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McMinn Emerges at Space City Open V

Shane McMinn

Shane “Doomsday” McMinn captured his first-ever Space City Open 9-ball title, plowing through an 87-player field, besting Alex Calderone in the second set of the true double elimination final, 7-2. Justin Hall went unscathed in the 32-player one pocket division, ousting the famed Josh Roberts in the final set, 4-2, taking home his second Space City Open one pocket title. Jeremy “Double J” Jones went undefeated in the 9-ball banks division, taking down Manny Chau in the final set, 3-1, earning himself a third 9-ball banks title. Wrapping up four long days of match play, the ladies 9-ball concluded on Sunday afternoon, with hot seat winner Natalie Rocha defeating Ricki Casper in the second set, 5-0, capturing her very first Space City Open 9-ball title.
 
The 4-day, 4-division, $6,000 added Space City Open V (SCO) was held at Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar in Houston, Texas, December 1st-4th, 2016. In its fifth year, SCO continues to increase in talent and value, and professional players from across the U.S. flew in to take advantage of this annual event. This year’s line-up featured an all-star cast of phenomenal talent going head to head in a test of wills and stamina. New on the scene, Arizona’s Scott Frost and South Carolina’s Josh Roberts, along with resident players Jeremy “Double J” Jones (TX), Justin Hall (FL), Shane “Doomsday” McMinn (TN), Alex Calderone (FL), Sylver Ochoa (TX), Robb Saez (TN ), Manny Chau (Peru), Richie Richeson (MI), and many others, entertained a packed house and hundreds of at-home viewers who tuned in to the live stream provided by PoolActionTV.com. 
 
In the 87-player 9-ball field, McMinn took an early hit from Jeremy Jones in the fourth round, 9-4, but came back swinging. While McMinn made his way through the one-loss side, Alex Calderone was doing some damage of his own, taking down Ed Ambros, Tony Barrington, 9-8, and Josh Roberts, 9-6, to reach the winners’ side final four. Jeremy “Double J” Jones ousted Jason Klatt, Blaine Barcus, 9-1, McMinn, 9-4, and Justin Espinosa, 9-8, to reach Calderone. Manny Chau had an impressive run, defeating Scott Frost in the first round, 9-4, Jason Chance, 9-4, Ruben Bautista, 9-5, Ernesto Bayaua, 9-8, and Sylver Ochoa, 9-5. Playing out to meet Chau, Tommy Tokoph took down Lee Clark, 9-1, Bill Blanda, Kenneth Price, and Bob Eaton, 9-6. On the one-loss side, upsets included Jacob Watson with a stunning victory over Justin Hall, 7-4, and Bob “The Pittsburgh Kid” Guzik, eliminating Bautista, 7-6. Finding himself in unfamiliar territory, Frost secured five consecutive matches on the one-loss side, with wins over Klatt, 7-0, Sergio Rivas, 7-2, Blanda, 7-6, and Barrington, 7-3. Frost fell to Jethwa, 7-3, while McMinn took out Robb Saez, 7-6. Bayaua defeated Watson, and Joey Torres took out Kenneth Price, by the same score, 7-4. As the final eight took shape on the one-loss side, the winners’ side final four was on fire, with Calderone defeating Jones, 9-6, and Chau sliding by Tokoph, 9-8. Back on the west side, Roberts ousted Bayaua, 7-2, and Torres eliminated Espinosa, 7-6, while Ochoa overcame Jethwa, 7-5, and McMinn bested Eaton, 7-0. Roberts went on to win sets against Torres, 7-5, and Tokoph, 7-2, while McMinn took down Ochoa, 7-0, and Jones, 7-4. The hot seat match witnessed an undefeated Calderone make quick work of Chau, 9-4. McMinn dusted off Roberts, 7-6, then Chau, 7-1, for a shot at the title. Both Calderone and McMinn were hungry for their first Space City Open win, leading up to a battle for the finish line. The first set commenced, and it appeared to be anyone’s ball game. McMinn settled in, and pulled ahead to win the first set, 9-7. In overtime, there was little Calderone could do from the sidelines, as  McMinn had the break down cold, coasting to a 7-2 win over Calderone, and securing his first-ever, SCO 9-ball title.
 
