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Mike Davis, Jr. claims first Open event of the 2023 PremierBilliards.com Q City 9-Ball Tour

Mike Davis

In the first of 12 planned Open events in 2023, to be known as The PremierBilliards.com TOP (The Open Players) Tour, Mike Davis, Jr. was crowned as its premier champion. The $500-added, non-handicapped event had to compete with a number of other regional events in the immediate and not-too-distant area and as a result, drew only 18 entrants to Gate City Billiards Club in Greensboro, NC.

Davis and Mark Bolton opted out of a final at this event, allowing their one and only match to stand as the title-claiming victory. As the occupant of the hot seat at the time, Davis went into the books as the event’s official champion and they split the top two prizes.

With races to 7 on both sides of the bracket, they met first in the hot seat match, once Davis had defeated Barry Mashburn 7-5 in one of the winners’ side semifinals and Bolton had sent Kelly Farrar to the loss side 7-4 in the other one. Davis claimed the hot seat and, as it turned out, the official event title with a 7-3 win over Bolton.

On the loss side, Mashburn picked up Josh Heeter, who’d defeated Graham Swinson and Corey Morphew, both 7-2, to reach him. Farrar drew Chris Turner, who’d survived two straight double hill matches, versus William Baize and Derek Leonard, for a shot at Farrar.

By identical 7-3 scores, Heeter and Farrar advanced to the quarterfinals over Mashburn and Turner, respectively. And it was 7-3’s all the way to the end. Farrar over Heeter in the quarterfinals and Bolton over Farrar in the final match of the event, the semifinals.

Davis and Bolton opted out of the final, split the top two prizes and completed the Open Tour’s first event.

Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Gate City Billiards Club for their hospitality, along with title sponsor PremierBilliards.com, Breaktime Billiards (Winston-Salem, NC), BarPoolTables.net, Dirty South Grind Apparel Co., Realty One Group Results, Diamond Brat, AZBilliards.com, Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division and TKO Custom Cues. The next stop on The PremierBilliards.com TOP Tour, scheduled for the weekend of Deb. 25-26 will be the 11th Annual North Carolina State 9-Ball Open and Ladies 9-Ball Open, to be hosted by Breaktime Billiards in Winston-Salem, NC.

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Morphew and Pendley split top prizes on Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour

Corey Morphew

They drove to the event together, so Corey Morphew and Adam Pendley didn’t spend a lot of time negotiating their split of the top two prizes at the end of this past weekend’s (Sat., July 16) stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour. As occupant of the hot seat at the time, Morphew claimed title to the Open event that drew a “slow summer” field of 17 entrants to Sonny’s Billiards in Princeton, WV. 

“It was actually a pretty strong field for its size,” noted tour director Herman Parker, “with about a half dozen competitors that have combined for about 25 or so wins on the tour over the years.”

Morphew and Pendley allowed their winners’ side semifinal match to stand as the definitive, though not actual title match. Morphew had advanced to face Pendley, as Jonathan Ailstock met with Keith Young in the other winners’ side semifinal.

Morphew won the first, and as it turned out, only meeting between he and Pendley, downing him double hill. Ailstock, in the meantime, sent Young to the loss side 7-3. Morphew and Ailstock locked up in a double hill match, too. Morphew claimed the hot seat in what proved to be his last match of the event.

On the loss side, Pendley picked up Jason Potts, who’d defeated Allie Tilley (the only woman to play in the Open event) 6-3 and Ron Frank 6-2 to reach him. Young drew Sonny’s Billiards owner John Brockman, who’d recently survived two straight, double hill matches against Josh Ball and Dwain Barberie.

Brockman got involved in his third straight double hill match, but it was his last, as Young advanced to the quarterfinals. Pendley joined him after defeating Potts 6-4.

In the first money round, Pendley downed Young 6-4 and then, earned a second shot against Morphew by defeating Ailstock in the semifinals 6-3. Pendley didn’t take that second shot as he and Morphew agreed to the ‘two prize’ split and packed up to head home, leaving Morphew, occupant of the hot seat, as the event’s official winner.

Tour director Herman Parker thanked Brockman and his Sonny’s Billiards staff for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, BarPoolTables.net, Dirty South Grind Apparel Co., Realty One Group Results, Diamond Brat, AZBilliards.com, Ridge Back Rails, and Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend, July 23-24, will be a $250-added (with 24 entrants) event, hosted by Still Cluckin’ in Providence, NC.  

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Adams goes undefeated to win stop on Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour

Daniel Adams

Daniel Adams, known far and wide as Papa John, came to Princeton, WV last weekend (Sat., Jan. 29, six hours of Sun., Jan. 30) and in a pair of battles versus junior competitor (until July) Cole Lewis, claimed the title to a stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour. The $500-added event drew 43 entrants to Sonny’s Billiards in Princeton.

Adams and Lewis advanced through the field, headed for the hot seat and arrived at the winners’ side semifinals. Papa John faced Scott Largen while Lewis squared off against Sean McGrady. 

