Orlando , Florida- Local Orlando amateur George Saunders went undefeated to win the first qualifier for the Mezz Classic Pro 14.1 Division. Saunders paid $18 to enter and will now parlay that small fee to take shot at the pro purse Aug 6-7 in the Mezz Classic 14.1 division. The Mezz Classic will feature two pro events with the Mezz Classic Straight Pool Invitational and The Mezz Classic 10-Ball Invitational which is presented by sponsor Ozone Billiards. Ozone Billiards will also once again host the 4th Annual Ozone Billiards US Amateur Open which will coincide with the pro events. Brunswick Billiards, Simonis Cloth, Aramith Balls, Master Chalk, Laser Rack, and House of Billiards are top sponsors.
Fading a nearly 103 degree fever, local player Saunders took his first two opponents by 10 points, then met with Cory Riddle for the hotseat match. Saunders dealt defeat, sending Riddle to the left-side where Eric Stanley was putting together a 31-ball run to escape Chris Bledsoe by ten. Stanley then faced off with Cory Riddle where a close battle ensued. Riddle took the match by four points advancing to the final against Saunders where they went down to the wire. With Cory needing only 6 to win, Saunders felt the heat and picked up a 27-point gain to close the match out and take the qualifier.
Saunders will now take on the likes of champions such as Mika Immonen, Johnny Archer, Thorsten Hohmann, Charlie Williams, Stevie Moore, John Schmidt, Yu Ram Cha and many more pros.
Entry fees are $15-20 . Remaining qualifiers are:
Thursday July 23 Straight Pool 14.1 @ Fast Break Billiards Open to All Players
Sunday July 26 Straight Pool 14.1 @ Corner Pockets *Handicap BUT Open to ALL Players
Thursday July 30 10-Ball @ Fast Break Billiards Open to All Players
Sunday August 2 10-Ball @ Corner Pockets Handicap BUT Open to ALL Players
