Congratulations to Rafael Martinez Chavez, winner of the Jeff Gregory Open 9-Ball special fund raising event held this past weekend at the California Billiard Club in Mountain View, California. Rafael showed a lot of heart coming back from the one-loss side and winning 2 sets (races to 8) against former Camel Pro Tour veteran George Michaels.
The Gregory Open 9-Ball on August 20-21, 2011 successfully brought the total to more than $2,100 to help a local favorite shortstop Jeff Gregory offset cost of medical expenses related to a recent open heart surgery. The event spearheaded by California Billiard Club owner Chris Swart brought together friends and pool players across the State to join forces and help a fellow pool player in need. When asked why he did this, Chris' response was, “Most of us have ups and downs, but we don't have the benefit of a money tree in our backyard. The debt mounting up for Jeff and his family will take years to payoff, if ever! Yet, having the community come together and donate small amounts individually, will put a big dent if not payoff that enormous debt. If all pool players decided to skip lunch, just one day, and send $10 to help a fellow pool player in need, most of the debt would be eliminated. I decided to take the first step and hoped the pool community continues to help, because Lord know this could happen to any of us at any time.”.
Donations are still being accepted. Send a check, money order to the address below or pay with debit or credit card by calling the number below:
California Billiard Club
881 E. El Camino Real
Mountain View, CA 94040
Bus: 650-965-3100
Fax: 650-965-3101
cabilliardclub@yahoo.com
51 players battled it out with races to 8, double elimination matches, starting at Noon Saturday with the final 12 players returning at Noon on Sunday. Special thanks to Doug Wu - WestCoastPoolPlayers.com, Bernie Garma for providing video streaming and excellent commentary, Lenny - OnTheRailTV.com, Scott Frost for donating 12 Power OnePock DVD's, Bob Beaulieu - WorldPPA.com for donating posters Jeff Gregory which all the players signed. As expected, Gormet Chef Ms. Teresa Tong provided some of her secret delicious cheesecake and cookies on the side. To see pictures of the event go to: http://www.worldppa.com/pics.html
Payouts for the tournament were as follows:
1st Rafael Martinez $600
2nd George Michaels $400
3rd Deo Alpajora $300
4th Frank Nordman $200
5-6 Bryce Avila $100
Marshall Williams $100
7-8 Eric Harada $70
Hunter Roberts $70
9-12 Fred Stansfield $45
Kentucky Bill $45
John Henderson $45
Total Payout: $2,020.00