Adams sent Largen to the loss side 6-3, as Lewis was busy doing likewise to McGrady 8-3. Adams claimed the hot seat 6-6 (Lewis racing to 8) and waited on his return.

On the loss side, Largen picked up Corey Morphew, who’d just completed two, wildly divergent matches to reach him. After surviving a double hill battle versus Ricky Bingham (9-5), Morphew shut Derek Bonds out 9-0. McGrady drew Mike Clevinger, who’d eliminated Hank Powell 7-6 (Powell racing to 8) and Robert McCoy, double hill. 

Morphew and Clevinger kept Largen and McGrady’s visit to the loss side short, very short. Morphew downed Largen 9-2, as Clevinger eliminated McGrady 7-4. Both competitors in the quarterfinals that followed had been sent to the loss side by the same man, Keith Young, who’d defeated Clevinger in the 2nd round (first match for Clevinger) and Morphew in the third round. Young eliminated the possibility of a rematch against either of them by losing to Robert McCoy in the 9/12 matches. 

Clevinger was ahead in the loss-side match wins (7-5) when the quarterfinals began. Morphew ended Clevinger’s loss-side winning streak 9-5 and then had his own streak of six loss-side wins stopped by Lewis 8-5 in the semifinals.

As dawn was working its way toward the eastern horizon, Papa John and junior competitor Cole Lewis locked up in a double hill fight that concluded, according to tour director Herman Parker, at around 6 a.m. on Sunday morning. Adams won his six racks in the only set of the true double elimination final necessary before Lewis had chalked up his eight. Adams claimed his first Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour title since he’d come from deep on the loss side to win an event at The Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA almost five years ago (April, 2017). 

Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Sonny’s Billiards for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, BarPoolTables.net, Dirty South Grind Apparel Co., Realty One Group Results, Diamond Brat, AZBilliards.com, and Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division.

The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (Feb. 5-6) will be the $1,500-added, 1st Annual Winter Classic, to be hosted by Break Time Billiards and Sports Bar in Winston-Salem. In addition to a $1,000-added Open event, there will be a $500-added Ladies event. 

It is the first in a series of seasonal Open events that Parker is adding to the tour’s 2022 schedule. Parker will duplicate the seasonal Open events at dates (to be determined) in the spring, summer and fall. 

“We’ve been doing only three or four Open events per year,” said Parker, “but we’re looking to expand that to between 12-15 per year.”

“In addition to the seasonal classics,” he added, “they’ll include events like the Ron Park Memorial, the West Virginia state and North Carolina State championships.”

Stay tuned for further information as it becomes available regarding the upcoming Open events on the tour.

Ronny Park Benefit Memorial – Jesus Atencio vs Cory Morphew

 

Brown comes back from semifinals to win South Carolina State 9-Ball Bar Box Championship

Jason Brown

Two years ago, at the Super Billiards Expo, Jason Brown downed Corey Deuel in the One Pocket tournament of that annual event. A month later, he joined Danny Smith, Mika Immonen, and Deuel in the tie for 9th at the Buffalo Billiards Pro One Pocket event. Last year, his best in recorded earnings since first appearing in the AZ database in 2004, he cashed in the One Pocket (20th), 9-Ball (17th) and 9-Ball Banks (28th) events at Derby City, as well as the 9-Ball (13th) and One Pocket (5th) events of the annual Don Coates Memorial in Raleigh, NC. In other words, "Jaybird," as he's known, has some history at the Pro level, particularly playing One Pocket.
 
Brown brought that resume with him to Spartanburg, SC on the weekend of June 24-25, at a stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball tour. It was the $1,000-added 1st Annual South Carolina State 9-Ball Bar Box Championships, which drew 38 entrants to Cue Time Billiards in Spartanburg, and though Brown would relinquish the hot seat to Brian White, he came back from the semifinals to defeat White and claim that inaugural title.
 
The final three matches on the winners' side were all decided by 9-7 scores. Brown defeated 16-year-old (soon to be 17-year-old) Hunter White to get into the hot seat match. He was met by Brian White (no relation to Hunter), who'd defeated Tim Heath. White then claimed the hot seat over Brown in what proved to be his last win.
 
On the loss side, Hunter White picked up Brian Bagwell, who, following a defeat at the hands of Matt Bulfin, was in the midst of a six-match, loss-side winning streak that would take him as far as the semifinals against Brown. He'd recently survived a double hill fight against J.T. Ringgold, and eliminated Zack Baker 7-5. Heath drew Mike Bumgarner, who had also survived a double hill match, versus Mackie Lowery, and also defeated an opponent in the 7th/8th place matches, Corey Morphew, by a score of 7-5.
 
