Grossman Sneaks Past Kennedy For Gainesville Open Victory

The J. Pechauer Custom Cues Southeast Open 9 Ball Tour hosted the Gainesville Open the weekend of May 10th-11th at Art of Billiards in Gainesville, Florida, capping off stop number seventeen of the 2007/2008 season. This $1000 added event was played on nine foot Diamonds with 860 blue Simonis. The venue offered up a full kitchen and bar with “fantastic hamburgers”, just in case you are ever in the area and would like a quick bite to eat.

The highest female competitor this go-round was Dana Rogers. Rogers scored a $50 top prize for that distinction, followed by Mikie Watson who received $25 and the title of highest junior finisher; with Ken Tucker taking $50 for top senior. The tour also provided a $55 donation to one of the local non-profit charities.

With a total field of forty-four players, the field drew to a close on Sunday evening with such names as Neil Fugiwara, Jason Richko, Tommy Kennedy, and David Grossman rounding out the field. The winners side hot seat match pitted Grossman against Kennedy, with Kennedy falling by a final score of 9-4.

On the one-loss side the field, it came down to Chris Walls and Bobby Moore in the quarter-finals. Although the set was a tight one, Walls pulled off the win on the hill – final 9-8. This pushed Walls into the semis against a determined Kennedy. The semi-final set was also a nail biter, but Kennedy prevailed 9-8 to move on into the finals against Grossman.

Grossman had his hands full with Kennedy in the finals. Being the event was a true double elimination final, Kennedy had to pull off a double-dip to secure the stop win. The first set went to the hill with Kennedy having the upper hand, 9-8. In the second match, it was anyone's game as the score continued to mirror the initial set between the two, but in the end Grossman pulled off the victory and took the title of Gainesville Open Champion 9-8.

The tour wishes to express gratitude to Tom Potter for all of the long hours and deep commitment in helping this event to be a success – the tour looks forward to returning to this location during its 2008/2009 season.

The 2007/2008 season is slowing come to a close with only one more stop before the finale. The next event will take place May 24th-25th at Side Pocket Cue Club & Grill in Mariette, Georgia with a $1500 total guaranteed added stop ($1000 added open; $500 added amateur/second chance tourny Sunday only).

The 2007/2008 Season Finale will take place at Mr. Cues II in Atlanta, Georgia the weekend of June 14th-15th with a $2500 total guaranteed added tournament ($2000 added open; $500 added amateur/second chance tourny Sunday only).

For more information on the tour, visit their website at www.southeastopen.com