More often than not, by the time a player manages to chalk up a win in a money tournament, he or she has 'cashed' in previous attempts. Oftentimes, you'll discover that a given player has been on a tour for quite a while, collecting the lower amounts of cash available in a given tournament, slowly working his or her way up an earnings ladder, progressing from a payout for the tie at 9th through 12th, or 7th and 8th, on up to 4th, etc. On the weekend of June 11-12, at a stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour that drew 42 entrants to Brass Tap Billiards in Raleigh, the undefeated winner (Randy Hodges) and runner-up (Chris Petoletti) both earned their first-ever chunk of change on the tour.

 

They met twice in this 10-Ball event; once in the battle for the hot seat and again, in the finals. Hodges had sent Brandon Walton to the loss side 5-4 in one winners' side semifinal, while Petoletti was busy sending Frank Owens over 6-4. Just being a part of the winners' side semifinals guaranteed them their first look at prize money, since a loss would have put them into the first money round (the tie for 5th/6th) on the loss side. The two victories guaranteed the two of them a finish among the top three. Hodges made that a guarantee of first place or runner-up with a 5-2 win over Petoletti, who moved to the loss side with all three of the possibilities still in play.

 

On the loss side, Walton ran into Buddy Fisher, who'd gotten by Josh Williams 6-4 and Brian Floyd 6-5. Owens drew Steve Page, recent winner over Dave Brown 10-6, and Justin Martin 10-7.  Owens and Walton got right back to work, defeating Page (5-7; Page, racing to 10), and Fisher (6-1), respectively, and advancing to face each other in the quarterfinals.

 

Owens left Walton in fourth place with a 5-4 win, and had his short, loss-side run ended by Petoletti in the semifinals 6-2. Petoletti and Hodges squared off in the finals to compete for a $250 differential in their first Q City 9-Ball payday, along with, for the winner, free entry into a North Carolina State Championship in November. Hodges completed his undefeated run with a 5-4 win (Petoletti racing to 6) to claim his first Q City 9-Ball title, along with $600 in cash.

 

Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Brass Tap Billiards in Raleigh, along with sponsors Viking Cues and Delta-13 racks. The next stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for June 18-19, will be hosted by Breaktime Billiards in Cary, NC.

After joining Mike Dechaine, Carlo Biado and Rodney Morris in the tie for 13th place at the 40th Annual US Open 9-Ball Championships in Norfolk, Virginia, Jeffrey Ignacio traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina to compete on the Q City 9-Ball Tour. He joined 25 other competitors in the event, hosted by Brown's Billiards in Raleigh, and went undefeated to claim the title.

 

Playing as a 'pro' in the handicapped event, Ignacio had to win 13 games, every time he played; two more than he had to play in any of the eight matches he played at the Open. Ignacio lost his opening match, and then won six on the loss side, including victories over Earl Strickland, Shaun Wilkie, Mika Immonen and Jundel Mazon, before Ruslan Chinahov eliminated him from further play. 

 

The handicapped advantage of some of Ignacio's adversaries in Raleigh almost cost him. He was forced to win a deciding game in his winners' side semifinal match against Buddy Fisher, racing to 6; final score 13-5. David Smith, in the meantime, sent Joe Cosky to the loss side 5-4 (Cosky racing to 7). Ignacio was forced into his second straight double hill match against Smith, battling for the hot seat. He prevailed 13-4, and waited on what turned out to be the return of Steve Page.

 

Page, who'd been sent to the loss side in an early round by Brad Shearer, won seven on the loss side to face Ignacio in the finals. In loss-side victories #3 and #4, Page defeated Taz Holiday 10-4, and shut out Jeff K, to draw Fisher. Cosky picked up David Brown, who'd defeated Thomas Michael and Brad Shearer, both 8-3.

 

Brown and Page advanced to the quarterfinals; Page 10-5 over Fisher, and Brown 8-4 over Cosky. Page then eliminated Brown 10-5, and chalked up his second shutout, this one over Smith in the semifinal. Ignacio, though, completed his undefeated run with a 13-7 win in the finals over Page, to claim the event title.

 

The next stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for the weekend of November 7-8, at Chambley's Chalk & Cue in Statesboro, NC, will be the $1,000-added NC State 8-Ball Championships. It will be the first time that the tour has featured an 8-ball event. According to tour director Herman Parker, it's a feature that players on the tour have been requesting, and will likely not be the last.