Former Mosconi Cup Player and Southern Classic all-around Champion, Justin Hall, went through the 32-player one pocket division like a hot knife through butter. Hall blazed through Sonny Bosshamer, 4-2, Jeremy Jones, 4-3, Marvin Diaz, 4-1, and Sylver Ochoa, 4-1, while Josh Roberts took out Scott Frost, 4-0, Aaron Springs, 4-0, Jason Chance, 4-1, and Richie Richeson, 4-0. On the one-loss side, Jones won an incredible five consecutive matches, besting Adam Cooper, 3-0, James Davis, Jr., Tommy Tokoph, 3-0, Chance, 3-1, and Ochoa, 3-2. Following a third round loss to Hall, 4-1, Diaz came back to defeat Jeff Sparks, 3-0, Sergio Rivas, and Richie Richeson, 3-2, to meet Jones. Back on the east side, after a long, drawn-out battle, Hall secured the hot seat, 4-3. Back on the one-loss side, in a surprising upset, Diaz defeated Jones, 3-0, to meet Roberts. Fresh off a hot seat loss, Roberts did what any champion would do, and that’s fight back. He made quick work of Diaz, 3-0, earning himself a rematch with Hall. In the final set, Hall was bit more subdued, but determined to not to let this one slip away. Once again, a seasoned Hall overcame Roberts in the first set, 4-2, going undefeated to win his second SCO one pocket title, becoming the only player to win two titles in this division.
 
Kicking off Space City Open V was the 20-player, 9-ball banks division, witnessing former Mosconi Cup MVP and former U.S. Open Champion, Jeremy Jones, capture his third Space City Open banks title. It was a long row to hoe for Jones, as he took down a list of worthy competitors, including Chris Thompson, Jason Chance, 3-0, Anthony Shea, 3-0, and Denis Strickland, 3-2. Also making his way through the field, Manny Chau defeated Viet Do, 3-1, Gail Eaton, 3-0, and Norman Small, 3-0, to face Jones for the hot seat. On the one-loss side, after suffering a first round loss to Do, James Davis, Jr. came back to win six consecutive matches, eliminating Scott Frost, Jim McCarry, Richie Richeson, Aaron Springs, 3-0, and Strickland, 3-0. Sergio Rivas was dealt a first round loss by Strickland, and also came back to win sex consecutive matches, booking wins over C.J. Escalera, Do, 3-2, Shea, 3-1, Thompson, 3-0, and Small, 3-1. On the east side, Jones took the hot seat wheel, defeating Chau, 3-0.  Back on the west side, Davis ended Rivas, 3-0, but fell to Chau, 3-0. The rematch between Jones and Chau ended all-too quickly for Chau, as Jones pulled ahead, winning the first set, 3-1. Jones crushed it, losing a total of three games throughout the 9-ball banks event, defending his 2015 title, while securing his third SCO banks title.
 
Wrapping up the event, 20 women battled it out on Sunday for over $2,200 in cash, in the ladies 9-ball division. Natalie Rocha came out firing, ousting Brandi Humber, 7-1, Gail Roles, 7-3, and Marie Clark, 7-3, while Ming Ng defeated Monica DeTuncq, 7-0, and Kim Pierce, 7-6. Ricki Casper made her way to the winners’ side final four with wins over Gail Eaton, 7-6, and Alicia Huff, 7-1, while Teresa Garland bested Lois Morgado, 7-3, and Nicole King, 7-6. Ng fell to Rocha, 7-3, and Casper defeated Garland, 7-4.  Rocha went on to secure the hot seat, over Casper, 7-4. On the one-loss side, Eaton dusted off Clark, 5-1, and Garland, 5-2, while Roles ousted DeTuncq, 5-4, only to be eliminated by Ng. Eaton ended  Ng, 5-4, but fell to Casper, 5-4. Casper earned herself a rematch with Rocha, and she intended to use it for all it was worth. As the first set commenced, the players fought relentlessly, each vying for their first Space City Open title. Rocha and Casper traded game for game, until Casper inched ahead to win the first set, 7-6. The second set was a different story, as Rocha came out of the gate running, and never slowed down. Rocha closed out the final set, 5-0, winning her first Space City Open 9-ball title. 
 
The Space City Open extends a heartfelt “thank you” to the venue, staff, sponsors, supporters, and vendors for this event; Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar, along with owners David and Shannon Richardson, the entire Bogies’ staff, assistant tournament director, John Newsome, Mike Fabacher, Ray Hansen and Justin Schwarz with PoolActionTV.com, Simplified Electronics, APA of North Harris County, Vapor Knights, Ozone Billiards, Outsville Billiards who supplied Accu-Racks for this event, Crazy Erica, and RE Visual Concepts. Special supporters included Marc McClure, Jeff Kay, David Taylor, Willie Duran, and Floyd Smith, and this year’s vendors, Ron Geyer and Jerry Olivier (cues) with the Custom Cue Connection, Joe Salazar Connoisseur of Custom Cues, and Darrold Stiehl of Champions Cues.
 
