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Chohan & Chua Take Raleigh
Tony Chohan and Alex Pagulayan
The Brass Tap & Billiards of Raleigh, NC has a long history of hosting tournaments and this year was no exception. After a layoff since 2019 due to the pandemic, owner Richard Kuntz welcomed players and fans back to the $15,000 added Beasley Open.
Presented by Doug Beasley of Beasley Custom Cues and special sponsors PoolActionTV.com and Brass Tap & Billiards, this year’s tournament had two events – One Pocket and Open 9 Ball.
Everywhere you looked, there were recognizable faces. Led by BCA Hall of Famer Alex Pagulayan, Tony Chohan, John Morra, Josh Roberts, Mike Davis Jr, Justin Hall, Brandon Shuff, Jason Brown and home town favorite Shane Wolford joined the fray. Can Salim, Omar Al Shaheen, Johann Chua, Carlo Biado, Robbie Capito, Kun-Lin Wu, Chia-Chen Hsieh and WPBA star Chia Hua (Amber) Chen added an international flavor to this year’s event.
Posting their $200 entry fees, the $5,000 added double elimination One Pocket division drew 48 players. Played on Diamond tables and racing to three, the finals would be one extended race to four. After the players auction and draw, the matches began.
With twelve players receiving a first round bye, Josh Roberts and Can Salim were not so fortunate. Josh survived that match 3-1 and went on to defeat Asad Khan 3-0, Justin Hall 3-1 and Brandon Shuff 3-2. On a similar path, John Morra had wins over Francesco Candela 3-1, Larry Pierce 3-2, Hunter White 3-1 and Corey Sykes 3-0. Then, in a hard fought match to reach the hot seat, Morra prevailed over Roberts 3-2.
Meanwhile, in the other portion of the bracket, Alex Pagulayan and Tony Chohan were on the march to the hot seat. After drawing a first round bye, Alex defeated Carlo Biado 3-2, Tony Pete 3-0 and Shane Wolford 3-1. Tony was the victor over Jesse Gilbert 3-2 and then skunked Robbie House 3-0, Brady Norris 3-0 and Omar Al Shaheen 3-0. He then received his own 3-0 thumping by Alex!
The hot seat match was all Pagulayan as he beat back Morra – also 3-0. John headed west and Alex moved to the finals.
Morra watched as Chohan edged out Biado 3-2 only to be relegated to third place 3-0. Looking for revenge, Tony went to the finals.
Still on a tear, Tony sliced through Alex in under an hour winning four games straight to claim the title. Congratulations, Tony! Good tournament, Alex!
Johann Chua and Bader Al Awadhi
The $10,000 added Nine Ball Open began on Friday night following the players auction and draw. Ninety six players posted their $150 entry fees to play. The format was alternate breaks, rack your own with the nine on the spot and the two in the back, no soft breaks and races to 9/7.
Racing across the top half of the bracket was Johann Chua and Chia-Chen Hsieh. Playing to get to the hot seat match, Chua spanked Hsieh 9-1. The bottom portion of the bracket saw Bader Alawadhi win over John Morra 9-5.
Hot seat action again was all Chua as he locked up his seat in the finals 9-1. Bader went to the one loss side to await an opponent. Morra defeated Roberts 7-5 and then was eliminated by the same score leaving John with another third place finish.
The finals were one extended race to thirteen. Chua rocketed out to a 7-1 lead until Alawadhi caught a gear and tied the match at eight games each! Johann finally won the next two games to reach 10-8. Bader fought back to win a couple more until his opponent pulled away to win the match 13-10. Congratulations, Johann! Good shooting, Bader!
PoolActionTV.com would like to thank Richard Kuntz and his staff for another fantastic event.
We’d also like to thank Tournament Director Jason Hill and our commentators Larry Schwartz, Jeremy Jones, Alex Pagulayan, Josh Roberts, Mary Kenniston and Ray Hansen for an excellent job.
In addition, we’d like to thank our fans and sponsors. Our sponsors include JB Cases, Hanshew Jump Cues, Diamond Billiard Products, Lomax Custom Cues, Simonis, Aramith, Durbin Custom Cues, Savage Billiard Apparel, Fort Worth Billiards Superstore of Fort Worth, TX and the Action Palace of Dayton, OH.
