Josh Roberts (Photo courtesy of Chris Lue, Next Action Media)
James Davis, Jr., “Junior”, of Austin, Texas, went undefeated in a 128-player field, to win the Space City Open VII, open 9-ball title, becoming the second player to win it twice. Josh “The Beast” Roberts not only defended his one pocket title, but finished second in banks, and thirty-third in the 9-ball, earning himself the “All-Around” title, and a hefty $1,500 bonus. First-time competitor, Evan Lunda of Detroit, Michigan, cleaned up in the 32-player, 9-ball banks division, going hill-hill with only a single opponent. In the 32-player, ladies 9-ball, Ming “The Empress” Ng redeemed herself in the second set of the true, double elimination final, securing her second title, and becoming the first, two-time winner in this division. Nine junior players, including eight young men, and one young lady, traveled from across Texas to compete in their very own division. Lazaro “Little Laz” Martinez, III, of San Antonio, Texas, went undefeated in this category, earning the first win in this division debut.
This year’s $7,500 added, Space City Open VII, was held December 6th-9th, 2018, and implemented a number of positive changes, including a $1,500 All-Around bonus, and a seventeen-and-under, juniors 9-ball division. In its seventh year, the “derby-like” event, now hosting five divisions over four days, was also held at a brand new venue. Big Tyme Billiards in Spring, Texas, stepped up to host, generously adding $4,000 to the purse, providing twenty Diamond bar tables and six nine foot tables, on which to compete. Twenty-six, brand new, Cyclop “Zeus” ball sets, and Accu-Racks by Outsville, were provided by Space City. The bar tables were a popular change from the eight foot tables used in previous years (for the open 9-ball division), and the format changes for one pocket and banks were also a huge hit. These divisions were still held on nine foot tables, but in a single elimination format as opposed to double, and the consensus was clear. Players loved the expediency, along with the added pressure and intensity of the “one-and-done” arrangement. For the first time, all divisions filled, with players on stand-by.
The open 9-ball division presented a monstrous, challenging field, played on the great equalizer; the bar table. On the road to victory, James Davis, Jr. defeated Matt Williams, Charlie Bryant, 9-8, Evan Lunda, 9-8, and Shelby Green, 9-5, to reach the winners’ side final eight. Espinosa logged wins over Angelina Dean, 9-1, Marshal Ward, 9-2, Eric Aicinena, 9-4, and Victor Rojas, 9-7, while Danny Smith defeated Mike Landry, 9-2, Colton Berzins, 9-1, John Morra, 9-5, and Mike Alonzo, 9-8. Jamie Baraks made quick work of Beto Cavazos, 9-3, Rick Moreno, 9-3, David Thomas, 9-7, and Shane McMinn, 9-4. Houston’s Andy Jethwa passed Grady Cooper, 9-1, Mark Galicia, 9-5, Sylver Ochoa, 9-8, and Corey Flud, 9-6. Richie Richeson ousted Alan Myers, Jerry Miller, 9-8, David Chow, and Billy “Big Tyme” Sharp, 9-4, while Alex Calderone overcame Chase Wheeler, 9-2, Ricki Casper, 9-6, Aaron Springs, 9-7, and Germany’s Can Salim, 9-8. On the one loss side and in the money, Kenneth Price upset Chris Robinson, 7-5, and bested Flud, 7-7, while Morra topped Curt Sheldon, 7-3, and Shelby Green, 7-2. Bryant subdued Angel Mentzel, but fell to Sharp by the same score, 7-2. Galicia upended Aicinena, 7-4, but fell to Salim, 7-2, while Moreno won an impressive five matches, ousting Springs, 7-3, and Rojas, 7-4. Following a second round loss to Morra, Ernesto Bayaua made a phenomenal comeback, securing five matches, including wins over Derek Fontenot, 7-3, and Poon, 7-0. Jesus Atencio, on a similar mission, marked up five on the one loss side, among the ruins, Reginal Samples, 7-1, and Alonzo, 7-5. Jimmy Krone racked up five victories on the one loss side, but was stopped by Ochoa, 7-4. Ochoa was taken out by McMinn, 7-6, wrapping up top sixteen action. Back on the east side, Espinosa throttled Perez, 9-1, Baraks triumphed over Smith, 9-7, while Davis, Jr. snuck by Jethwa, 9-7, and Calderone inched by Richeson, 9-8. Espinosa squeaked by Baraks, 9-8, and Davis Jr. served it up cold to Calderone, 9-4. The hot seat match-up marked an Austin-area shoot-out, and a short-lived set for Espinosa, who sustained his first blow from Davis, Jr., 9-5. On the west side, Morra took a stand, ending Price, 7-3, and Perez, 7-2, while Salim took out heavy hitters Sharp, 7-3, and Smith, 7-2. Bayaua recorded his seventh win on the one loss side, ending Moreno, 7-1, and Jethwa, 7-3. Ochoa finished off Atencio, 7-3, but fell to Richeson, 7-5. Salim went on to defeat Morra, 7-5, and Calderone, 7-3, while Bayaua buried Richeson and Baraks, 7-3. Bayaua registered his ninth win, but no more. Winning the case game against Bayaua, Salim secured his sixth win, and slid into third place. Espinosa was ready for Salim, but got off to a slow start. At a 6-3 deficit, Espinosa came back to win, 7-6, earning himself a second shot at Junior, and the title. Once again, Espinosa found himself in troubled waters, as Davis was in perfect rhythm with the table, and couldn’t be denied. Davis Jr. surged to a 9-3 win, and his second 9-ball title since the inception of Space City.
