The 5th Annual Turkey Shootout 9-Ball Open at Gary's Victor Billiards in Victorville, California was held over the Thanksgiving weekend (November 23rd-November 25th) this year. The event drew a total field of fifty-three players including top names such as John Schmidt, Oscar Dominguez, Dave Hemmah, Tang Hoa, and Justin Bergman. This $2500 added event pitted some of the top professional and regional players against each other throughout the weekend with races to ten on the winners side and seven on the one-loss side.
The ultimate champion of the event, Justin Bergman, drifted through the brackets undefeated with an eventual win over Johannes Kouhanen for the winner's side hot seat. While Bergman awaited an opponent, the one-loss side players were working their way down to the quarter-finals where Jui Ling Chen overcame Tang Hoa, and then moved past Kouhanen in the semi-finals to ensure his spot against Bergman in the final round.
The true double elimination final round matched up Justin Bergman and Jui Ling Chen. Although Chen was able to take down Bergman during the first race to ten, Bergman mustered up his competitive spirit in the second set and ended up finishing this tight double hill match coming out on top for the title.
Special thanks to Gary's Victor Billiards owners Gary and Vicki Henry for their continued support of the sport. A quick side note for those that were considering the trip for The California Open One-Pocket Tournament scheduled for January 26th and 27th, this event has been cancelled until further notice.
Justin Bergman Tops at 5th Annual Turkey Shootout 9-Ball Open
November 30, 2007