The Women’s 9-Ball Tiger Florida Tour kicked off the new year at Brewlands Billiards in Lakeland, Florida, where Michell Monk reminded everyone that she came to win, and that she did! After several years of second, third and fourth place finishes, Monk finally came through to win her first TFT tournament in years.

 

The women play a modified double elimination format. The final two from the one-loss side redraw back into the winners’ bracket Final Board for a single elimination race to seven.  Helene Caukin and Jessica Barnes made it to the final board undefeated.  Jessica Human and Monk got to the Final Board from the one-loss side. 

 

Human knocked out Cortney Bernard 5-1, and then redrew into the final bracket against Barnes, who had given Human her first loss in a double-hill match.  Going hill-hill again, Barnes eventually won and went on to the Finals.  Monk initially lost to Helene Caukin 7-4. After defeating newcomer Jamie Hagerty 5-1, Monk then redrew Caukin in the semi-finals and prevailed in a tough hill-hill match to take on Barnes.  Barnes and Monk were both intent on taking home the final prize, in a tough back and forth double hill match.  However, Monk was able to pull out the stops and win the first TFT Stop of the year!

 

Thanks to all the players who turned out for this opening event.  We also thank our returning title sponsor Tiger Products; and returning sponsors Great Lakes Billiards, Ultimate Chalkers, Boynton Billiards and AZ Billiards. Thank you to room owners Larry Walthall and Mike Dauskart for being great hosts!  Videos of matches can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJZQfjBiD4k.

 

Jeannie Seaver went undefeated for the second time in a row this year to take the Tiger Florida Tour’s 8th Annual “Cues for the Cure” breast cancer awareness fundraiser. Thirty-five women played in shades of pink in this $1,000-added modified double elimination event. 

 

Four players from the winners side and four from the loser’s side made it to the final single elimination board. Jeannie handily made it to the final board after sending several players west – Suzayn Yap 7-2, Roe Guarnero 7-5, and Cheryl Perez 7-4.  Vanessa also made it to the final board undefeated, getting past Mandolin Robinson 7-0, Sue Roberts 7-5, and Cortney Bernard 7-2.  Crystal McCormick also made it to the final board undefeated against Susan Correa 7-4, Stephanie Mitchell 7-3, abd Echo Pinkley 7-5. Marlene Houldsworth was the final player from the winners’ side to make it to the single elimination bracket, getting past Shiri Avrahami 7-1, Susan Ruisi 7-5, and Julia Spinella 7-4.  Making it to the final board from the one-loss side: Tour Director Mimi McAndrews, Stephanie Mitchell, Kelly Coyle, and Echo Pinkley.

The final four from one-loss side redrew into a single elimination bracket race to 7. Coyle drew Jeannie Seaver but lost 7-3, and Mitchell drew Houldsworth, winning 7-4. Pinkley matched up against McCormick, winning 7-4, and Vanessa played McAndrews, winning 7-3.  Vanessa went on to defeat Pinkley 7-4, making it Vanessa’s first trip to the Finals of a TFT event. Meanwhile, Seaver’s sister, Jeannie, defeated Mitchell in the semi-finals 7-4 to meet up with Vanessa in the first sister-to-sister final!  Not to be distracted by playing ‘sis for the first time in the finals, Jeannie went on to win the match and the tournament 7-2.  This win also secured the TFT Tour Champion title for the second year in a row.

 

We thank our title sponsor Tiger Products; Ozone Billiards; Great Lakes Billiards, Ultimate Chalkers, Boynton Billiards, AZ Billiards and Discount Mugs. Of course, thanks to Amy Poulter for being a great hostess again!  Thank you also to those who donated prizes for the Cues for the Cure raffle: Janis Sessions, Nicolle Cuellar (Stitchittomeembroidery.com), Pete Franco (Ulterior Chalkers), Boynton Billiards, and Keith Columbo, Billiard Engineering (The Sleeve).  And a huge thanks to everyone who supported and contributed to in the fundraiser. All of the proceeds raised benefit the South Florida Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

 

Winning TFT Stop #5 was not Stephanie Mitchell’s first win on the Tiger Florida Tour. In fact, this was her second win this year. Winning at her home turf just made it that much sweeter.

 

Mitchell is the owner of The Corner Pocket, host to TFT Stop #5. Despite the distractions of hosting a tournament in your own room, Mitchell was not to be stopped. She started out by defeating Jeri Bouvette 7-5; Cortney Bernard 7-1, before going west thanks to Nicolle Cuellar 7- 3. Mitchell stopped her friend and newcomer to the TFT, Casie Ayrnat, 5-3; and veteran regional tour player but also new to the TFT, Ashley Nandrasy, 7-5, in the semi-finals to match up against Leslee Blaikee.

