Craig Rempfer & Suzzie Wong
Craig Rempfer was looking for his first major win. Suzzie Wong was looking to maintain and possibly improve her status as the #3-ranked female on the Tri-State Tour; Wong is also the #5-ranked player on the tour’s list of D/D+ players. They both got what they wanted on Sunday, February 25, when Rempfer won and Wong was runner-up at the $1,000-added Tri-State event that drew 32 entrants to Steinway Billiards in Astoria (Queens), NY.
They met twice in this event. Following victories over Daniel Decker, Michelle Brotons (#2 on the female player list), and Jonathan Martinez, Rempfer moved into a winners’ side semifinal against Alex Podulke. Wong, in the meantime, faced Luis Lopez in the other winners’ side semifinal. They both moved into the hot seat match with double hill wins over Podulke and Lopez. Rempfer grabbed the hot seat with a double hill win over Wong and waited on her return.
Lopez moved to the loss side and picked up Erick Carrasco, who’d chalked up two straight double hill wins over Carlos Cerrano and Juan Melendez to reach him. Podulke drew Mike Mele, who’d eliminated Patrick Meyers 6-3 and Daniel Feliciano, double hill. Nine of the event’s final 14 matches required a single deciding game.
Lopez chalked up the eighth one against Carrasco and moved into the quarterfinals. Mele joined him with a 6-4 win over Podulke. Lopez earned his re-match against Wong with a 7-5 win over Mele, but had his short, loss-side trip cut short by her in the last double hill, semifinal match.
It was, as far as our records could determine, Rempfer’s first appearance in the hot seat and subsequent final of a major event. Rempfer maintained his poise against Wong, completing his undefeated run with a 6-3 win that gave him his first regional tour win.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Steinway for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Ozone Billiards, Sterling-Gaming, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, Human Kinetics, Pool & Billiards, Professor Q Ball, Bender Cues, and DIGICUE OB. The next stop on the Tri-State Tour, scheduled for Saturday, March 3, will be hosted by Shooters Family Billiards in Wayne, NJ.
