David Singleton’s victory at the Sunshine State Pro Am’s Amateur Bar Box Championships on the weekend of November 16-17, was not only his first victory on the tour, it officially made 2019 his best earnings year to date. At two previous stops on the tour, back in January and July, he’d finished in both in the tie for 9th place. He and Brian McBride finished in the tie for 5th place in September at the tour’s 2nd Annual Big Dawg Scotch Doubles Tournament. According to available records, Singleton has only cashed in five events in the past three years; the extent of his known activity at the tables. Shannon Fitch, on the other hand, while also in the midst of his best earnings year to date, has cash-winning records dating back over 20 years, was also looking to chalk up his first victory on the Sunshine State Pro Am Tour. The $2,200-added event drew 84 players to Racks Billiards in Sandford, FL.

 

It was a five-match march to their first meeting in the hot seat. Singleton followed an opening round bye with victories over Randall McLuckie, Jose Guerro Baez, Christopher Anderson and Bobby Garza (double hill) to draw Jon Gore in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Fitch, also opening with a bye, advanced through Thomas White, Hector Ortiz, Robert Noon and the tour’s #1-ranked competitor going into this event, Nathan Rose, to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal matchup against David Jacobs.

 

Fitch downed Jacobs 9-5, as Singleton was busy sending Gore to the loss side 9-7. In their first of two, Fitch claimed the hot seat 9-3 and waited for Singleton’s return from the semifinals.

 

On the loss side, Gore drew Andrew Pettenger, who, after an opening round bye, had lost to Mike Delawder in the second round, and embarked on a seven-match, loss-side winning streak that would take him as far as the semifinals. He’d most recently defeated Nathan Rose 7-6 and Jai Smith 7-5. Jacobs drew Garza, who after his loss to Singleton had eliminated Racks’ owner Pedro Botta 7-2 and Jose Guerro Baez 7-5.

 

Garza and Jacobs locked up in a double hill fight that eventually sent Jacobs to the quarterfinals. Pettenger joined him after defeating Gore 7-5. Pettenger chalked up the last match of his loss-side streak 7-5 over Jacobs, before Singleton defeated him 6-2 in the semifinals.

 

For the finals, the race was extended to 11 games. Singleton won it 11-7 to claim the event title and move up significantly, to within the top 10, of the tour’s highest-ranked players.

 

Tour directors Janene Phillips and Bobby Garza thanked Pedro Botta and his Rack’s staff for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Predator Cues, Cue Sports Studios (for streaming), Leah Nusbaum Photography, Stitch-It-To-Me Embroidery, Diamond Products, Cyclop Balls, Central Florida USA Pool League and AZBilliards. The next stop on the Sunshine State Pro Am Tour, scheduled for Saturday, December 7, will be hosted by Park Ave. Billiards in Orange Park, FL.

Tommy Kennedy and Anthony Meglino have faced each other numerous times in the Sunshine State and elsewhere. They came together again, on the weekend of February 10-11, at Stop #2 on the Sunshine State Pro Am Tour; twice, as it turned out. Once, in a winners’ side semifinal and a second time, in the finals, when they opted out of a second match and split the event’s top two prizes. Kennedy, as the hot seat occupant at the time, became the official undefeated winner of the $750-added 10-ball event which drew 33 entrants to Uncle Waldo’s Billiards in Daytona Beach, FL.

 

Kennedy and Meglino were awarded opening round byes and navigated their way through three opponents each to face each other in a winners’ side semifinal. Kennedy downed Brian McBride, David Grossman, and Shaun Lovett to get there. Meglino got by Dale Campbell, Billy Sullivan, and Justin McNulty. Kennedy gave up 10 racks over those three matches. Meglino gave up only four. David Singleton, in the meantime, squared off against Asia Cy in the other winners’ side semifinal.

 

Kennedy and Meglino locked up in something of a predictable double hill battle, which proved to be their only battle. Kennedy won it and was joined in the hot seat match by Singleton, who’d sent Cy to the loss side 7-3. Kennedy claimed the hot seat 7-4 over Singleton.

 

On the loss side, Meglino picked up Pierre Palmieri, who’d defeated Billy Sullivan 5-2 and Les Duffy 5-3 to reach him. Cy drew Shaun Lovett, who’d survived a double hill match against Obbie Cirillo and eliminated Justin McNulty 5-2.

 

Meglino and Cy advanced to the quarterfinals with identical 5-3 victories over Palmieri and Lovett. In that quarterfinal match, Meglino gave up a only a single rack to Cy, who picked up a little extra cash ($25) as the top-finishing female in the event. Meglino and Singleton battled to double hill in the semifinals, before Meglino finished it, along with, to all intents and purposes, the event itself. The undefeated Kennedy claimed the event title, as he and Meglino split the top two prizes.

 

Tour directors Janene Phillips and Bobby Garza thanked the staff and ownership at Waldo’s Billiards for their “awesome hospitality,” along with sponsors Play the Game Clothing, Kamui, Insidepool.tv, Jacksonville Roofing USA, AZ Billiards and all of the participating players. The next stop on the Sunshine State Pro Am Tour (Stop #3), scheduled for March 10-11, will be hosted by Brewlands in Tampa, FL.

