Scott Guschel and Samuel Holloway
The Virginia-based Tiger Pool Tour held another one of its three-tier events last weekend (April 20-21); a Division 1 tournament for FargoRates between 526 and 650 that drew 22 entrants, a Division 2 tournament for FargoRates of 525 and under, which drew 33 and a Women’s Division event, also for 525 and under Fargo Rates, which drew 12. The three-fer was hosted by Q Master Billiards in Virginia Beach, VA.
There were eight competitors in the ‘600’ range in the Division 1 tournament and 14 in the ‘526 and above’ range. Scott Guschel (575), who entered the Division 1 event as the highest ‘500,’ went undefeated to claim the title, downing Samuel Holloway (573), twice; hot seat and finals.
In the Division 2 event, the top three at the end were either right at, or just below the FargoRate maximum of 525. There were eight in the ‘500’ range, 16 in the ‘400’ range and nine in the combined ‘200/300’ range. Joshua Abella (525) went undefeated, facing and defeating Kenny Marple (525) in the hot seat and Chris Sutherland (522) in the finals.
Courtney Hairfield (512), who came from the loss side in the Women’s Division to defeat Paige Frost (416) in the finals, was the only woman whose FargoRate exceeded ‘500.’ There were eight competitors in the ‘400’ range, a single ‘217’ and two in the ‘100’ range.
Guschel, in the Division 1 event, sandwiched two pieces of ‘double-hill’ bread, with three pieces of racks-against ‘meat’ that declined from his opening match through to his hot seat win. Andrew Park gave him the double-hill, opening-round run for his money, before Moe Mozzaner chalked up five against him and in a winners’ side semifinal, Kenneth Mydland managed four.
Samuel Holloway, bound for the hot seat match, had two 6-5 wins (first and third in match order), but each of those opponents were racing to higher numbers. Reno Villanueva in the opening round was racing to eight. Holloway then gave up three to Jerry Jenkins before chalking up his second 6-5 win over Jimmy Bird, who was racing to 7. That put him into a winners’ side semifinal against Mike Harvey whom he defeated to meet Guschel in the hot seat match. Guschel won it 7-3.
On the loss side Mydland and Harvey downed their first opponents, Robert James Carter and Michael Bumpass, respectively, 7-5 and 7-3, to face each other in the quarterfinals. Mydland took that match 7-3, but fell to Holloway in the semifinal 7-5.
It was getting late when Guschel and Holloway got set to square off in the finals and to accommodate, they reduced the race from 8 to 7. They battled to double hill before Guschel prevailed to claim the title.
Joshua Abella and Chris Sutherland
The two ‘525’s in the Division 2 tournament, winner Joshua Abella and 3rd place finisher Kenny Marple, came at each other from opposite ends of the bracket to square off in the hot seat match. Chris Sutherland (522) got sent to the loss side in the third round of play (by Baker Hedhli 6-0) and won five straight to take a shot at Abella in the finals.
Abella got by Cody Rosetti (4), Jaiden Jenkins (3), Christopher Hott (3) and in a winners’ side semifinal, Baker Hedhli (4). To join Abella in the hot seat match, Marple got by Bobby Campbell (4), Thearon Garth (3), Vaughan Wardsworth (0) and in his winners’ side semifinal, Eddie Gayden (1). Abella claimed the hot seat with a shutout over Marple and waited for Sutherland to complete his loss-side campaign.
That campaign was going well. Sutherland had downed Devin Davis (3), Christopher Hott (4), and Eddie Gayden (3) before eliminating Reagan Wallace in the quarterfinals 7-3 and in the semifinals, Marple 6-4.
Momentum for Sutherland certainly played a part in the double-hill final, but it wasn’t enough. Abella hung on to win it and claim the Division 2 title.
Hairfield comes from the loss side, shuts out hot seat occupant Paige Frost to win Women’s title
Courtney Hairfield and Paige Frost
In her first year as a cash-winning player in our AZBilliards database, Courtney Hairfield has won three of the four events in which she has competed and was runner-up in the fourth. It’s her best recorded earnings year because so far, it’s her only recorded earnings year and she’s just getting started.
Her latest win came just this past weekend (April 20-21) at the triple-tiered stop of the Tiger Pool Tour in which she competed in the short Women’s division field of 12 (that’s not a division for short women). As she had done at Stop #2 on the tour, she came from the loss side to claim this latest title, although this past weekend, she spent a little more time on that side of the bracket.
After defeating Merideth Graves and Kaley Sullivan by a combined score of 10-1, Hairfield ran into Reagan Wallace, another up and coming junior female competitor, who has joined the ranks of cash-winning players in our AZBilliards database this year. Wallace, who finished 4th in the Division 2 event, sent Hairfield to the loss side 5-3 in one of the winners’ side semifinals and advanced to the hot seat match. Meanwhile, Paige Frost survived a double-hill challenge from Jadyn Bird in the opening round of play, moved on to defeat Krista Ellis (2) and in the other winners’ side semifinal, Lisa Watson 5-3. Frost claimed the hot seat over Wallace 5-3.
Hairfield showed up on the loss side and defeated Ellis 8-1, as Watson was busy eliminating Kaley Sullivan 5-3. Hairfield took the next two matches by a score of 6-2; over Sullivan in the quarterfinals and Wallace in the semifinals. As had happened with Sutherland in the Division 2 tournament, Hairfield picked up a little momentum with her loss-side work, although with Hairfield, it actually helped her in the final. She shut out Paige Frost to claim the Women’s title.
Tour directors Tiger Baker and Kris Wylie thanked the ownership and staff at Q Master Billiards, along with title sponsor Tiger Products. The Tiger Pool Tour will return to Q Master Billiards for a stop, scheduled for May 18 in Virginia Beach.
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