 

Blaikee got to the finals after losing her first match to Tour Director Mimi McAndrews, 7-3. Leslie came to the tournament to win, though, and got past Julia Spinella and Donna Favors 5-3, won a hill-hill match with Courtney Bernard, and won 5-3 over Jessica Barnes and Michell Monk putting her in the finals against Mitchell.

 

In the final race to 7, however, Mitchell came alive and took the match 7-3 over Blaikee, who played strong all day, to her credit. Mitchell won the tournament and the paid Qualifying spot to Vivian Villareal’s Tornado Open at the Seminole Hardrock Casino at the end of September.

 

Two spots to the Women’s Amateur 9-ball were also up for grabs, won by Ayrnat and Sabra MacArthur Beahn.

 

We thank our title sponsor Tiger Products; Ozone Billiards; Great Lakes Billiards, Ultimate Chalkers, Boynton Billiards, AZ Billiards and Discount Mugs. Of course, thanks to Stephanie Mitchell for being a great host!

25 ladies gathered on February 20th for the 2016 Tiger Florida Tour (TFT) kick off event at Brewlands Billiards in Lakeland, FL. Tour veteran, Stephanie Mitchell, started the day off strong with notable wins over Crystal McCormick, Jessica Barnes and Vanessa Seaver.  Ultimately, Mitchell and another seasoned tour player, Roe Guarnero, would meet in the finals with Mitchell securing a double hill win to take first place.  Tour newcomer, Donna Favors, had an impressive debut with a 3/4 finish, alongside Jeannie Seaver. Cortney Bernard and Vanessa Seaver rounded out the top 6.

 

Exciting news! This is the first event where the TFT is affiliated with the newly formed North American Pool Tour (NAPT). The NAPT offers TFT members the chance to qualify to play in a NAPT National Championship, alongside other regional tours, as well as in NAPT Pro events.

 

Tiger Florida Tour would like to extend a huge thank you to Brewland Billiards for, yet again, hosting a wonderful event! A very special thanks to Tiger Products, returning as our title sponsor; new sponsor Ulterior Chalkers; Boynton Billiards; Great Lakes Billiards Supply and Discount Mugs. 

 

Don’t miss our next stop at Boulevard Billiards in Ocala March 19th

She’d shut her out in the battle for the hot seat, but Cassidy Mulligan came back from the semifinals to win the first set of the two-set finals against Jessica Barnes at the May 26 stop on the Bay Area Amateur Tour. Though Mulligan would battle to double hill in the second set, Barnes prevailed to win the $220-added event that had drawn 11 entrants to Wally’s in Lakeland, FL.

Barnes would give up only one rack in the two matches that left her in the hot seat. She sent Lisa McElroy west 6-1, and facing Mulligan, who’d defeated Echo Pinkley 4-2, she didn’t give up any. 

McElroy moved over to face Cortney Bernard, who’d been sent to the loss side by Mulligan, and then defeated Tammy Gillis, double hill, and Terri Cockrell 4-1. Pinkley picked up Marci Whitaker, who, after falling to McElroy in the winners’ bracket, defeated Sabra MacArthur-Beahn 3-3 (MacArthur-Beahn racing to 7) and Kelly Cavanaugh 3-5 (Cavanaugh also racing to 7).

Pinkley and McElroy got right back on track; Pinkley downing Whitaker 5-1 and McElroy eliminating Bernard 3-1. McElroy then shut out Pinkley in the quarterfinals to face Mulligan in the semifinals. The three left standing were now the same final three who had battled on the tour’s last stop in March; Mulligan had won that event, McElroy was second and Barnes had finished third. By reaching the hot seat, Barnes had already prevented a repeat of that finish. Mulligan, looking for her second straight tour victory, gave up only a single rack in a semifinal victory over McElroy, and turned to a second chance against Barnes.

Barnes, racing to six in the opening set of the true double elimination final, took the first four games, but Mulligan, racing to four, took the next four to force a second set. Mulligan, this time, racing only to three, took the opening game, but Barnes, now needing five, took the next two. Mulligan won the next game, which put her on the hill, but Barnes chalked up three in a row to spoil Mulligan’s two-straight bid and win the event title.

Cassidy Mulligan gave up a single match in the opening set of a true double elimination final against Lisa McElroy, but came back to win the second, claiming first place in the Bay Area Amateur Tour stop on Saturday, March 31. The $300-added, second stop on the tour drew 14 entrants to Hammerheads in Holiday, FL.