In the absence of the Sunshine State Pro Am Tour's winner from its third stop on the tour last month (Donny Mills), and the somewhat quick exit of that stop's runner-up (Steve Richmond), Anthony Meglino and Mike Delawder, who finished third and fourth on that stop, stepped into the void and battled in the finals of Stop #4; a $750-added event held on the weekend of July 15-16 that drew 57 entrants to Uncle Waldo's Billiards in Daytona Beach, FL. Delawder had to win nine on the loss side to get into the finals, but it was Meglino who hung on to go undefeated.

 

Meglino opened his winners' side campaign against Richmond, whom he'd missed in the latter stages of Stop #3 (Richmond was in the hot seat for that one, and Mills downed Meglino in the semifinals). Meglino defeated Richmond and then went on to victories over Dreama McMahon, co-tour director Bobby Garza, and Bill Mallen, to draw a winners' side semifinal match against Jesus Borjas.  In the other winners' side semifinal, Kenny Willis (aka Jimmy Neutron) faced Brian McBride, who'd won three straight double hill matches to get there.

 

Both of the battles to get into the hot seat match went double hill. For the first time, McBride ended up on the wrong side of a double hill fight, sending Willis to the hot seat match. Meglino, in the meantime, downed Borjas double hill to join him. Meglino claimed the hot seat over Willis 7-3 and waited for Delawder to finish his loss-side run.

 

Sent to the loss side by Jeannie Seaver in the second round, Delawder moved west and went to work. He got by Jay Stock, Mark Swisher, Smokey Jacobs, and Chris Gentile, before eliminating the top female finisher, Michell Monk 6-2 and shutting out Bill Mallen, to draw McBride (six down, three to go). Borjas picked up Garza, who'd recently eliminated Jason Lancaster 5-1 and Sam Kantar 5-3.

 

Delawder chalked up win #7, 6-3 over McBride (McBride's first, non-double hill match all weekend), as Borjas eliminated Garza, double hill. Delawder then defeated Borjas 6-4 in the quarterfinals, and Willis 6-3 in the semifinals.

 

Meglino and Delawder came within a game of forcing a single deciding game in their final matchup. Meglino pulled ahead to win it by two at 11-9 and claim the event title.

 

Tour directors Janene Phillips and Bobby Garza thanked the ownership (AJ and Tony Condercuri) and staff at Uncle Waldo's Billiards, as well as sponsors AZBilliards, Billiardbuzz, JQ Image Cues, Jacksonville Roofing, Bill Katchusky (photography) and McDermott Cues.

 

In 2012, Randy Jordon and Jim Sandaler were two of the eight players who tied for 17th place in the Florida State Amateur 9-Ball Championships. On the weekend of December 14-15, Jordon survived a double hill battle to get into the hot seat, and then, stopped a three-match, loss-side winning streak by Sandaler in the finals to claim Florida State's 2013 Amateur 9-Ball Championships. The $4,000-added event drew 103 entrants to Zingale's Billiards in Tallahassee, FL. A $1,000-added Second Chance Tournament drew 62 entrants, with Justin Gilsinan emerging as the winner, defeating James Adams in the finals.

 

Jordon and Sandaler were among the winners' side final four in the main event this year, but while Jordon advanced to the hot seat match with a 7-4 win over Chris Gentile, Sandaler was moved to the loss side by Slava Vinakur, double hill. Jordon then survived a double hill battle of his own, and sat in the hot seat, awaiting what turned out to be Sandaler's return.

 

Awaiting Sandaler on the loss side was Jason Sheerman, who'd defeated Brian McBride, double hill, and J.R. Rossman 7-4 to reach him. Gentile picked up Jared Schlaugh, who'd gotten by Dale Stanley 7-3 and David Uwate 7-1. By identical 7-5 scores, Sandaler eliminated Sheerman, and Gentile finished Schlaugh's loss-side run.

 

Sandaler then defeated Gentile 7-4 in the quarterfinals, and completed his trek back to the finals with a successful 7-5 re-match against Vinakur in the semifinals. Jordon, though, stopped Sandaler's run with 7-3 win in the finals to claim the 2013 Florida State Amateur Championships.

 

There were 10 women who competed in this event, and when that number had dwindled down to seven, those seven entered a single elimination, single game bracket (one bye) for $200 in prize money. Jessica Barnes came out on top to claim half that total, defeating Sherry King ($60) in the finals. Kristen Bennington finished third and took home $40.

 

Tour representatives, including director Tony Crosby, thanked Mike Zingale and his staff for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Poison Billiards, Robertson Billiards, Simonis Cloth, Diamond Billiard Products, Delta-13 Racks, Aramith, Stroke-It Wear, www.floridapooltablemovers.com, Bar Box Digital, Robert Harris Cues, and Triple Cross Cues.

 

In about a month – January 11-12, 2014 – Zingale's Billiards will play host to the $5,000-added Florida State Open 10-Ball Championships; $4,000-added for the main event, and $1,000-added for the Second Chance Tournament. For further information, log on to the Poison Tour's Web site at http://www.poisonpooltour.com or call Tony Crosby at 727-488-0536.