Bagwell chalked up another double hill win, defeating Hunter White, as Bumgarner was busy eliminating Heath 7-3. Bagwell chalked up his sixth, and last loss-side win with a 7-4 victory over Bumgarner in the quarterfinals. He was then defeated, same score, by Brown in the semifinals. It was a single race to 11 for the first SC State 9-Ball Bar Box title, and Brown sealed the deal 11-5.
 
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Cue Time Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for July 1-2, will be hosted by Randolph's Billiards in Hickory, NC.

Gutierrez returns to the Texas stage to go undefeated on Omega Billiard Tour

(l to r): Mike Voelkering, Jay Murillo, David Gutierrez

Seventeen years ago, David Gutierrez chalked up a win at the 27th Annual Texas Open. It was his first appearance in the payout lists of the AZBilliards database, which, with two exceptions, has included cash winnings for him every year since then. The exceptions were 2006 and last year. He won the Texas Open a second time in 2005, and cashed in that event on a number of other occasions. A regular and regular winner on the Fast Eddie's Tour in Texas, and the Lone Star Billiards Tour, he's appeared and cashed in major events like the Derby City Classic, The US Open 9-Ball Championships and The US Bar Table Championships. His best year, according to our records was 2004, in which he won a stop on the Fast Eddie's and Top Dawg Billiards Tour's One Pocket division, along with cash appearances in (among others) two Carolina Opens, a stop on the Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour, and the Music City Classic.
 
On the weekend of June 24-25, after a year of absence from any of our payout lists (which means, basically, that if he won any tournaments, we didn't hear about them), he returned to the Texas stage and chalked up a win on the sixth stop of the Omega Billiards Tour. Gutierrez went undefeated through a field of 85 in the $1,700-added event, that was hosted by Click's Billiards in Arlington, TX.
 
Five matches that included two shutouts brought Gutierrez to a winners' side semifinal against Amos Bush, the first opponent he faced who was, at the time of the match, ranked among the Omega Tour's top 20 players (#17). Mike Voelkering (#9), in the meantime, met up with Ray Amarro. Gutierrez downed Bush 9-5, and was met in the hot seat match by Voelkering, who'd defeated Amarro 7-4. Gutierrez claimed his first (known) hot seat since 2015 with a 9-1 victory, and waited on Voelkering's return from the semifinals.
 
On the loss side, Bush picked up Jay Murillo, who, after being defeated by Aram Hasan in the third round, was on an eight-match, loss-side winning streak, that included a victory over the tour's #1-ranked player, Rick Stanley, and would take him as far as the semifinals. He'd recently defeated TJ Davis 6-4 and George Merchan 6-2 to reach Bush. Amarro drew Robbie Cleland, who'd been one of Gutierrez' shutout victims in one of the winners' side quarterfinals and on the loss side, defeated Doug Winnett 7-3 and Greg Sandifer 7-6 (Sandifer racing to 8).
 
Murillo downed Bush 6-4, and in the quarterfinals, ran into Cleland, who'd eliminated Amarro 7-2. With Cleland racing to 7, Murillo chalked up his last win 6-6 over Cleland, before running into Voelkering, who ended Murillo's loss-side streak 7-1. Voelkering put up a bit more of a fight in the finals than he had in the hot seat match, but Gutierrez prevailed 9-4 to claim the event title.
 
Tour director Melinda Bailey thanked the ownership at staff at Click's for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Michael Hoang of OMEGA Billiards Supply, FargoRate.com, and OB Cues. The next stop on the Omega Billiards Tour, scheduled for July 15-16, will be a $1,700-added event, hosted by Open Table in Azle, TX.
 
 

 

Kidwell comes from the loss side to take City 9-Ball stop

Brandon Kidwell came back from a defeat in a winners' side semifinal to meet and defeat hot seat occupant Ron Frank during the February 27-28 stop on the Q City 9-Ball Tour. The event drew 51 entrants to Janet Atwell's Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.
 
Kidwell fell to Keith Wiseman in a winners' side quarterfinal, which set Wiseman up to face Jordan Grubb. Frank, in the meantime, squared off against June Bug. Wiseman sent Grubb to the loss side 8-5, as Frank was busy sending June Bug over 9-3. Frank claimed the hot seat in a double hill fight against Wiseman and waited on Kidwell's return.
 
Kidwell opened his loss-side campaign with a 7-4 win over Dustin Brown, and followed that with a 7-5 win over Pete Browning, setting him for a match versus June Bug. Grub picked up Cory Morphew, who'd eliminated Darren Musser 10-5 and Mike Brown 10-1. Kidwell chalked up win #3, 7-4, over June Bug, as Grub was eliminating Morphew 8-7 (Morphew racing to 10).
 
Kidwell gave up only a single rack in the quarterfinal match against Grubb, and turned to face the man who'd sent him to the loss side, Wiseman, in the semifinals. With Wiseman racing to 8, Kidwell advanced to the finals 7-6.
 
In the first of two sets, Kidwell and Frank battled to double hill, before Kidwell prevailed to force a second set. He won that one, as well, downing Frank 7-4 to claim the event title.