Our next event is the 4th Annual $7,500 added Big Boi Classic at Peyton’s Place in Knoxville, TN. The dates are November 18th-20th – hope to see you there!
Brown goes undefeated to win $1,500-added Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball event
Jason Brown
Junior National Champion Tate wins nine on the loss side to finish as runner-up
When Jason Brown (known as Jaybird) finished in the tie for 7th place at a March 2004 stop on the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour, and entered the AZBilliards database for the first time, the player he faced in the finals of the August 25-26 stop on the 2018 Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour hadn’t been born yet. Brown went undefeated through a field of 82, on-hand for the $1,500-added event, hosted by Steakhorse Restaurant & Billiards in Spartanburg, SC. His opponent in the finals was 13-year-old, two-time BEF Junior National Champion, and member of this year’s Atlantic Cup Challenge team, Joey Tate, who’d lost a match in the third round of play and won nine on the loss side to earn a shot against him in the finals. Tate was one of six juniors who competed in the event.
As Tate was toiling away on the loss side, Brown advanced to a winners’ side semifinal against Marcio Smith. Trey Frank and Tyler Mayfield squared off in the other winners’ side semifinal. Brown got into the hot seat match with an 11-3 victory over Smith, and was joined by Frank, who’d sent Mayfield to the loss side 6-4. Brown claimed the hot seat 11-3 over Frank, and waited on the return of the reigning 14 & Under Junior National Champion.
Tate, in the meantime, was mowing ‘em down on the loss side. Four matches into his loss-side winning streak, he defeated Scott Roberts, and then, Jeff Jordan, both 6-3, to draw Smith. Mayfield picked up Jeff Jordan’s brother, Randy, who’d recently defeated Dustin Brown and Matt Lucas, both 10-1.
Tate and Smith battled to double hill before Tate advanced to the quarterfinals (6-6; Smith racing to 7). He was joined by Randy Jordan, who’d eliminated Mayfield 10-3. Tate had allowed Randy’s brother, Jeff, three racks in their earlier matchup, but shut brother Randy out to advance to the semifinals.
In a straight-up race to 6 in those semifinals, Tate completed his loss-side run 6-2 for a shot at Brown in the hot seat. Tate would have needed to defeat Brown twice in the finals to claim the title, but Brown completed his undefeated run with an 11-4 victory over Tate, who presumably went home to prepare for school the next morning.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked Dayne Miller and his staff at Steakhorse Billiards for their hospitality, along with title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZ Billiards and Professor Q-Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (Sept. 1-2), will be a $500-added event, hosted by Speak Eazy Billiards in Sanford, NC.
Smith Lights Up Space City Open VI
Danny Smith
Danny “The Shredder” Smith captured his first-ever Space City Open 9-Ball title, plowing through an 83-player field, undefeated, besting Roberto “Superman” Gomez in the first set of the true double elimination final, 9-3. Josh Roberts went undefeated in the 40-player, one pocket division, ousting John Morra in the first set, 3-2, taking home his first Space City Open One Pocket title. Jeremy “Double J” Jones went undefeated in the 9-ball banks division, taking down Tommy Tokoph in the first set, 3-2, earning himself a whopping fourth, banks division title. Wrapping up four long days of match play, the ladies 9-ball concluded on Sunday, with Gail “Virginia Slim” Eaton defeating Ming “The Empress” Ng, to capture her second, Space City Open title.
In its sixth year, the four-day, four-division, $6,000 added Space City Open VI (SCO) was held at Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar in Houston, Texas, November 30th – December 3rd, 2017, featuring top players from across America. This year’s line-up featured a cast of new talent, including Danny Smith, Roberto Gomez, John Morra, Jason Brown, and Kelly Isaac, along with numerous others. Admission was free, and fans enjoyed four days of top-notch pool, provided by world-class players.
