Reyes Pockets Pool’s Biggest Payout
Efren “The Magician” Reyes pulled out the largest tournament payday in the history of the game by topping Dutch phenom Niels Feijen, 15-7, in the final of theTokyo-9-Ball ¥100,000,000 International Billiard Tournament in Tokyo, Japan, on Nov. 14, to collect approximately US$160,000. Reyes emerged from a mammoth field that topped 700 players to register the victory.
Feijen, who added to his breakout 2001 season by finishing in second, took home approximately $64,000 after knocking out 2000 World Pool-Billiard Association World Champion Fong-Pang Chao and Australian Johl Younger to reach the final match. Earlier in the year, Feijen notched back-to-back fifth-place finishes in the WPA World 9-Ball Championships and the U.S. Open.
Fisher crowned “Champion of Champions”
Allison Fisher captured her biggest victory of the year by beating Karen Corr in sudden death to claim the winner-takes-all International Tournament of Champions at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn., on Nov. 8. The victory netted Fisher, the No. 2-ranked player on the Women’s Professional Billiard Association’s Classic Tour, $25,000 for first place in the four-play star-studded event to be televised on ESPN.
Fisher, who handed over the WPBA’s top ranking to a red-hot Corr in June, has lost to Corr in the last three Classic Tour stops. At the Tournament of Champions, though, Fisher controlled the deciding sudden-death tiebreaker game to secure the win. “I feel like I just won an Olympic Gold Medal,” said Fisher, who topped Helena Thornfeldt in the semifinals. “One shot missed and you can lose $25,000! Your emotions are off the chart during the entire tournament.”
Mosconi Cup Lineup Set
Matchroom Sport released its Team USA and Team Europe rosters for the popular Mosconi Cup, held at York Hall in Bethnal Green, England, Dec. 20-23. The two six-man rosters were respectively selected in consultation with the Billiard Congress of America and European Pocket Billiard Federation.
Five-time Player of the Year Earl Strickland will return as captain of the American squad, which is rounded out by Corey Deuel, Johnny Archer, Jeremy Jones, Nick Varner and Charlie Williams. All but Varner and Williams were members of last year’s Cup-winning team.
Team Europe is comprised of captain Ralf Souquet (Germany), Marcus Chamat (Sweden), Steve Davis (England), Niels Feijen (Holland), Mika Immonen (Finland) and Steve Knight (England).
Comeback Queen
For the third consecutive Classic Tour event, Karen Corr rebounded from an earlier loss to win a tournament championship. This time Corr did it at the Women’s Professional Billiard Association Midwest Classic at Palace Billiards in Villa Park, Ill., Oct. 11-14, recovering from a loss to Fisher in the winner’s-bracket finale to oust Fisher in the final, 7-4.
Corr, who has swept all five 2001 Classic Tour events this season excluding the Billiard Congress of America 9-Ball Championships, extended her points lead in the WPBA rankings over Fisher with the victory. The $7,500 payday also pushed Corr’s 2001 WPBA Classic Tour earnings to $45,000, surpassing last year’s total of $40,500, with the 2001 WPBA National Championships still left to play this season. Fisher collected $5,500 for second, while Gerda Hofstatter earned $4,500 for third — her best finish since winning the BCA 9-Ball Championship in May 2000.
2001 World Championships Cancelled
The World Pool-Billiards Association has cancelled the 2001 World 9-Ball Championships for women and juniors, according to a press release from John Lewis, the WPA secretary.
The tournament had been scheduled for Nov. 14 – 18 in Ottawa, Ont., Canada, and had been awarded to “Les Productions 14.1,” the promoter that handled the 2000 event in Quebec City. No reason for the cancellation was given.
The 2002 event will be held June 26-30 in Taipei, Taiwan under the auspices of WPA-confederation member, the Asian Pocket Billiard Union, according to Lewis.
BCA Organizes Billiards For America Day
The Billiard Congress of America has designated Nov. 10 as Billiards for America Day, and is coordinating an industry-wide effort to raise money for relief funds established to benefit victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack.
The BCA, working with the American Poolplayers Association and the Women’s Professional Billiard Association, will provide pool rooms and league operators with promotional posters and tournament packages. Billiard retailers and manufacturers are encouraged to donate money or products to support the effort.
Tokyo Tourney Gets Nod From WPA
The World-Pool Billiard Association has given its blessing — and financial backing — to the much-discussed 100,000,000-yen Tokyo 9-Ball tournament scheduled for Nov. 11-14 in Japan.
Promoted by a new organization, The International Billiard Council, the prize fund is worth approximately U.S. $820,000, the highest in pool history. According to a press release from WPA treasurer John Lewis, “The WPA have no concerns about the organizers and are confident that all promises will be fulfilled.” Additionally, WPA chairman Ian Anderson announced that the world governing body will guarantee U.S. $100,000 of the prize fund.
More information about the tournament and a concurrent expo is available at www.tokyo-9ball.com.
Amsterdam Tournament Postponed Until 2002
NEW YORK (Sept. 14)–The Amsterdam 9-ball Open scheduled for Sept. 19-23 at Amsterdam Billiard Club in New York City has been postponed until sometime next year according to proprietor Greg Hunt.
The charity event benefiting the Paul Sorvino Asthma Foundation scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 19, will go on as planned at the Eastside location (East 86th Street at 2nd Ave.) from 7 -10 pm. For more information, call 212.570.4545.
Comfortable at the Top
Top-ranked Karen Corr widened her points lead over No. 2 Allison Fisher, winning by the narrowest of margins at Sandia Casino on Sept. 9. Corr’s 7-6 win over Fisher in the final of the Classic Tour’s fourth stop of the season netted Corr $7,500, and doubled her lead over Fisher in the rankings to an 80-point advantage.
The former snooker stars were even at 6-6 heading into the final game, where Corr pulled out the win to give her victories in all four Classic Tour stops this season. Only Jeanette Lee’s victory at the Billiard Congress of America 9-Ball Championships has kept Corr from a perfect 2001 season thus far.
Lee, who recently captured the Gold Medal for the United States in the women’s 9-ball division of the World Games in Akita, Japan, finished in third place. Ewa Laurance took fourth.