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McGrath goes undefeated during Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour’s first visit to Mr. Cues II

The Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour paid its first, though according to tour director Herman Parker, hopefully not its last visit to Mr. Cues II in Atlanta, GA on the weekend of February 11-12. The $1,000-added event drew a strong field of 64 entrants ("9s, 10s, and 11s everywhere," said Parker) that came from near and far to play. Georgia was represented, of course, as was Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, the Philippines, and Illinois. It was, in fact, Peoria, IL's veteran competitor Bobby McGrath, who went undefeated to claim the event title.
 
By the time the event had whittled down to its final 12 players, McGrath was the only '10' left standing. He got into the hot seat match by defeating B.R. Tatum 10-4 in a winners' side semifinal. McGrath was joined by Esteban Hernandez (a 9), who'd just eliminated the senior representative of the Davis family, Duane Davis 9-4 (his two sons – Sean and Wes – were still alive and well on the loss side). In their first of two, McGrath claimed the hot seat 10-6 over Hernandez and waited in the hot seat for his return from the semifinals.
 
Over on the loss side, Tatum ran into Sean Davis, who'd been sent over by McGrath, and was in the midst of a six-match winning streak that would carry him to the semifinals. He'd most recently eliminated Ryan Williamson 9-3, and Jeff Crawford 9-4. Dad Duane Davis drew Justin Duncan, who'd gotten by Keith Yates, double hill, and Derek Fowler 5-1 (Fowler had eliminated Wes Davis in the previous round). Father and son were each a single match away from facing each other. Sean Davis did his part, defeating Tatum 9-2, but Dad was shut out by Duncan.
 
Sean moved on to defeat Duncan 9-4 in the quarterfinals, but had his loss-side streak ended by Hernandez, who, after defeating Dad in a winners' side semifinal, downed his son, Sean 9-7 in the event semifinals. McGrath, though, gave up two less racks in the finals than he'd given up battling for the hot seat, to complete his undefeated run and claim the event title.
 
Tour director Herman Parker thanked Mr.Cues II owner, Rick Sweet, and his staff for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, GoPlayPool.com, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (February 18-19), will be the $1,000-added NC State 9-Ball Championships, whose current title holder is Mike Davis. The event will be hosted by Brass Tap in Raleigh, NC.

Jordan goes undefeated to take stop on the Tiger SE Open 9-Ball Tour

Jeff Jordan worked his way undefeated through a field of 37 entrants, on-hand for the May 10-11 stop on the Tiger SE Open 9-Ball Tour. In so doing, he stopped a strong challenge by Timothy Orange, who won seven on the loss side to face him in the finals. The $1,000-added event was hosted by Mr. Cues 2, in Atlanta, GA.
 
Jordan advanced to a winners' side semifinal against James Bannister, as Bucky Suouvanthong squared off against Tommy Najar. Identical 7-4 scores against Souvanthong and Bannister put Najar and Jordan into the hot seat match, where Jordan prevailed 7-5.
 
Over on the loss side, Orange was working on his seven-match, loss-side streak that would propel him to the finals. In his third and fourth victories, he defeated John Visotsky and Hadi Lee, both 7-4, which set him up to face Bannister, coming over from the winners' side semifinal. Souvanthong drew Esteban Hernandez, who'd defeated Duane Davis 7-5 and spoiled a re-match for Orange by defeating Randy Jordan, double hill. 
 
Hernandez and Orange handed Souvanthong and Bannister their second straight defeat, both 7-4, and faced each other in the quarterfinals, where Orange prevailed in a double hill battle. Orange then took down Tommy Najar 7-3 in the semifinals, and got a shot at Jeff Jordan in the hot seat. Jordan and Orange fought back and forth to an 8-8 tie, before Jordan completed his undefeated run to claim the event title.
 
Tour director thanked Ricky, Mandy and Susan Sweet, owners of Mr. Cues 2, as well as sponsors Chris Nitti Cues, J. Pechauer Custom Cues, David Adams, Mike Dempsey, B. R. Tatum, Simonis Cloth, and Mueller Recreational Products.