 David Gutierrez |
Fast Eddies Olhausen 9-Ball Tour sponsored by Schuler Cues hosted the season finale December 2-3 2006 at the N.W. Military location in San Antonio TX. This marked the completion of the tour's fourth year.
The open division drew 67 players who had participated through the year. Top picks were, David G, Sylver Ochoa, James Davis Sr, James Davis Jr, Danny Almaraz, Robert Stewart, and Ismeal Ramirez. Ending in a tie for 13-16th places were, Banana Medino, Destry Ensley, Ali Alffas, and Robert Stewart. Each are tough competitors and played very well. Tied for 9-12th positions were, Bill Regalis, Marty Rodriguez, Robert Newkirk, and Danny Almaraz. Each of these guys play well.
In the 7-8th slots were Gordon Van Der Veer and James Davis Jr. These two play very hard each match and today was no exception. Note that James Davis Jr also won the ring game on Friday night. Congratulations to both. The ever elusive 5-6th positions were claimed by Bill Fuller and Eduardo Ramirez. Neither was ready to call it a weekend, but walked away with much to be proud of.
The 4th place finish belonged to Bob Pyles of San Antonio. Bob is a very good player. Everybody remembers him and gives his ability due respect. Bob hasn't competed much in the past few years, but proved he hasn't forgotten how to play the game. Congratulations to Bob.
Sylver Ochoa was the 2005 player of the year and to be reckoned with at any event. The pool world has only begun to hear from this young man from McAllen TX. Sylver ended in a fine 3rd place finish. Two were left as David G of Dallas had beaten JP Lopez of Austin for the hot seat and was playing very smoothly indeed. JP now only had to beat Sylver to return and avenge his loss to David and JP had the look in his eye.
JP and Sylver went into battle and it was JP this time by a score of 7- 3. Sylver caught some unfortunate rolls and JP refused to miss a single ball giving him the opportunity at David G once more. David had the look in his eye and was in “dead stroke” and took advantage of every single opportunity to capture the win. JP put up a valiant fight but eventually succumbed by a score of 9-5. Congratulations to JP Lopez for a great 2nd place finish. David G is the victor of the 2006 season Finale and played like a “man on a mission”. He had warned me that he was back and by the look in his eye, I never doubted it. Congratulations. This concluded the fourth year of the tour and a very fun year with lots of excitement. Player of the year came down to one single match won. Had James Davis Sr. won one more match during the entire year, he would have accumulated enough points to claim Player of the Year. Out of over 11,000 total points, Jui Lung Chen bested Bastrop by a mere 200 points. These two had some real battles throughout the year and it was ever, so very close. Congratulations to both. Each Year Olhausen has donated a pool table to be given by a drawing to one of those who had competed in at least four events throughout the year. This year the name drawn was Heather Pulford Lloyd of Austin. The look in her eyes was worth a million bucks. Congratulations to Heather.
As mentioned, this concludes the tour's fourth year and it all began with Fast Eddies Billiards. They continue to support and host each event. They will continue in 2007 and without their support, the tour does not exist. As Big Lew has said many times, “why, because it just seems like the right thing to do”! Thank You to Olhausen Billiards and Schuler Cues. Their support and generosity is greatly appreciated. To Sue Doyle of Olhausen and Brian Trimm of Schuler, a personal thank you to you both for making life so much easier. Texas is a big state and we cover lots of ground throughout the year. We can always count on Ron Geyer of the Custom Cue Connection and Jack Kompan of Mystick Cues to be at our side for each and every event. They are both remarkable friends of the Tour. Also we thank Robbie Timms of Behind the 8 Ball of Lubbock, Joe Salazar of Connoisseur of Custom Cues, and Royce Bunnell of OB1 Shafts. Also Scott of the APA, a nice addition. Last, but, not least, all of the players and tour members thanks to each and every one of you. Without you, the tour is not even a good idea. You all make it what it is. Pool is a good game and enjoyed by millions from a diverse background and ages. The game is learned in about 30 minutes. From there, it just gets harder and harder. Never perfected. In the past year much negativity has been documented about the game, the players, and its image. Most of this negativity stems from the actions of “outside the game”. Pool is a good game, tough, but a good game. Enjoy it and enjoy the fact that all of you on this tour are an asset to this game. Your actions make us very proud. Lewis Jones.
Complete Results:
1st David Gutierrez $3240
2nd JP Lopez $2125.00
3rd Sylver Ochoa $1450.00
4th Bob Pyles $980.00
5-6th Bill Fuller and Eduardo Ramirez $600.00
7-8th Gordon Van Der Veer and James Davis Jr. $440
9-12th Bill Regalis, Marty Rodriguez, Robert Newkirk, and Danny Almaraz $160.00
File photo courtesy of Diana Hoppe - Pool Pics by Hoppe
