“Mr. 400” John Schmidt made a big splash on his 1st trip to the island of Puerto Rico. He met 2-time defending champion Johnny Archer in the finals of the Puerto Rico Challenge and rolled on to a big 6-4, 6-2 win. Schmidt put on a sizzling display as he overmatched Archer with his great shot-making skills.
The tournament started out with former PR Champ, Juan “Papin” Rodriguez beating “Mr. 8-ball” Wilfredo Camacho 6-4. On the next match, Luis Cancel scored the upset of the night when he man-handled Edwin “Guimo” Garcia, the island's top 8-ball player. Archer looked in top form while beating “Papin” Rodriguez 8-2. Schmidt needed to shake off some jitters in his series against Cancel, but after a couple of games, he got his groove going, prevailing 8-2.
The finals were set as a 2-set race to 6 with a Sudden Death final table if it was needed. Schmidt didn't need it, as he got his groove early on. After receiving the $1,000 first prize from Mr. Jaime Cintron, president of Yauco's Municipal Legistlature, Schmidt addressed the crowd, thanking PR Pool for giving him the opportunity to come down to the island. Mr. Cintron, promised that Yauco's Municipal Administration would continue to support big tournaments, while putting Yauco on the worldwide map.
Fans enjoyed a great show all weekend long, as Schmidt and Archer played amateurs from the crowd on Friday and Saturday. After the tournament on Sunday, PR Pool president, Fernando L. Calvo thanked Town Mayor, Abel Nazario for all his help and dedication to the sport of pool during the last couple of tournaments. He also wanted to thank all the players involved, especially Archer and Schmdit for coming down to Puerto Rico to participate.