In the one pocket division, Josh Roberts took no prisoners, eliminating Charlie Bryant, Jamie Baraks, and Chris Robinson, 4-3, while Alex Calderone defeated Greg Trent, Jim McCary, and Sylver Ochoa, 4-2. Local favorite, Richie Richeson, defeated Marc Garza and Manny Perez, by the same score, 4-1, and John Morra, 4-1. Ernesto Bayaua rounded out the final four, booking wins over Bobby Roland, Aaron Springs, 4-3, and Evan Lunda. In the final four round, Roberts shut-out Calderone, 4-0, and Richeson slid past Bayaua, 4-3. For the first time, Richeson found himself at the end of the board, facing the defending champion. The pressure was on, as both players were in close running for the All-Around bonus. In the final, numerous games came down to the case ball. The fans were treated to an offensive juggernaut; a display of maneuvers and banks, not soon forgotten, but even the creativity of the venerable Richeson, was not enough. With an accounting of two, eight-and-out runs, Roberts was up 3-2, with one ball remaining in game six. Following an unforced error by Richeson, Roberts took it home, along with his second, Space City Open one pocket title.
Evan Lunda was in charge of the banks. The Detroit product eliminated Jim Walker, 4-0, Danny Smith, 4-3, and Jose Barbosa, 4-1. His upcoming challenger, Shane McMinn, took out Mike Alonzo, Gail Eaton and James Davis, Jr. by the same score, 4-2. Josh Roberts overwhelmed Marc Garza, 4-1, Kent Berthelot, 4-0, and John Morra, 4-1, while Richie Richeson completed the final four, with wins over Bret Harlan, 4-0, Jamie Baraks, 4-2, and Justin Hall, 4-3. Lunda ended McMinn, 4-2, and Roberts robbed Richeson, 4-1. Lunda and Roberts found themselves in their first, banks final, vying for new milestones; Lunda, aiming for his first title, and Roberts, going for first-time champion of two different divisions. Lunda’s casual style showcased epic moves, and wowed spectators as he banked his way to victory. He shut out Roberts in the final of the single elimination schedule, 4-0, to win his first Space City Open title.
On Sunday morning, thirty-two women started battling it out in the ladies 9-ball division. The 2013 ladies 9-ball division champion, Ming “The Empress” Ng, began her trek with wins over Terri Resendez, 7-2, two-time ladies 9-ball champion, Gail “Virginia Slim” Eaton, 7-6, and Kim “Texas Heat” Pierce, 7-1, as Robyn Petrosino plowed through Ruth Paine, 7-0, Brittany Kromer, 7-3, and Teresa “Princess of Pool” Garland, 7-1. Yvonne “Casher” Asher made her way to the cash, defeating Karen Reilly, Tam “MZ Tam” Trinh, 7-3, and Jillian Nickerson, 7-6, while Ricky “The Ghost” Casper, drifted past Matty Sword, 7-1, Sara Bork, 7-3, and Hopey “Hurricane” Lawrence, 7-2. Ng went on to shut out Petrosino, 7-0, and Casper stopped Asher, 7-4. In the hot seat match, Ng emerged victorious over Casper, 7-4. On the one loss side and in the final eight, Pierce and Eaton shut out Garland and Nickerson, respectively, 5-0. Pierce derailed Asher, and Eaton eliminated Petrosino, moving into the final four. Eaton went on to eliminate Pierce, 5-0, and Casper, 5-4, to meet Ng in the finals. Ng, going for her second title, and Eaton, searching for her third, battled to the bitter end. In the first set, Ng simply couldn’t get it together, and Eaton was on fire, taking the first set, 7-1. Following a five minute break, the second set got underway. This time, Ng took her turn, beating Eaton 5-3, to win her second, Space City Open title.
