Tony Ignomirello, Shih Wei Chiang and Dan Cintron
Drop one feather into Shih Wei Chiang's cap for winning his first Tri-State Tour stop on Sunday, September 11. Give him another feather for doing it the hard way; coming from the one-loss side to meet and defeat third-ranked (in current player standings for A/A+ class), two-time 2011/2012 tour winner, Dan Cintron, in the finals. With a number of veteran Tri-State competitors attending The Turning Stone Classic XVII, about 260 miles north of the hosting venue, Cue Bar in Bayside, NY, the $1,000-added A/D handicapped event drew 19 entrants.
Chiang, new to the tour, entered the tournament as a "B" player, and opened his campaign by defeating the 2011/2012 tour's second-ranked A/A+ player, Ed Hugh 7-5. After downing Carl Yusuf Khan by the same score, Chiang ran into Cintron for the first time among the winners' side final four. Tony Ignomirello, in the meantime, faced Sameer Mohamed. Cintron sent Chiang to the west bracket 8-6. Ignomirello did likewise to Mohamed 6-4. Cintron won his final game, defeating Ignomirello to get into the hot seat 10-8.
Chiang moved over and picked up Ed Culhane, who'd defeated Gary Murgia 7-6 and Justin Muller 7-3. Mohamed drew Rick Shellhouse, off victories over Debra Prichett 6-3 and Kapriel Delimkonoglu 6-4. Chiang opened his bid for a return to the finals with a hard-fought, 7-6 win over Culhane, while Shellhouse was busy ending Mohamed's day 6-4.
Chiang picked up his second of four straight with a 7-3 victory over Shellhouse in the quarterfinals and followed it with a 7-4 win over Ignomirello in the semifinals. He opened the extended race-to-10 finals by winning three in a row. By the time, Chiang reached the extension point of seven games, Cintron had won only two.
Chiang won his eighth game to take his largest lead at 8-2. Cintron added one to narrow the gap to five, but Chiang reached the hill and then finished it to complete his first victory on the tour.
Tour representatives thanked the owner and staff of Cue Bar in Bayside for their efforts at providing excellent playing conditions, and an extremely friendly atmosphere. They also thanked sponsors Sterling-Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Ron Tarr Cues, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, and Human Kinetics for their sponsorship.