Space City Open VI will take place November 30th-December 3rd, 2017. For more information, visit SpaceCityOpen.com and Facebook @SpaceCityOpen.

Thorpe double dips McMinn to take third stop on Taom Tips Tour

Dave Coles (owner of the Carom Room) , Shane McMinn, Tony Chohan, Billy Thorpe and Larry Schwartz

Billy Thorpe's having a good year at the tables. Though it started slow, with a 45th place finish at Derby City's 9-Ball event in January, and a 13th place finish at the Super Billiards Expo Players' Championship a few months later, he climbed the 'finish ladder' into the top 10 of 11 events this year, including a win at the 2nd Annual Great Dismal Swamp Classic (October) at which he defeated Shane Van Boening twice. Thorpe chalked up a win on the Taom Tips Tour's third stop on the weekend of December 18-19 to put his cash-winning events at 12. He came back from an opening-round loss to win eight on the loss side, then challenge and twice defeat hot seat occupant, Shane McMinn, in the finals. The $5,000-added event drew 33 entrants to the Carom Room in Beloit, WI.
 
The Taom Tip's Tour continues to host a variety of the country's better known Midwest guns, along with a few representatives from other regions in the country. Case in point: Dennis Hatch and Larry Nevel in one of the winners' side semifinals in this one, with McMinn and Sean Mitchell squaring off in the other one. Hatch sent Nevel to the loss side 8-4, while McMinn downed Mitchell 8-2. McMinn claimed the hot seat over Hatch with that same score, and waited for Thorpe to complete his eight-match, loss-side winning streak.
 
It was Mitchell who caught Thorpe, five matches into that streak. Thorpe had most recently (wins #4 & #5) defeated Jason Klatt, double hill, and Gene Albrecht 8-6. Nevel drew Demetrius Jelatis, who'd gotten by Anthony Shea 8-6 and Zach Marquardt 8-4. Thorpe shut Mitchell out, and in the quarterfinals, faced Jelatis, who'd eliminated Nevel, though not without a double hill fight.
 
Thorpe then took out Jelatis 8-5, and in the semifinals, by the same score, denied Hatch a second shot and third shot at McMinn. Thorpe advanced to do so, taking both sets 8-4 to claim the event title.
 
Tour director Tony Chohan thanked Dave Coles and his staff at the Carom Room, as well title sponsor Taom Tips, Outsvilles Billiards Products, Diamond Billiard Products, PoolActiontv.com, Gametight Apparel, Andy cloth, and Diveney Cues. Stop #4 on the Taom Tips Tour, scheduled for January 6-8, will be a $5,000-added event, hosted by KK Billiards in Green Bay, WI
 

CJ Wiley Captures Omega Billiards Tour Third Stop of 2016

CJ Wiley

On the weekend of March 19-20, the Omega Billiards Tour was hosted by Clicks Billiards in Arlington, Texas.   The staff and owners treated the players well with great service and an amazing atmosphere, and we very much appreciate each and every one of them!  
 
We were able to extend the field to 87 players for this third stop of the 2016 season.  And it was tough to predict who would come out on top with all the great talent in the field!
 
Always a top contender and previous Omega Billiards Tour Champion, Tony Sulsar, had a great tournament coming in 3rd with many tight races.  Phillip Palmer had another great finish as well through a lot of tough competitors and placed an impressive 4th.  Nick Evans, all the way from St. Louis and not even 20 years old yet, had wins over Ricky Ferguson 7-1, Emily Sumrall 7-2, Phillip Autieri 7-4, Greg Sandifer 7-3, Douglas Pitts hill-hill, and Forest Boyd 7-4 before finding himself in the hotseat.  CJ Wiley had a bye and then wins over Joey Salazar 9-3, Walter Huenerfuerst 9-1, Donnie Gregory 9-4, Anthony Shea 9-0 and Phillip Palmer 9-4 before meeting up with Nick in the hotseat.  CJ would win the hotseat match decisively 9-2.  
 
Nick was sent to the one-loss side and took care of Tony Sulsar 7-5 to get another chance against CJ Wiley in the finals.  The first match of the finals was close the whole time and Nick edged out a win 7-7, which forced a second set in this true double elimination finals.  And the second set was close again and this time it went hill-hill!  CJ broke and ran beautifully the last game to win the whole tournament!  BIG congratulations to CJ for snapping off this tough Omega event and to Nick Evans for placing an impressive 2nd! 
 
