Barry Behrman
Behrman (l.) with 2003 Open runner-up Jose Parica.
Behrman will make himself available for a live online chat beginning at 8 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Sept. 14, right here on the BD Web site. Just click the live chat icon on Wednesday for access.
Creator and promoter of the longest running major championship event in pool, Behrman has a unique and authoritative perspective on the history of the game and its current state. Among other topics, Behrman will hold forth on his special plans for the 30th annual U.S. Open, which will kick off Sept. 19; the upstart International Pool Tour, financed by controversial informercial magnate Kevin Trudeau; and perhaps even how Behrman is rehabilitating his image after legal troubles and skirmishes with the UPA men’s player association earlier in the decade.
Behrman’s always candid and eloquent, so don’t miss this chance to learn more about one of pool’s most fascinating figures. And with BD’s Player of the Year award entirely up for grabs this year, the Open could be 2005’s most important event. Don’t miss out.