During the weekend of March 6 and 7, a $6000 venue was held at Starcade Billiards in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Owners Robin and Peggy did an awesome job directing this event. The weather was beautiful, the food was delicious, the service was superb and the playing and atmosphere were phenomenal.
A total of 89 players converged to compete for $1500 added in the open field and $300 added in the women's division. John Schmidt and Tracie Hines sailed away with the top prizes. Notable players such as Steve Moore, Rick Howard, Tommy Kennedy, Scotty Townsend, Stoney Stone, Pablo Matheu, Jim Jennings and Bill Wilson, just to name a few, were present to seize the top prize.
For the semifinals of the winner's side, spectators enjoyed two thrilling hill-to-hill matches. Steve Moore defeated Pablo Matheu, while John Schmidt bested Scotty Townsend to setup the hot seat match with Steve Moore. Meanwhile, Larry Hayes and Tommy Kennedy were waiting on the one-loss side for Pablo and Scotty, respectively. Pablo defeated Larry 9-0, while Scotty defeated Tommy 9-5.
The hot seat match went underway with Steve Moore defeating John Schmidt 9-5. Meanwhile, Pablo Matheu defeated Scotty Townsend 9-7 to earn a spot to play John. John, however, was unstoppable and coasted to a 9-3 win over Pablo to setup a rematch with Steve Moore. John was playing phenomenal, breaking like a tidal wave and running out from everywhere like a gazelle. Steve played hard but could not stop John and handed over the top prize with a 12-7 score.
In the women's event Tracy Hines defended her title by besting Stephanie Oneil for the top prize. Emerald Coast locals, Diana Kirby and Barbara Workman, filled out the top 4 spots.
Open Division
1st $1750 John Schmidt
2nd $1000 Steve Moore
3rd $635 Pablo Matheu
4th $425 Scotty Townsend
5-6th $265 Larry Hayes
5-6th $265 Tommy Kennedy
7-8th $160 Rick Howard
7-8th $160 Daric Craft
9-12th $95 Jim Jennings
9-12th $95 Bill Wilson
9-12th $95 Stoney Stone
9-12th $95 Jake Cox
13-16th $65 Denny Fox
13-16th $65 Billy Amoroso
13-16th $65 Billy Miles
13-16th $65 Mike Pierce
Women's Division
1st $325 Tracie Hines
2nd $200 Stephanie Oneil
3rd $150 Diana Kirby
4th $75 Barbara Workman