From among the winners’ side final four, Mulligan sent Echo Pinkley west 4-1, as Jessica Barnes was busy doing likewise to Vanessa Seaver 6-3. Mulligan then defeated Barnes 5-4 (Barnes going to 7) and sat in the hot seat, waiting for the return of McElroy.

Seaver moved to the loss side to meet up with her sister, Jeannie, winner of the first BAAT stop, who’d defeated Terri Cockrell 6-1 and Lana Loomis 8-1. Pinkley picked up McElroy, who’d been sent west from among the winners’ side final eight by Barnes, and then defeated Cortney Bernard 3-2 (Bernard going to 4), and Kelly Cavanaugh 3-3 (Cavanaugh going to 6). Jeannie Seaver shut out sister Vanessa, and was joined in the quarterfinals by McElroy, who’d downed Pinkley 3-1.

McElroy had sent Jeannie Seaver to the loss side in the opening round of play, and duplicated that effort in the quarterfinals, shutting her out. McElroy then turned to face the woman who’d sent her over, Barnes, in the semifinals. A 3-3 victory (Barnes going to 5) sent McElroy to the double elimination finals against Mulligan.

In a straight-up race to 4, McElroy won the opening set 4-2. In the second set, reduced to a race to three, Mulligan gave up only a single rack to secure the event title. 

The victory moved Mulligan into second place in the current, two-stop tour standings, behind Jeannie Seaver, whose fourth place finish, allowed her to remain atop the leader board. McElroy moved from fifth to third, behind Mulligan. Next stop on the BAAT tour is scheduled for May 26, at Wally’s in Lakeland, FL.

|8972|Jessica Barnes turned in her best performance on the 2011 Bay Area Amateur Tour, when she went undefeated to take top honors in the tour’s Grand Finale on Saturday, November 12. Kelly Cavanaugh, in spite of finishing in the four-way tie for ninth place, added 50 points to her tour ranking totals, and finished the season as the 2011 BAAT Tour Champion. The $800-added Grand Finale drew 17 entrants to Stroker’s in Palm Harbor, FL.

At the start of the tournament, the top three tour ranking spots were up for grabs. Cavanaugh entered the tournament at # 1, but was well within points-reach of Sabra MacArthur Beahn (#2) and Chris Fields (#3). Tour director Stephanie Mitchell was holding down the fourth spot, but was nearly 200 points off the tour ranking pace. Cavanaugh’s very presence at the Grand Finale meant that she couldn’t be caught by Mitchell. She could, however, be caught by MacArthur Beahn, only 65 points behind and Fields, 140 points off the pace.

Mitchell and Fields advanced to face each other among the winners’ side final four, with both Cavanaugh and MacArthur Beahn already working from the loss-side (MacArthur Beahn having been sent west by Barnes from among the final eight winners).  Also among the final four winners were Barnes, who came into the tournament at # 8, and Cortney Bernard, who came in at # 11. Mitchell sent Fields to the loss-side 5-3, as Barnes advanced to join her in the hot seat battle with a 6-2 win over Bernard. With Mitchell needing to win six games before Barnes reached five, Barnes gained the hot seat with a 5-4 victory and waited for what turned out to be Fields’ returns.

Fields moved over to take on Deanna Foster, who’d ended MacArthur Beahn’s day 4-3 (with Beahn needing 5) and in so doing, opened the door to Chris Fields for taking over the second spot on the final tour rankings. Foster went on to shut out Tracey Mullen, who came into the tournament at # 5. Bernard picked up Jamie Toennies, who’d come into the tournament at # 6. It was Toennies who, after being sent to the loss-side by Fields, put an end to Cavanaugh’s bid in this event, defeating her in a double hill battle. Toennies then shut out both Mary Lou Mendez and Cortney Bernard to set up a quarterfinal re-match for her against Fields.

As the quarterfinals got underway, MacArthur Beahn was still in second place in the tour rankings, 135 points ahead of Fields in third place. Fields’ second defeat of Toennies in those quarterfinals, a 5-2 win, closed the gap to within 10 points. 

Fields, though, went on to a second re-match, this time in the semifinals against Mitchell, who’d sent her west from among the winners’ side final four. Fields exacted her revenge with a double hill victory, and in so doing, secured second place in the overall tour standings.  Now, with Cavanaugh’s point totals already frozen at 830, and Fields at 640, the Tour Champion title was within Fields’ grasp. All she had to do was earn 35 extra points by putting an end to Barnes’ bid for an undefeated day.

With Fields needing to win one more game (a 5-6 race), Barnes ended Fields’ bid for the tour’s top ranking. She defeated Fields 5-3 to conclude her undefeated run and her best overall finish on the 2011 tour. The victory also moved her from eighth to seventh on the overall tour rankings for the year.