5th/6th places were filled by newcomer Forest Boyd and Douglas Pitts, and 7th/8th finishers were Denny Sneed and newcomer Robbie Cleland who had a fantastic first event!  
 
Congrats to ALL the players and fans for a great event!
 
A HUGE thank you goes out to our sponsors Omega Billiards Supply, Predator Cues, BCAPL/CSI, and OB Cues.  We would also like to give a big thanks to our additional sponsors, Irving Ink and Thread, AZBilliards.com, Pool School, and BilliardsPress.com.
 
This year OB Cues is our Ranking sponsor and will be donating three OB Cues to the top ranked 3 players at the end of the year!  BCAPL/CSI has joined again and will be giving away 5 BCAPL free entry fees the 2017 BCAPL Nationals. 
 
Tournament Director Melinda Bailey would like to thank the Clicks Billiards owners and staff for their awesome hospitality all weekend!  She would also like to thank her fabulous team:  Heather Farr and Jeffrey Georges.    
 
A big thank you also goes out to Michael Hoang, main sponsor of the Tour and owner of Omega Billiards Supply in Hurst, TX.  Michael and Omega Billiards Supply are well known for the huge booths at many large tournaments across the country. 
 
The next stop will be held April 30-May 1 at JR Pockets in Denton, Texas.   $1,500 added and limited to the first 80 PAID players (already full).  We will have ten stops total again in 2016.  Pool is alive and thriving in Texas!   
Check out the website for more details:   http://www.omegabilliardstour.com/
 
And follow the brackets live online at:  http://omegatour.challonge.com/
 
And check out video compilation from this event:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhET0MMQc6o

Nick Conner Nabs the Speeds Omega Billiards Tour Stop

Nick Conner

On the weekend of October 10-11, the Omega Billiards Tour was hosted by Speeds Billiards in Arlington, Texas.   The staff and owners treated the players well with great service and an amazing atmosphere, and they took care of all us all weekend long covering very long hours and we very much appreciate each and every one of them.  
 
The field of 75 players and $1,500 added was full again of top players and by Sunday there was no front-runner as too many great players were still left competing!  
 
Mike Nagaki would have wins over Robin Barbour, 7-4, Mike Arebalo 7-2, Alberto Nieto 7-6, Steve Game 7-4, Cory Anderson 7-5 and then Nick Conner 7-4 in the hotseat to find himself in the finals!  Nick Conner had wins over Jay Diaz 8-2, Mike Rountree 8-6, Mike Stankiewics 8-3, Jordan Gartenberg 8-2 and then Greg Sandifer 8-2 before he was sent to the one-loss side by Mike Nagaki.  
 
After losing to Nick Conner in the second round, Mike Rountree started his tear and defeated Chris Smith 7-4, Juan Parra 7-6, Friday Abismo 7-4, Anthony Shea 7-5, Phillip Palmer 7-1, Alberto Nieto 7-1, Cory Anderson hill-hill, and then Crispian Ng 7-3.  He was finally defeated by Nick Conner (again) but Mike finished an impressive 3rd place and his highest yet!  
 
This left only Mike Nagaki and Nick Conner remaining in the tourney.  Nick would win the first set 8-5 to force a second set.  Then the next set went to a tough hill-hill with great play, and Nick came out on top to win his first stop of the year!
 
Congrat’s to Daniel Gilmore and Aberto for placing 7th/8th, Greg Sandifer and Cory Anderson for placing 5th/6th, Crispian for 4th, Mike Rountree for 3rd, and Mike Nagaki for HIS highest finish of 2nd place!  And to Nick Conner for nabbing first place!
 
Congrats to ALL the players and fans for a great event!
 
A HUGE thank you goes out to our sponsors Omega Billiards Supply, Predator Cues, Poison Break Cues, BCAPL/CSI, and Lucasi and Players Cues.  We would also like to give a big thanks to our additional sponsors, Hulsey Custom Cues, OB Cues, Irving Ink and Thread, Pro Billiard Service, AZBilliards.com, Billiards Digest, and BilliardsPress.com.
 