In the 9-ball division, Danny Smith obliterated the field with wins over Marlin Griffith, 9-4, J.C. Torres, 9-3, Jeremy Jones, 9-7, and Alex Calderone, 9-4, while Jason “Jaybird” Brown took down Taylor Hobbs, 9-8, Curt Sheldon, Josh Roberts, 9-8, and James Davis, Jr., 9-2. Two-time Space City Open 9-Ball Champion, Charlie “Hillbilly” Bryant, made his way to the final four with victories over Mike Wilson, 9-2, David Twitty, 9-6, Kevin Guimond, 9-0, and Cesar Arechiga, 9-2, while Roberto “Superman” Gomez overcame Kenneth Price, 9-6, Randy Nickerson, 9-3, Chase Rudder, 9-5, and John Morra, 9-2. On the one loss side, Tommy Tokoph took out Roberts, 7-3, and Jones eliminated former pro C.J. Wiley, 7-1, while Yovani Salvia ousted Rudder, 7-4, and Jeff Chauncey destroyed Guimond, 7-1. Back on the east side, Gomez bested Bryant, 9-6, while Smith overwhelmed Brown, 9-4. Smith ran away with the hot seat match, defeating Gomez, 9-2. The one loss side witnessed Morra overpower Tokoph, 7-1, and Jones handily defeat Arechiga, 7-0. Davis, Jr. ended Rudder, 7-6, while Guimond dusted off Calderone, 7-4. Morra went on to eliminate Jones, 7-4, and Brown, 7-1, while Guimond overcame Davis, Jr., 7-3. Bryant squeezed by Guimond, 7-6, rounding out the final four players in the division. Morra was on a role, taking out Bryant, 7-2, to win his fourth match on the one loss side. He was stopped short by Gomez, 7-1, finishing in a respectable, third place. Gomez earned himself a rematch with Smith, and “The Shredder” was ready. With his spot-on break, it was a short-lived set for Gomez, much like the first. Smith shot out of the gate and never looked back, capturing the first set, 9-3, and his first, Space City Open 9-Ball title.
[photo id=48363|align=right]Last year, Josh Roberts finished runner-up in the one pocket division, but this year he came out on top. Roberts ran through a 40-player field, undefeated, booking wins over Jim McCary, Adam Cooper, and Ted Reeves, 3-1, while John Morra overcame Gabe Owen, Marvin Diaz, 3-0, and Sylver Ochoa, 3-1. Houston’s Ernesto Bayaua made his way to the final four with wins over Cliff Joyner, Dallas’ Gerardo Perez, 3-0, and Roberto Gomez, 3-1, while Justin Whitehead overwhelmed Curt Sheldon, 3-0, Corey Flud, 3-0, and Kent Berthelot, 3-1. On the one loss side, Davis, Jr. eliminated Ochoa, 3-1, Brown defeated Reeves, 3-0, and Diaz ended Berthelot, 3-1. Following an early hit at the hands of Roberts, Jeremy Jones won four matches, including victories over Jeff Bramblet, 3-0, Jeff Chauncey, 3-1, and Gomez, 3-1. As the final eight took shape, winners’ side matches witnessed Roberts edge out Morra, 3-2, and Whitehead dust off Bayaua, 3-1. Roberts wasted little time with Whitehead, capturing the hot seat, 3-0. Back on the west side, Brown denied Ochoa, 3-0, and Bayaua, 3-2, while Jones squeezed by Diaz, 3-2, falling in turn to Morra, by the same score. Morra made quick work of Whitehead, 3-0, moving on to Roberts, and the finals. In the first set, players were neck and neck. Tied at two a piece, an unforced error by Morra sealed his fate, and Roberts ended the set to secure his first, Space City Open One Pocket title.