Nine players, seventeen and under, competed in the inaugural, juniors 9-ball division. Lazaro Martinez, III, aka “Little Laz”, outplayed April Gonzales, 5-2, and Alex Fonseca bested Jonathan Cortez, 5-1. Jacob Gonzales beat John Benavides, but fell to Kyle Yi, while Gabriel Martinez passed Nathan Garay, 5-1. Martinez, III logged a third win against Fonseca, 5-2, and G. Martinez ousted Yi, for a brother versus brother, hot seat match-up. G. Martinez denied his brother, and awaited his final opponent. On the one loss side, and in the final six, Fonseca eliminated Garay, and Yi overcame Benavides. Yi eliminated Fonseca, but fell to Martinez, III. Once again, “Little Laz” faced off with brother, Gabriel, in the final. The final told a different story, as Little Laz overwhelmed Gabriel, 5-2, 5-3, to win his first Space City Open title.
Space City Open VII goes down in the record books as the most successful one to date. “I have no words for the outpouring of support from the Texas pool community. Even with the last minute venue and format changes, the event over-filled. Billy Sharp and Deborah Sharp of Big Tyme Billiards came through for all of us” commented Kim Newsome, Space City Open Founder and Director. Space City Open extends a heartfelt “thank you” to everyone involved in the production of this event; John Newsome and Johnny Gonzales of Eagle Plumbing who sponsored the $1,500, All-Around bonus; staff members Kim Newsome, John Newsome, Erica Hanlon, and Chuck Adams who managed every facet of the event; Ceferina Ramirez and Ruth Paine for their contributions; Mike Fabacher with Southern Streaming who provided a free, four-day live stream; Chris Lue of Next Action Media, whose photographs captured the essence of the event; sponsors Roger Schuett with the APA of North Harris County, Mike McDonald of VaporKnightsUSA.com, Poison by Predator Cues, Cyclop Pool Balls, Chris Renfro with Outsville Billiards, Charlie and Heather Bryant of Brutal Game Gear, and David Taylor and Teresa Garland with Houston Best of Billiards; vendors Jerry Olivier Cue Repair, Joe Salazar Connoisseur of Custom Cues, Arthur Politte with Qxtender.com, Darrold Stiehl with Champions Cues, and Brutal Game Gear.
Finally, Space City would like to extend its deepest gratitude to the players who support this event, year in and year out. Without the players, none of this would be possible.
Space City Open is one of the biggest billiard events in Texas, and is held annually, the first week in December. For more information, visit www.SpaceCityOpen.com.
On June 16th-17th, Houston’s Sports Bar held its first $1,000 added Lone Star event of 2012, drawing 57 entries over Open and Amateur divisions. Charlie “Hillbilly” Bryant, Manny Chau, David Gutierrez, Al Mason, and Sylver Ochoa helped make up the 25 player, star-studded Open division. New faces in the 32 player Amateur division included Bobby Pacheco, Ray Porter, Derrick Ray, Henry Rocha, Robert Garcia, Isai Rodriguez, and David Rodriguez.
Saturday’s Open play narrowed the field to 12 finalists for Sunday. Grady Cooper and Henry Rocha were two unusual suspects who played their way into the final four winners’ side for Sunday. Cooper defeated Al Mason 9-5 and Henry Rocha bested Sonny Bosshamer 9-6 to get there, but were both defeated in their hot seat bids by Sylver Ochoa and Charlie Bryant respectively. Cooper and Rocha secured 7th-8th place finishes. David Gutierrez suffered a first round loss to Mason and won 5 consecutive matches until he was upset by Bosshamer, 7-2. It seemed like old times as Ochoa and Bryant hammered it out for the cat bird’s seat. They traded racks, executing dead-lock safes and kicking in balls, until Ochoa pulled ahead and closed it out, 9-7. The “Hillbilly” made quick work of Bosshamer then exacted dual-set revenge on Ochoa to win his first Lone Star Open division title in 2 years!