After nine stops this year, Greg Sandifer has grabbed first place in the Predator Player Points Rankings by only FIVE points over Nick Conner.  Nick Conner was Tour Champion last year and Greg Sandifer is the Omega Billiards Tour Champion now this year!   Nick is ranked 2nd this year, Daniel Herring finished an impressive 3rd place in the rankings, Cory Anderson finished the season ranked 4th, with Crispian Ng finishing in 5th place.  The top three players will all receive Predator Prizes!   Places 4th through 8th will receive a FREE entry into BCAPL Nationals in 2016!  6th place was filled by Steve Raynes, 7th was Tommy Ulbik and 8th place was Philip Palmer.  What a fantastic season for these guys!
 
Tournament Director Melinda Bailey would like to thank Speed’s Billiards owners and staff for their awesome hospitality all weekend!     
 
A big thank you also goes out to Michael Hoang, main sponsor of the Tour and owner of Omega Billiards Supply in Hurst, TX.  Michael and Omega Billiards Supply are well known for the huge booths at many large tournaments across the country. 
 
The next stop is the SEASON FINALE Nov 14-15 at Rusty’s Billiards in Arlington, Texas.   AT LEAST $4,500 added and players who played in three events this season are eligible to play.  Pool is alive and thriving in Texas!   
 
Check out the website for more details:   http://www.omegabilliardstour.com/
 
And follow the brackets live online at:  http://omegatour.challonge.com/

Greg Sandifer Three-Peats to Win the Sixth Stop on the 2015 Omega Billiards Tour

Greg Sandifer, Robert Clark and Daniel Herring

On the weekend of June 27-28, the Omega Billiards Tour was hosted by Rusty’s Billiards in Fort Worth, Texas.   The staff and owners treated the players well and took care of all us all weekend long covering very long hours.  
 
Who would win this event? By Sunday afternoon – there was no telling!  Top ranked players still vying for the crown included Tony Sulsar, Robert Clark, Cory Anderson, Daniel Herring, Greg Sandifer, Crispian Ng, Mike Voelkering and Jersey Jack Lynch.   Each of these players have placed in the top 6 or won an Omega event in the past, so it wasn’t clear who would prevail because of all the talent.  
 
Mike Voelkering and Crispian Ng would place 7th/8th after hard fought matches all weekend.  Richard Parilla was taking down the champs until he ran into Daniel Herring and Greg Sandifer.  He would place his highest finish yet on the tour with a 5th place finish.  Joining him in the 5th place spot was Jersey Jack who lost a tough hill-hill match on the winner’s side against Robert Clark.  Cory Anderson would lose his second match in the tournament and keep fighting through match after match to earn 4th place.  3rd place was filled out by the always-tough Daniel Herring.  
 
Robert Clark had his hands full all weekend and keep the fans on their toes.  He defeated Doug Pitts 7-4, Anthony Shea 8-6, Robert Kempf 8-0, Tony Sulsar 8-5, Jersey Jack hill-hill and then Daniel Herring hill-hill to win the hotseat.  Greg Sandifer had his hands full all weekend also and defeated James Dye and Cory Anderson before being sent to the left side by Crispian Ng Saturday night.  On Sunday, Greg defeated Ricky Carpenter 7-4, Steve Raynes 7-2, Tony Sulsar 7-6, Mike Voelkering 7-4, Richard Parilla 7-3, Cory Anderson 7-6, and then Daniel Herring 7-5 to earn a spot in the finals with Robert Clark.
 
The finals were a great display of tough shots, nice run outs, and skill.  Greg would win the first set 7-4 to force a second set.  While Robert fought hard again, Greg would win the second set also 7-4 to capture his third Omega tournament – and the first time a player has won three in a row on the Omega Tour!  Congrats to Robert Clark for his highest finish yet on the Omega Tour with his second place finish, and to Greg for another fantastic tournament.  
 
Congrats’ to ALL the players for a great event!
 
A HUGE thank you goes out to our sponsors Omega Billiards Supply, Predator Cues, Poison Break Cues, BCAPL/CSI, and Lucasi and Players Cues.  We would also like to give a big thanks to our additional sponsors, Hulsey Custom Cues, OB Cues, Irving Ink and Thread, Pro Billiard Service, AZBilliards.com, Billiards Digest, and BilliardsPress.com.
 
After six stops this year, Greg Sandifer has inched to first place in the rankings with 675 points on the Predator Player Points Tracker.  Daniel Herring is close behind with 655 points and Cory Anderson has now moved to third place with 425 points.  Crispian Ng remains in contention with 410 points.  It’s a tight points race for the end of season Predator prizes!  And three more events to go!  
 
Tournament Director Melinda Bailey would like to thank Rusty’s owners and staff for their awesome hospitality all weekend!     
 
