On the weekend of August 20-21 on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, it was a 'two out of three' battle of the Billys; Fowler and Carroll. Billy Fowler made it to the hot seat, lost the first match of the true double elimination finals to Billy Carroll, and took the second to claim the title. The $500-added event drew 48 entrants to Cue Time in Spartanburg, SC.
Billys Fowler and Carroll almost faced off in the hot seat match. Fowler defeated David Tickle 7-5 in one winners' side semifinal, but Scott Ward sent Carroll to the loss side 7-5 in the other one. Fowler claimed the hot seat 7-5 and waited on Carroll's return.
On the loss side, Carroll picked up 16-year-old Hunter White, who'd defeated Taz Holliday 8-5 and long-time veteran player and renowned cue maker Mike Gulyassy, double hill. Tickle drew Dayne Miller, who'd gotten by J.R. Poste and Jason Blackwell, both 6-3.
Carroll and Miller advanced to the quarterfinals with six racks each over White and Tickle, who were both racing to 8. Carroll downed White 6-6, while Miller eliminated Tickle 6-5. Carroll took the quarterfinal match 6-2, ending a seven-match, loss-side winning streak by Miller, who'd been defeated in the opening round of play.
Carroll moved on and denied Ward a second crack at Fowler by defeating him in the semifinals 6-4. Carroll parlayed a bit of that semifinal momentum into the opening set of the true double elimination final to win that by the same score. Fowler, though, came back in the second set, and gave up only two racks in claiming his first Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball title.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Cue Time, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta-13 racks, and Ruthless Billiards Apparel. The next stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for August 27-28, will be hosted by Smokin' Cue in Charlotte, NC.