There were several big stories on the “B” side. Pasadena, Texas newcomer, Ray Porter, stormed the Amateur division escaping 3 hill-hill matches to reach the hot seat. Surprise player Bill Fain reached his bid for the final four winners’ side with wins over Steve Williams, Carlos Martinez, and Henry Rocha. Fain lost to Bosshamer, 7-4, and was then eliminated by Brent Thomas, 5-3. Demetro depleted Thomas in the first round, but after 6 rounds of wins, Thomas exacted revenge on Demetro in the quarter finals. After a 7-4 loss to Porter for the hot seat, Bosshamer faced off with Thomas’, ending his 7 match winning streak. Victory was short-lived for Bosshamer as the indomitable Porter swiftly secured the final set to win his first Lone Star Amateur division event.
Congratulations to Tiffany Boysen who finished “top lady” in the Amateur division. There were 2 juniors who participated in the Amateurs, Mike Calderaro and Michael Fain. Junior Nick Calderaro competed in the Open, drawing Sylver Ochoa his first round and losing by a score of only 9-6. Many Lone Star tour players continue to reach for, and accomplish their goals, with each and every event in which they compete. Keep your momentum going!
The Lone Star Billiards Tour would like to thank its exclusive cue sponsor, Poison by Predator cues, www.poisonbilliards.com, its exclusive rack Delta-13, www.delta-13rack.com, www.PoolWebsites.com, APA of North Harris County, and Gulf Coast Billiards. The tour would also like to acknowledge and give special thanks to Carlos Ledson Miller, who generates the tour standings. Many thanks to BCA referee, Derrell Montgomery, and Jerald “Topwater” Jackson for their tournament assistance.
Paul Holleman from Baytown, Texas won a Poison VX Jump Cue and Cleveland, Texas’ Mike Terry won a VX2.9 Break/Jump in the Poison by Predator cue raffles. Enjoy your new cues gentlemen!
The Tour would like to thank Houston’s owner Eric Hill and his wonderful staff for making this a first rate event. The Olhausen tournament tables were recovered in brand new 860 Simonis cloth for the players to enjoy. Tour Director Kim White says, “Houston’s was so accommodating to the Tour and its players. We look forward to coming back.”
The next event is July 7th-8th at Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar. We hope you’ll join us.
Ricky “The Rocket” Hughes Wins Stop 2 On The Tiger Tour Texas
The Tiger Tour held stop #2 of the season at Slick Willies off of Dairy Ashford on Westheimer on the weekend of Feb 18/19th . The event drew 90 players, not bad after event 1 of the season drew 96, I think everyone is liking the new handicap system we put into play. So this event was played down to the final 16 players on Saturday whom would come back to fight it out for the cash on Sunday.
Winners side final 8 matches included Andy Jethwa getting by Jason Pearce 9-5, current BCA open champion Mike Alonzo knocked Cesar Arechiga west by a score of 9-7, Ricky Hughes got by Chuck Adams 8-1, and Tom Wallace won 9-3 over John McGarvey. Now in the final 4 portion Ricky Hughes won a thriller over Tom Wallace 8-7, and Mike Alonzo sent Andy Jethwa packin 9-4. This setup the hot seat match next between Machine Gun Mike and Ricky The Rocket, Mike had to give Ricky 2 games on the wire to 9 and the score ended up being 7-2 in favor of Ricky.
The round of 9/12 saw Jason Pearce end Joey Torres run 9-4, Sylver ended Cesars run 9-6, Ernesto 9-4 over Chuck, and Bobby G. 9-1 over john Mcgarvey.
The round of 7/8 had Sylver cruising past Jason P 9-1 and Ernesto squeaked by Bobby G 9-7.
The round of 5/6 had Sylver getting by Tom Wallace 9-4 and Andy handily over Ernesto 9-2. This set up the final 4 match on the one loss side with Andy facing off against Sylver, it was a great match and in the end Sylver won his 7th match in a row on the one loss side by a score of 9-7.
Now the one loss side finals had Sylver against Mike, and Mike put on a show here as he was getting a 1 game spot from Sylver and he blanked him by a score of 8-0. Wow.
The finals is now set and it is Ricky The Rocket hughes on the winners side against Machine gun Mike Alonzo, Ricky gets a 2 game spot to 9, and this match was game for game all the way to 7, which brought the end with the final score being 7-7. Congrats to Ricky Hughes.
The Second Chance Event on Sunday had 26 players in it. The final 6 with payouts are listed below.
This past weekend the Lone Star Event hosted its second 9-ball stop of the year at Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar in Houston, Texas with 73 Amateur players and 52 Open players in attendance. Participants came from all over including Tyler, Temple, San Antonio, and Austin to take the Lone Star plunge. Open side notables included Joey Barnes, James Baraks, Manny Chau, and Sylver Ochoa. Amateurs included Calvin Trimont, Robert Hitchcock, Rocky Esquivel, Robert Odom, Steve Espinosa and many more.