Kicking off the four-day, billiard extravaganza, was the 26-player, 9-ball banks division, witnessing former Mosconi Cup MVP and former U.S. Open Champion, Jeremy Jones, capture his fourth Space City Open Banks title. Jones blazed a path through Kent Berthelot, 3-0, Gail Eaton, 3-0, and Roberto Gomez, 3-1, while Tommy Tokoph handled Ricki Casper, 3-0, former U.S. Open runner-up, Tan Hoa, 3-2, and Scotty Evans, 3-1. Former U.S. Open Champion, Gabe Owen, checked off Alfred Flores, 3-0, Richie Richeson, 3-0, and Jason “Jaybird” Brown, 3-1, while Cliff Joyner overwhelmed Beaumont’s Carl Honey, 3-0, Will Felder, 3-1, and Alan Myers, 3-1. On the one loss side, John Morra took out Berthelot, while Roberto Gomez ousted James Davis, Jr., 3-1. Canadian Alex Olinger ended Alan Myers, 3-2, while Josh Roberts handled Jason Brown, 3-1. Down to the final eight, on the east side, Jones defeated Tokoph, 3-1, and Owen slid by Joyner, 3-1. In a speedy, hot seat match, Jones crushed Owen, 3-0. Back on the west side, Gomez eliminated Morra, but fell to Joyner, 3-1, while Roberts took out Myers, 3-0, falling to Tokoph in the next round, 3-0. Tokoph was on the war path, sending home Joyner, 3-2, and Owen, 3-2, reaching Jones, and the finals. Players teed off, both keeping pace as the set progressed. Tied at two a piece, Jones inched ahead in the final game, closing out the set to defend his 2016 title and secure his fourth banks title.
[photo id=48362|align=right]Wrapping up Space City, 24 women battled it out on Sunday for over $2,400 in cash in the ladies 9-ball division. Gail “Virginia Slim” Eaton came out firing, ousting Terry “The Terrorizer” Petrosino, Calaia Jackson, 7-1, and Toledo’s Kelly Isaac, 7-6, whiLe Ming “The Empress” Ng made her way to the final four with wins over Cindy Ferry, Nayla Hoak, and Joyce Davis. Angleton’s Brandi Booth came out firing, securing victories over Ricki Casper, 7-3, and Robyn Petrosino, 7-6, while Teresa “The Princess of Pool” Garland took down Alicia Huff, 7-5, and Yvonne Asher, 7-1. On the west side, Isaac eliminated Denton’s Amy Jones, 5-2, and T. Petrosino reined in Davis, 5-3. Natalie Mans squeezed by Asher, 5-4, and R. Petrosino extinguished Yvonne Ramirez, 5-2. Down to the final eight, east side action saw Isaac eliminate T. Petrosino, 5-3, and Garland, 5-4, while Mans dusted off R. Petrosino, 5-1, in turn, falling to Ng, by the same score. Ng went on to eliminate Isaac, 5-4, and Booth, 5-1, earning herself a rematch with Eaton. In the first set of the true, double elimination final, Ng served Eaton her first loss, 7-6, and the finals ventured into overtime. Players displayed poise and composure in the late hour, but only one player could wear the crown. Players fought for every game, but it was Eaton who pulled ahead to end the second set, 5-3, capturing her second, Space City Open 9-ball title.
The Space City Open extends a heartfelt “thank you” to everyone who supported this event; Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar, along with owners David and Shannon Richardson, the entire Bogies’ staff, assistant tournament director, John Newsome, Simplified Electronics, APA of North Harris County, Gulf War Veteran Mike McDonald, Ozone Billiards, and Outsville Billiards. “Special Supporters” of this event included Mark Stubbs, Glen Benton, Ted Reeves, Adam Cooper, Richard Holstein, Richard “Black Diamond” Stuart, and Art Politte. This year’s event featured booths by Jerry Olivier Cues and Cue Repair, Joe Salazar Connoisseur of Custom Cues, Champions Cues, Bryant Billiards, and Q-Xtender.com.
Space City Open VII is set for December 6th-9th, 2018. For sponsorship information, please contact Kim Newsome at 713.825.1411, or email lonestartour@gmail.com.
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.
Appleton goes undefeated to take SBE One Pocket event
Darren Appleton
This year's One Pocket tournament at the Super Billiards Expo was absent quite a few of the marquee names that were on-hand for the 2015 tournament. No Dennis Orcollo this year, or Corey Deuel, or Skyler Woodward. No defending champion Jason Brown, either. The event did feature Darren Appleton, Warren Kiamco and a short list of other known names, like Billy Thorpe, Jorge Rodriguez, and Bob Jewett. It came down to Appleton and Tom Zippler. Appleton going undefeated to win it, Zippler going three on the loss side, and two more among the final eight to challenge Appleton in the finals. The event, held on the weekend of April 14-17, drew 32 entrants to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA.