A big thank you also goes out to Michael Hoang, main sponsor of the Tour and owner of Omega Billiards Supply in Hurst, TX.  Michael and Omega Billiards Supply are well known for the huge booths at many of the large tournaments across the country. 
 
The next stop of the Omega Billiards Tour will be Aug 1-2 at Wizards in Richardson, Texas.  $1,500 added and limited to 80 players.   Still 3 more stops left before the $4,500 Season Finale!  Pool is alive and thriving in Texas!   Check out the website for more details:   http://www.omegabilliardstour.com/
 
And follow the brackets live online at:  http://omegatour.challonge.com/

Jersey Jack Lynch Nabs Top Spot at Omega Billiards Tour Second Stop of 2014

Jack Lynch

On the weekend of February 22-23, Jersey Jack Lynch claimed the top prize at the second stop of the 2014 Omega Billiards Tour at the Billiard Den in Richardson, TX.  Jersey captured that first place spot by winning through a tough field of 80 players!     
 
Over $9,500 was given out in monies and prizes that weekend! (Tourney payouts + prizes + player’s auction.)  
 
After a bye, Jersey defeated David Josephson 7-5, then end-of-season-champ, Anthony Shea 7-4, then Steve Raynes and Kenny Rowell 7-5 each to meet newcomer Frankie Juarbe.  Jersey would defeat Frankie hill-hill – another close match – to meet up with another newcomer to the tour, Steve Collins, in the hotseat 
 
Steve Collins made his way to the hotseat with a first round bye, then wins over Jeff Georges 6-3, Linh Nguyen 6-2, Willie Speed 6-2 and then a nail biter 6-7 over David Gutierrez to meet Jersey in the hotseat match.  
 
David G would go on the one-loss side and defeat birthday boy Steve Raynes 9-5, Frankie Juarbe 9-2 then Nick Conner 9-6.  
 
Jersey was doing damage in the hotseat match and won over Steve Collins 7-2 which pitted Steve Collins and David against each other on the one-loss side for the semi-finals.  Steve Collins would win hill-hill (6-8) over David, which sealed Steve to play a re-match with Jersey Jack in the finals.
 
It was late in the night when the finals started and the first match would go hill-hill!  Steve would prevail over Jersey Jack in the first set hill-hill to force a second match in this true double elimination tournament.
 
Jersey wasn’t done though and made a comeback and prevailed with great play and a score of 7-3 to win his first Omega Tour stop!!  
 
Jersey earned $925 for First Place and Steve Collins earned $530 for Second Place.  David had another great tourney placing 3rd and earned $400 and Nick Conner rounded out the top 4 with $340 for his fine play (payouts do not reflect the Player Auction).  Special mention to David “Doc” Reyes and Frankie Juarbe for placing their highest finish yet on the tour:  5th/6th!
 
Congratulations to ALL of the players for their fine play and great finishes!
 
This event was the Omega Billiards Tour’s second stop with $1,500 added with 80 players!!  The Predator Player Tracker is back on and the top three players at the end of the year will win a plethora of Predator Prizes!  Five more stops to see who gets all the Predator products!  Further, fourth through eighth places at the end of the year rankings will each receive a free entry into the 2015 BCAPL Nationals!  
A HUGE thank you goes out to Predator Cues, Poison Break Cues, BCAPL/CSI, and Lucasi and Players Cues.  We would also like to give a big thanks to our additional sponsors, OB Cues, Irving Ink and Thread, Pro Billiard Service, Wallace Custom Cues, AZBilliards.com, and BilliardsPress.com.
 
Tour Director Melinda Bailey would like to thank the Billiard Den and their awesome staff for their great hospitality all weekend!  A big thank you also goes out to Michael Hoang, main sponsor of the Tour and owner of Omega Billiards Supply in Hurst, TX.  Michael and Omega Billiards Supply are well known for the huge booths at many of the large tournaments across the country. 
 
The 2014 Omega Billiards Tour calendar is already set with 5 more stops and a Season Finale.  The third stop will be held at JR Pockets in Denton, Texas April 26-27, 2014!  Each stop is limited to 80 players (an increase from 64) and the monies guaranteed added has increased to $1,500 for each stop!!  Pool is alive and thriving in Texas!! 
 
The 2014 Schedule is online and payments can be received via the Omega Tour website. 
http://www.omegabilliardstour.com/
 
Thank you to all the players, fans, sponsors and pool rooms!!!