Match play commenced at approximately 3pm on Saturday after 125 players were auctioned off. The Amateur division winners' side final 8 saw Jason Pearce defeat Steve Lindgren 7-1, Raul Escobedo oust Calvin Trimont 7-4, Victor Rojas best Sonny Bosshamer 7-1, and Karl McClendon defeat Rocky Esquivel 7-2. On the one-loss side it was Bobby Perez making a great comeback with 6 straight wins after a second round loss to Steve Lindgren. His end came at the hands of Will Felder 5-3. It was Mikey Frost over Charlie Buckner 5-3 and David Massie over Eric Olivo which moved them into 9th -12th position on the one-loss side along with Felder and Perez. It was Felder and Rojas who dueled for 3rd after Rojas was dealt a blow by MCclendon 7-5 on the winners' side. Pearce sent Escobedo west 7-4 and earned himself a first-time hot seat match up with McClendon. Pearce secured his place 7-3 while Rojas defeated Felder 5-3. McClendon overcame Rojas but fell to Pearce in the final.
The Open division winners' side final 8 saw Andy Jethwa skim by Manny Chau 9-8, Raul Escobedo best Bill Fuller 9-3, Sylver Ochoa defeat Brent Thomas, and James Baraks glide by Brian Rosenbaum. On the west side, Danny Lee defeated Thomas, Joey Barnes bested Brian Rosenbaum, Chau sent home McClendon, and Mike Alonzo eliminated Fuller. Upsets included Barnes and Chau who suffered winners' side blows from Jethwa by the same score of 9-8, but when the smoke cleared it was Ochoa over Escobedo for the hot seat 9-6. On the one-loss side, Barnes and Escobedo were stopped short by Chau 7-4, 7-2, respectively. Ochoa made quick work of Chau and finished the event undefeated by a final score of 9-2.
Other winners included Courtney Peters and Loretta Lindgren who split the $100 Top Lady prize awarded in the Amateur division. Nick Calderaro, Houston's hottest young up-and-comer took home first for his efforts in the Junior division held on Sunday. Rocky Esquivel, Steve Espinosa, and Brittany McCombs all took home a Poison Cue from the Poison Cue Raffles. Congratulations!
The Lone Star Tour would like to thank its sponsors, www.PoisonBilliards.com, www.PredatorCues.com, www.Delta-13.com, www.PoolWebsites.com, the APA of North Harris County, Roger Allen Cue Repair, Gulf Coast Billiards, www.Pool-Trax.net, and James Walker who donated two T-Shirts to our Junior event winners. Our tour referee, Derrell Montgomery, did an outstanding job of keeping the event running smoothly as well as John Newsome who took over the tournament command post on Sunday.
The next Lone Star Event is April 14th-15th at Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar. We would love for you to join us! Here is another chance to qualify for the Poison by Predator Tour!
For information on how to become a Lone Star Tour Sponsor, host an event, or general information, please call Kim White-Newsome at 713.825-1411.
Open
1st Sylver Ochoa $600/$1000
2nd Manny Chau $420/$700
3rd Raul Escobedo $280/$500
4th Joey Barnes $120/$200
5th-6th Andy Jethwa, James Baraks $70
7th-8th Danny Lee, Mike Alonzo $50
9th-12th Brent Thomas, Brian Rosenbaum, Karl McClendon, Bill Fuller $35
Amateur
1st Jason Pearce $570/$750
2nd Karl McClendon $400/$500
3rd Victor Rojas $250/$300
4th Will Felder $100/$115
5th-6th Mikey Frost, Raul Escobedo $70/$50
7th-8th Calvin Trimont, Bobby Perez $50/$30
9th-12th Steve Lindgren, David Massie, Sonny Bosshamer, Rocky Esquivel $35
13th-16th Charlie Buckner, Eric Olivo, Dee Davis, Brent Thomas $25
On December 10th-11, 2011, the 3rd Annual Lone Star Tour Championships was held at Bogies Billiards in Houston, Texas. The 5 division 9-ball event was $2,000 added and live streamed for all the fans unable to attend. The Amateur and Open divisions saw 77 entries with One Pocket, Ladies, and Junior divisions totaling 28 entries. Super talent included James Baraks, Sylver Ochoa, Andy Jethwa, current U.S Amateur Champion Ernesto Bayaua, and Tommy Tokoph of Albuquerque, N.M. The “B” side boasted Kenneth Price, Val Charles, Steve Lindgren, Wendell Moser, Jason Smiser, Jason Pearce, and Brian Rosenbaum, all of whom will be competing with 43 other players in the first Poison by Predator 9-ball Tour event on Saturday, January 7, 2012 at Bogies Billiards.