Appleton got by Billy Thorpe in the opening round, and following victories over Illir Jaho and Dan Milligan, moved among the final four on the winners' side and into the single elimination phase. Joining him in the opening round of this phase was Russell Parsons. Jewett and Vincent Cimarelli squared off in the other winners' side quarterfinal.
In the loss side quarterfinals, Kiamco facEd Martin Ciccia. Zippler, who'd been sent to the left bracket by Kiamco, got by Ed Polumbo, Steve Fleming and Derek Schwager, to draw Joseph Sellechia in the other loss-side quarterfinal.
On the winners' side, Appleton downed Parsons 5-1, earning him a semifinal match against Cimarelli, who'd eliminated Jewett 5-3. On the loss side, Ciccia picked up a forfeit win, when Kiamco was forced to make a decision between One Pocket or the 10-Ball tournament. Zippler, in the meantime, defeated Sellechia 5-1. Appleton defeated Cimarelli 5-2, for a finals date with Zippler, who'd eliminated Ciccia 5-3.
Appleton completed his undefeated run. He closed it out with a 5-1 victory over Zippler in the final to claim the 2015 Diamond Open One Pocket Professional Championship title.
The Rocket takes down The Lion in Mosconi Cup-qualifying Don Coates Memorial
Rodney Morris
In one of the most star-studded events of the year, "Rocket" Rodney Morris came from the loss side to meet and defeat Alex "The Lion" Pagulayan in the finals of the 1st Don Coates Memorial, held on the weekend of April 8-10 in Raleigh, NC. Held in conjunction with a $2,000-added One Pocket event, which finished up on Friday, April 8 (see separate story), the Mosconi Cup-qualifying, $8,000-added 9-Ball event drew 128 of the country's top competitors to Brass Tap Billiards in Raleigh.
By the time Morris and Pagulayan met in the finals, somewhere in the vicinity of 4 a.m, on Monday, April 11, a lot of names that one might have considered to be favorites in the field had already been eliminated, including three former US Open 9-Ball Champions. Gone were Shane Van Boening, Johnny Archer, Stevie Moore, and Mike Delawder, all finishing in the tie for the 17th place. Joining them were Taylor Anderson, Brad Shearer, Keith Bennett, and cue-maker Daniel Heidrich. The tie for 13th place was shared by Tommy Kennedy, Josh Roberts, Jason Brown and Shannon Fitch. Another measure of the event's field strength could be found in the players who failed to 'cash' in the event, including, though not necessarily limited to, Jeremy Sossei, Brandon Shuff, Shaun Wilkie, Hunter Lombardo, Tony Chohan and Robb Saez.
Meanwhile, Pagulayan advanced to a winners' side semifinal against Mike Dechaine. In the other winners' side semifinal, Shane McMinn faced Justin Bergman, who had just sent Morris on his loss-side journey. Pagulayan sent Dechaine over 9-3, while McMinn was busy sending Bergman to the left bracket 9-4, no doubt prompting fans of players in the Midwest to cheer for one of their own. Pagulayan silenced that crowd with a 9-3 victory over McMinn that left Pagulayan in the hot seat.
On the loss side, Dechaine picked up Morris, two matches into his loss-side journey, that saw him defeat Jason Klatt 9-6 and Mike Davis 9-5. Bergman drew Corey Deuel, who'd sent Norris Brady (9-5) and John Morra (9-4) home. It could be argued that any of the matches played at this juncture and beyond featured potential finalists in the event. As it turned out, Morris downed Dechaine 9-6 to earn a quarterfinal matchup versus Deuel, who'd eliminated Bergman 9-3.
Morris downed Deuel 9-5 in those quarterfinals and finished up his loss-side campaign with a commanding 9-2 win over McMinn in the semifinals. The race-to-13 final match was a predictable close battle that came within a game of double hill. Morris closed it out at 13-11 to claim the Don Coates Memorial title.
The event's tour director, David Brown, thanked Brass Tap and Billiards' owner, Tony Coates (son to Don Coates, who passed away last fall and in whose name the event was held). Brown also acknowledged sponsor Beasley Custom Cues, Ray Hansen's PoolActionTV crew for their live-streaming efforts, and Joe Blackburn, for his on-site cue repair work.
