This Sunday, May 7, the first show of a four part series on the 2005 Sang Lee International Open will premiere at 10 p.m. Eastern on America One Sports, a division of America One Television Network.

The tournament featured 76 of the strongest three-cushion players in the world, from 23 countries, competing for the most prestigious title in the game and $100,000, the richest purse ever offered on American soil.

The event took place last August at Carom Café Billiards, in Flushing, N.Y., and served as a memorial for the tournament’s namesake, Sang Chun Lee, who passed away on Oct. 19, 2004, at the age of 51. As player, organizer, promoter and room owner, Lee devoted his life to “making billiards beautiful in America,” and rejuvenated three-cushion billiards in the United States.

Ira Lee said Sang would be incredibly pleased to see three cushion’s debut on American TV. “It’s a dream for him,” Ira said.

Three-cushion is a mesmerizing game, in which there are only three balls, a yellow ball for one player, a white one for the opponent and a neutral ball, which is red. The object is to hit both balls and three cushions, but players commonly make five-, eight- and even 10-cushion shots under extreme pressure.

“Many of the top pros in our event have played billiards for over 30 years,” Lee said. “Raymond Ceulemans, perhaps the greatest of them all – has been playing billiards for over 50 years and is still in great form.”

Lee says that the television coverage will be of interest to anyone, with expert commentary and intricate shot problems charted out and diagrammed for the audience beforehand.

“Pool players can learn a lot about cue ball control from these masters, who practice just that aspect of the game that long and that diligently.”

The four-part series will air between May 7 and Aug. 1. For TV scheduling information, check your local listings or visit www.americaonesports.com.