Saturday’s Open action saw upsets including junior phenom Joey Torres over Lanny Herrin and twice over Ernesto Bayaua. Tommy Tokoph fell to Bayaua in the second round 9-6, but came back with 5 straight wins over Bill Fuller, Sonny Bosshamer, Kenneth Price, Sylver Ochoa, and Herrin, until he met a vengeful Bayaua. The hot seat match featured Torres and the indomitable James Baraks who had earlier eliminated Tim Heath, Sylver Ochoa, and Bernard Walker during his trek. Torres lost the set when he missed a crucial 9-ball at 8-7. After Torres passed Bayaua 7-6, Baraks made quick work of Torres in the final, settling the question 9-4. This is Baraks second consecutive Open division title win.
Brand new to the winners’ circle and the talk of the tournament was Kenneth Price. He conquered the Amateur field undefeated with wins over Allen Baker 7-4, Tim Heath 7-3, and Ty Few 7-1. Will Felder was on roll of his own with wins over Bobby Perez 7-6, Charlie Mora 7-6, and Mitchell Lang 7-6. It was Price v. Felder for the hot seat match with Price moving forward, 7-4. This loss earned Felder another round with Mora, but this time, Mora took it down 5-2. Grady Cooper and Brian Rosenbaum made incredible bids after losing in the first round. Cooper fell to Bill Fuller after 4 consecutive wins while Rosenbaum secured 5 straight wins before falling to Tim Heath, 5-4. When the smoke cleared on the one-loss side, it was Mora who eliminated Heath 5-4 and earned himself a rematch with Felder. This time Mora took down Felder 5-2, but was brought down by Price in the final, 7-5. Kenneth Price has competed in many Texas’ tournaments, but never executed a “win” until now.
Sylver Ochoa and Courtney Peters were crowned “2011 Lone Star Tour Champions”, accumulating the most points for their ranking divisions. Peters also captured a final victory in the Ladies division while Ochoa captured the final One Pocket event, both undefeated. For their year-long efforts they each received plaques, Delta-13 Elite Racks, and Poison VX Jump Cues.
In the Junior division, Nick Calderaro captured his second Lone Star Tour Junior event, this time from the one-loss side. He bested the undefeated Joey Torres, 7-5 then 5-1, to win the final Junior event of 2011.
The Tour would like to thank its longtime sponsors: Poison by Predator Cues, Predator Cues, Delta-13 Rack, www.PoolWebsites.com, APA of North Harris County, and the newest additions, Gulf Coast Billiards and Www.Pool-Trax.net. Many thanks to Damien Nelson, Nelson & Company, and James Painter for producing an impeccable HD live stream, and Mark Fusina and John Newsome of the “Run Out Review” for keeping the fans at home informed and entertained. A special “thank you” goes out to long-time friend and author, Carl Miller, for updating all of the point standings.
The owners of Bogies David and Shannon Richardson and their incredible staff hosted a first rate event. In 2012 they will play exclusive host to the Poison by Predator 9-Ball Tour, www.PxPTour.com.The first event is Saturday, January 7th, 2012. This will be a true spectator event, hosting 50 invited, pre-paid players, competing in a $1,000 added, one day, live streamed event. Spectators will be able to enjoy all the excitement of a two day event, packed into one day. The player auction will begin promptly at 12pm and match times will be posted.
The first Lone Star Tour event of 2012 will be held at Future Cues, February 4th-5th. Visit www.futurecues.com for more information on this fabulous, 10,000 square foot room nestled in the heart of Temple, Texas. The Tour will also be coming to Hawley’s Billiards in Dallas, Texas in October, and re-visiting Big Tyme Billiards in Spring, and Skinny Bob’s Billiards in Round Rock.
The Tour extends its deepest appreciation to all the players, fans, rooms, sponsors, and press who help make these events possible. We hope you and your families have a very Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year.
Open
1st James Baraks $550/$360
2nd Joey Torres $370/$270
3rd Ernesto Bayaua $250/$180
4th Tommy Tokoph $160/$90
5th-6th Lanny Herrin, Tim Heath $100 ea.
7th-8th Sylver Ochoa, Bobby Perez $35 ea.