Anthony Shea Captures First Place at Omega Billiards Tour Season Finale

Anthony Shea, Tony Sulsar and Steve Raynes

On the weekend of December 14-15th, young gun Anthony Shea claimed the top prize on the newly inaugurated Omega Billiards Tour's Season Finale of 2013 at Rusty’s Billiards in Arlington, TX.  Anthony went undefeated to capture the first place prize, making him the youngest winner yet, at a mere 20 years old!    
 
Over $9,500 was given out in monies and prizes this weekend! (Tourney payouts + prizes + player’s auction.)  Here is how it all went down….
 
Anthony started off his tournament run with an upset by defeating last month’s tourney winner, Coy Lee Nicholson, 7-7.  Then he defeated Jay Murillo 7-1, TJ Klein 7-2, squeaked by Juan Parra 7-6 to last until Sunday.  Steve Raynes was also on a tear and won his first match against the always formidable Crispian Ng 6-5, then William Howard 6-4, Danny Williams 6-3 and Jeff Georges 6-3 to last til Sunday.  The always tough Tony Sulsar (after a bye) defeated his next three opponents 8-3 to meet Anthony on Sunday morning.  Sky Massingill defeated his 4 opponents 7-4 to meet up with Steve Raynes Sunday morning.
 
13th-16th places were filled by Charlie Smith, Shannon Modesitt, David De La Garza and William Howard.  HUGE shout out to David (“Spyder”) for capturing his highest finish to date!!  9th-12th place finishers were filled by Juan Parra, Willie Speed, Robert Sifuentes and Mike Nagaki.  7th and 8th place was hard fought and Curtis Cardwell and Dylan Weinheimer would fill those spots, with Jeff Gorges and David Josephson also having a great tournament by finishing 5th/6th.
 
On the winner’s side on Sunday morning, Anthony Shea would defeat Tony Sulsar 7-4, while Steve Raynes sent Sky Massingill left with a score of 6-4.  Steve and Anthony would battle it out for the hotseat with Anthony coming out on top 7-2.  Sky then defeated David Josephson 7-5 but was stopped by Tour Champion tough Tony Sulsar 8-5.  Tony kept on his winning style by then defeating Steve Raynes hill-hill.  Steve had a fantastic tourney placing his highest finish to date at 3rd place!!
 
In the finals, it looked like it would be pushed to two sets, as Tony Sulsar was ahead 7-2.  But Anthony kept his composure and kept fighting back until the score was hill-hill.  Anthony broke, and then ran out for the win!  Hill-hill thriller and his FIRST Omega Billiards Tour title!!  
 
Congratulations to ALL the players for their fine play and great finishes!
 
Anthony earned $725 plus a beautiful Lucasi Cue for First Place and Tony earned $525 for Second place.  Steve Raynes earned $400 for 3rd place (payouts do not reflect the Player Auction).
 
This event was the Omega Billiards Tour’s Season Finale with $2,000 added!  At this event, Predator prizes were given out to the top 3 ranked players and Tony Sulsar claimed 1st place and is now the VERY first Omega Billiards Tour Champion!  Tony will get free entry fees into the 2014 Season AND a Predator Sport 4×8 Case, BK Break Cue, and Sport Playing Cue with 314-2 Shaft!  Second place rankings went to Coy Lee who finished this last event in First to propel him to 2nd place!  Coy Lee will get a Predator Sport 4×8 Case and BK Break Cue.  Third place goes to Mike Voelkering who had a stellar year!  He will get a Predator Sport 4×8 Case and 314-2 Shaft!
 
Fourth through eighth places will each receive a free entry into the 2014 BCAPL Nationals!  Congratulations to 4th place ranked Crispian Ng, 5th/6th ranked Amos Bush and Jesse Hernandez, and 7th/8th ranked players Steve Raynes and Alberto Nieto!
 
A HUGE thank you to Predator Cues, BCAPL/CSI, and Lucasi and Players Cues.  We would also like to give a big thanks to our additional sponsors, OB Cues, Irving Ink and Thread, Pro Billiard Service, APA of Tarrant County, AZBilliards.com, and BilliardsPress.com.
 
Tour Director Melinda Bailey would like to thank Rusty’s Billiards and their awesome staff for their great hospitality all weekend!  A big thank you also goes out to Michael Hoang, main sponsor of the Tour and owner of Omega Billiards Supply in Hurst, TX.  Michael and Omega Billiards Supply are well known for the huge booths at many of the large tournaments across the country. 
 
