 Rachael Abbink |
The Jacoby Cues Great Lakes Tour kicked off its fifth season on September 8th & 9th at The Rack in Livonia Michigan with a WPBA qualifier + $750 added event. Steve Lomako, owner of The Rack, welcomed players from the Midwest and Canada who came to compete for the qualifier and over $1,500 prize fund. The field was deep in talent with players such as Hall of Famer Vicki Paski, road player Rachael Abbink, teen phenom Liz Lovely, former tour points winner Julie Melman, as well as local sharp shooters Kelly Pendleton and Irene Henry; this would make for an action-packed weekend.
Rachael Abbink of London Ontario would prove to be unbeatable this weekend, posting wins over Julie Melman 7-3, Liz Labowitch 7-3, Becky Todd 7-2, Tracy Johnston 7-3, and winner side final Vicki Paski 7-3 to place her in the finals. The more exciting story of the weekend, though, would be how her finals opponent would get there. Kelly Pendleton, who started with a bye and then lost her first match to Tina Hess, took an early trip to the one-loss side, where she came alive. She claimed victories over Shannon Crosthwaite 7-3, Samantha Patton 7-1, Becky Todd 7-1, and June Maiers 7-5, taking her to Sunday. She continued with wins over Irene Henry 7-6, Liz Lovely 7-1, and Vicki Paski 7-6 in the semi-final before being outlasted by Abbink in the final by a score of 9-7.
The tour staff would like to thank room owner Steve Lomako for doing a great job in promoting the sport; we look forward to our return next season. As always, many thanks to our sponsors Jacoby Custom Cues, Aramith Billiard Balls, Championship cloth, Cue Cube, Bebob Publishing, Nick Varner Cues, Tweeten Fibre Co., Midwest Amusement, Hampton Ridge, and all our media sponsors: Inside English, Pool & Billiard, Billiard Digest, Inside Pool, Professor Q Ball, Az Billiards
The tour's next stop is September 29th & 30th at Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.
File photo courtesy of Diana Hoppe - Pool Pics by Hoppe