Amateurs
1st Kenneth Price $600/$435
2nd Charlie Mora $475/$275
3rd Will Felder $290/$190
4th Tim Heath $125/$110
5th-6th Ty Few, Mitchell Lang $75 ea.
7th-8th Jason Pearce, Brian Rosenbaum $50 ea.
9th-12th Jason Smiser, Bill Fuller, Jeff Fox, Joey Torres $25 ea.
The Tiger Amateur Tour held stop #11 of the season the weekend of November 5/6th at the home of the Houston Open, Legends Billiards. We had a great showing for the main event with 81 players showing up to do battle, and what a battle it was. This event had $1,000 added, $750 to the main event, and $250 to the Second Chance Event.
So with 81 players we played down to the final 16 players whom all made the cash. We brought back 8 on the winners side for Sunday and their matches with scores are as follows. Ricky Hughes knocked Jerry Avery to the one loss side 9-4, Manuel Ayala bested Victor Rojas 9-5, Jason Pearce squeaked by Sonny Demetro 9-7, and Leon Contreras got by Jake Pallando 9-4. This set up the final 4 of the winners side and it saw Leon run thru Jason P. 9-4, while at the same time Manuel was roasted Ricky 9-5. The hot seat match pitted Manuel against Leon, and they battled close up to 6-6, then Leon edged away for a 9-6 victory and king of the winners side.
The round of 12 saw Jerry get by Ismael 9-8 in a thriller, Victor sent Will packing 9-6, Sonny got by Grady 9-6, and Jake bested Jason B. in another hill hill thriller 9-8.
The round of 8 saw Jerry concede midway thru the match with Victor due to fatigue, Jerry is pushing 70 and had a great run in this event. Also Sonny got by Jake by a score of 9-7.
The round of 6 matched Jason Pearce up with Victor Rojas, and Jason got the win by a score of 9-5. On the other side of the bracket Sonny took care of Ricky “The Rocket”Hughes 9-7.
This set up the final 4 and on the one loss side Jason P. squared off with Sonny D. once again, like earlier in the event Jason got by Sonny 9-7.
The one loss side final was now set, it was Jason Pearce against Manuel Ayala, this match was close all the way thru, in the end Jason got the nod 9-7.
The Finals: The Tiger Amateur Tour was going to produce yet another first time winner on the tour, Leon Contreras won the hot seat earlier and was eagerly awaiting for his chance at the title. His opponent would be none other than Jason Pearce, a player Leon had sent to the one loss side earlier in the event. But this time would be different as Jason shot spectacular and double dipped Leon by scores of 9-6, then 9-4 to take the title and nearly $2,400 for 1st. Congrats to both players for their first appearance in the Tiger Amateur Tours Finals.
The Second Chance Event had 17 players enter with $250 added to it. At the end of the event Forest Boyd from Dallas had won his 2nd Second Chance Event in a row on the tour. He took home $240, Danny Lee got 2nd ($180), Lee Brown 3rd ($120) and David Parker 4th ($60).
** Also on a side note the Tiger Amateur Tour would like to congratulate tour regular Ernesto Bayaua whom could not attend this event as he qualified for the U.S. Amateur Event held in Florida, and he did more than qualify as he snapped it off, he had a lot of support at this Legends tourney as there was plenty of us sweating the stream and rooting him in. Congrats again.
We at the Tiger Amateur Tour would like to think Mindy and Craig Cohen for allowing us to hold an event at their room.
We would also like to thank all of our sponsors Tiger Products, Htownbilliards, Mueller Recreational Products, Jay Helfert, Dreamline Promotions, and Mark Griffin of CSI.
The Season Finale is the next event, it will have $3,000 added and be held at Deep Pockets Billiards in Alvin,Tx. December 2-4th . Players that have qualified for this have until November 18th to pre register, after that date the field will be opened to players whom have played once during the year, at which point it will fill fast, so don’t try and wait cause you will be left out.
For more info you can visit the tour website at www.TigerAmateurTour.com
On October 29th-30th the Lone Star Tour drew 65 players with 97 entries in 5 divisions at Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar in Houston, Texas who hosted the Tour’s 11th stop of 2011. The Open 9-Ball division drew 34 players which included James Baraks, David Gutierrez, Manny Chau, Mike Gulyassy, Ernesto Bayaua, and Jason Brown. The 39 player Amateur 9-ball division included Brent Thomas, Grady Cooper, J.C. Torres, Mikey Frost, Bill Fuller, and Michael Branton.