The 2014 Omega Billiards Tour calendar is already set with 7 stops and a Season Finale.  The first stop will be held at Rusty’s Billiards in Arlington, Texas January, 11-12, 2014!  Each stop is limited to 80 players (an increase from 64) and the monies guaranteed added has increased to $1,500 for each stop!!  Pool is alive and thriving in Texas!! 
 
The 2014 Schedule is online and payments can be received via the Omega Tour website. 
 
Thank you to all the players, fans, sponsors and pool rooms!!!
 
http://www.omegabilliardstour.com/

Amos Bush Wins His First Omega Billiards Tour Stop

Amos Bush

On the weekend of August 3rd-4th, Amos Bush not only won the Omega Billiards Tour's 5th stop of 2013 at Clicks Billiards in Arlington, TX, he did after losing his very first match!  Winning 12 straight matches in a row, including a double dip in the finals, Amos captured the first place prize and moved himself squarely into the top 5 Rankings!  
 
Amos lost his very first match to the always formidable Jesse Hernandez 7-4.   But that didn’t stop him – he went on a rampage and defeated Jim Colling 8-5, Anthony Shea 8-0, Willie Speed 8-4 and Jeff Georges 8-3 to make it to Sunday.  On Sunday he defeated Shannon Modesitt 8-4 then Corey Flud 8-0.  He then ran into a determined Tony Sulsar (winner of the last two stops), and that match went hill-hill with Amos coming out on top 8-7.  Then Amos had a rematch with Jesse and won 8-4, and also toppled over the always-tough Crispian Ng (newly BCAPL Nationals 9-Ball Champ) 8-5 and then Mike Voelkering 8-5 to earn a spot in the finals.
 
Mike Voelkering had another fantastic tournament placing 3rd.  He made it into the hotseat match with only one opponent getting over 3 games against him.  In the hotseat match, a heartbreaker carom on the 9 barely hung in the pocket for an almost hill-hill match.  He fought hard against Amos in the semi-final but Amos was shooting good all weekend, also, and Amos won 8-5.  Congrat’s to Mike for placing 3rd!
 
Undefeated till the finals was a determined Jack Lynch (known as “Jersey Jack”).  He had an excellent tournament and defeated a lot of good players to get to the finals!  He had wins over Tony Matthew 7-1, Danny Williams 7-6, Dylan Weinheimer 7-5, Corey FLud 7-3, Walter Huenerfuerst 7-2 and Mike Voelkering 7-5 where he then waited for Amos to make his way for the final match-up.
 
In the finals, Amos caught a gear and won the first set 8-1.  In the second set, Jersey was able to capture 4 games, but again Amos prevailed and won the second set 8-4.  Amos earned $560 plus a beautiful Lucasi cue for First Place and Jersey earned $450 for Second.  Mike earned $300 for 3rd place (payouts do not reflect the Player Auction).
 
A BIG shout out to newcomer Walter Huenerfuerst for placing 5th in his first Omega Billiards Tour event and also to Robert Sifuentes who might now be considered the “Giant Killer” as he got past several high-ranked players to place an impressive 7th place – his highest finish yet!
 
The Predator Player Points Tracker is for sure tested now with only one more stop left for the season to see who wins the coveted Predator prizes at Season Finale!  Tony Sulsar remains in 1st place, with Crispian Ng in 2nd and Mike Voelkering moving up to 3rd.  The top 3 ranked players earn Predator Prizes at the end of the year and everyone is anxious and ready to place higher and higher in the stops to move up on the list!  CSI / BCAPL are giving free entries to the 2014 BCAPL Nationals for players ranked 4th-8th at the end of the year, also.  Thank you to our additional sponsors, OB Cues, Irving Ink and Thread, Lucasi Cues, Players Cues, AZBilliards.com, and BilliardsPress.com.
 
Tour Directors Melinda Bailey and Brian Anderson would like to thank Click’s Billiards and their awesome staff for their great hospitality all weekend!  A big thank you also goes out to Michael Hoang, who is the main sponsor of the Tour and owner of Omega Billiards Supply in Hurst, TX.  Michael and Omega Billiards supply are well known for the huge booths at many of the large tournaments across the country. The last stop on the Omega Billiards Tour is scheduled for October 5-6 at Speed’s Billiards in Arlington, TX.  All of the six events for 2013 on the Omega Billiard Tour's inaugural season have been filled to their 64-player capacity, with a 60+ waiting list!  Pool is alive and thriving in Texas!! 
 
Thank you to all the players, fans, sponsors and pool rooms!!!