The Open division concluded Saturday evening with 4 winners and 4 one-loss side players for Sunday’s action. During the last winners’ side round of the evening, David Gutierrez defeated Mikey Frost 9-2, Sonny Bosshamer defeated Mike Gulyassy 9-7, Jason Brown squeezed by Ernesto Bayaua 9-8, and James Baraks bested Grady Cooper 9-4. On the one-loss side, Bayaua, Cooper, Frost, and Brian Rosenbaum lost their bid for the final 8. Sunday’s final four one-loss side produced Manny Chau who had suffered an earlier blow from Gutierrez, Jason Pearce, Bill Fuller, and Gulyassy. The final four “undefeated” saw Baraks oust Brown 9-2 and Bosshamer fall to Gutierrez 9-5. The west side’s final four saw Fuller fall to Gulyassy 7-4, and Chau defeat Jason Pearce 7-5. Meanwhile, it was Baraks over Brown 9-2 and Gutierrez over Bosshamer 9-5 that pitted Baraks v. Gutierrez for the hot seat. It was a hill-hill thriller until Baraks secured the final game 9-8. Headed for a comeback after a third round loss to Gutierrez, Chau won 6 consecutive matches with wins over Cooper, Pearce, Bosshamer, and Brown, but fell prey once again to Gutierrez, 7-1. In the final match, it was all out war. Gutierrez was determined to redeem himself while the all too unshakable Baraks was steady as a rock. The first set went to Guiterrez 9-6 and the players took a break. In overtime, both players stayed their course. At 4-3 in Baraks favor, he fell out of line on the 7 but completed the out and won the next game making it 6-3. Gutierrez answered back strong with 2 in a row which included a break and a run. At 6-5, Gutierrez broke and the cue ball was kissed into the corner pocket. Baraks ran out ending the set, 7-5. Thanks to their impeccable play and showmanship, these two players wowed the Bogies’ crowd with the most exciting event final to date!
The Amateur division drew 39 entries and ended late Saturday night. On the winners’ side final 8 it was Carl Miranda over J.C. Torres, Joey Torres defeated Bill Fuller, Jason Pearce ousted Will Felder, and Curt Bovenzi fell to Sonny Bosshamer. Miranda went on to defeat Joey Torres 4-2 and Bosshamer scrapped Pearce by the same. Bosshamer squeezed by Miranda for the hot seat 4-3. On the one-loss side, Chuck Adams bested Felder 4-3, Pablo Hernandez eliminated Boveni 4-1, Brian Rosenbaum defeated J.C. Torres 4-1, and Grady Cooper fell to Fuller 4-1. Hernandez won 6 consecutive matches on the top side after losing his first match to Junior player Ron Esman. After his first round loss to Kerry “The Panther” Ganther, Rosenbaum won 8 consecutive matches on the bottom side to meet Hernandez in the quarter final. Rosenbaum defeated Hernandez and Miranda, making it 10 consecutive wins until an undefeated Bosshamer blew the wind out of his sail in the final, 4-0. Congratulations to Sonny Bosshamer on his first Lone Star Tour title and for winning the VX cue and VX jump cue raffles!
In the One Pocket division, Sylver Ochoa defeated David Gutierrez for the hot seat match while Jason Brown bested Ernesto Bayaua, leaving him in 4th. Brown defeated Gutierrez 2-1 but fell in the final to Ochoa, 3-1.
On Sunday, current ladies point leader Courtney Peters captured 1st place after a second round loss to Terry Petrosino who finished 2nd. Robyn Petrosino and Teresa Garland finished 3rd and 4th respectively.
Junior player Nick Calderaro captured his first LSBT Junior 9-ball event this past weekend while Ron Esman finished a respectable 2nd, and Kody Thompson 3rd, his highest finish to date.
Congratulations to all the winners and many thanks to the Official Tour Sponsors: Poison by Predator Cues, Delta-13 Rack, PoolWebsites.com, APA of North Harris County, and Gulf Coast Billiards. Special Thanks to room owners David and Shannon Richardson for hosting the Lone Star Tour and supporting Texas’ pool.
On December 10th-11th there will be $2,000 added to the Lone Star Tour Championships 2011 at Bogies Billiards & Sports Bar, hosting 5 divisions over 2 days. Please note, the AMATEUR DIVISION WILL BE 2 DAYS AT THIS EVENT AND THE RACES WILL BE EXTENDED TO 7 & 5 and the Juniors will move to Sunday at 1pm. There will be a small awards ceremony for the tour point leaders on Sunday, pit barbecue, Poison cue raffles, and LIVE STREAMING all weekend long! Don’t miss it!