As with the previous report on the One Pocket event, this report was compiled thanks to the assistance of Herman Parker, tour director of the Q City 9-Ball Tour, and his wife, Angela, both of whom competed in the event; Angela was the One Pocket tournament's only female.
Pagulayan downs Bergman twice to go undefeated at Don Coates Memorial One Pocket event
Alex Pagulayan
It took five hours to play the match that decided the $2,000-added Don Coates Memorial One Pocket event, held from Wednesday, April 6 to Friday, April 8. Alex Pagulayan defeated Justin Bergman twice, including that final match, to finish undefeated in the event that drew 41 entrants to Brass Tap & Billiards in Raleigh, NC.
The One Pocket event, combined with an $8,000-added, Mosconi Cup-qualifying, Open 9-Ball event that began on Friday, drew the top names in the business, including Pagulayan and Bergman. Also on-hand as the field narrowed to its final 12 were Shane Van Boening, Corey Deuel, Josh Roberts, and Brandon Shuff.
Pagulayan and Bergman advanced to their first meeting following their appearance in the two winners' side semifinals; Pagulayan versus Deuel and Bergman against Brian White. Racing to 3, both of the semifinals went double hill, with Pagulayan and Bergman advancing to the hot seat match. A third double hill match (of eight among the final 14 matches) ensued with Bergman moving to the loss side for the semifinals.
On the loss side, Deuel and White ran into Tony Chohan and Jason Brown, respectively. Chohan had ended Brandon Shuff and Ron Park's day, both 3-1, to reach Deuel. Brown had shut out Jeff Abernathy, and survived a double hill match against Josh Roberts (who'd just eliminated Van Boening, double hill) to draw White. Advancement to the quarterfinals entailed two more double hill matches, which advanced White and Deuel.
White took the quarterfinal match 3-1 over Deuel, but was then himself eliminated 3-1, by Bergman in the semifinals. In the five-hour, race-to-5 final, Bergman took a commanding lead, and was on the hill at 4-1. The Lion came back to win four straight and claim the first Don Coates Memorial One Pocket title.
The event's tour director, David Brown, thanked Brass Tap and Billiards' owner, Tony Coates (son to Don Coates, who passed away last fall and in whose name the event is being held. Brown also acknowledged sponsor Beasley Custom Cues, as well as Ray Hansen's PoolActionTV crew for their live-streaming efforts, and Joe Blackburn, for his on-site cue repair work.
The author gratefully acknowledges the support of and information exchange with Herman Parker, Tour Director of the Q City 9-Ball Tour, without whom this report would not have been possible. Parker will participate in the 9-Ball event. His wife, Angela, who went two-and-through, was the only woman to enter the One Pocket event. She had the misfortune of drawing Bergman in her opening round, and after moving to the loss side, was defeated in her next match by Randy Hatten.
Down by the bayou, The Lion claims One-Pocket title
Alex Pagulayan
Alex Pagulayan and Scott Frost worked their way through a star-studded field of 16; a “who’s who?” in the game of One Pocket. On the weekend of May 21-24, they played twice at the end, and Pagulayan won them both. The $4,000-added Professional One Pocket event was hosted by Buffalo Billiards, in Metarie, Louisiana and live-streamed by PoolActionTV.
It was a six-match march to the championship, through a veritable minefield of top-notch, One- Pocket talent. Pagalayun opened up with wins over Joey Gray and Jason Brown to draw Justin Bergman in a winners’ side semifinal. Frost, in the meantime, got by Chip Compton and Mika Immonen to pick up Jeremy Jones. Pagulayan and Frost sent Bergman and Jones to the loss side and squared off to battle for the hot seat. Pagulayan prevailed and Frost moved into the semifinals.
Bergman and Jones moved to the loss side and picked up Tony Chohan and Justin Hall. Chohan was in the midst of a four-match winning streak that had eliminated Gray, Danny Smith and Cliff Joyner, and now, added Bergman. Hall got to Jones through Corey Deuel and Josh Roberts, before Jones defeated him to join Chohan in the quarterfinals.
Jones took the quarterfinal over Chohan, but had his three-match jaunt on the loss side stopped by Frost in an epic eight hour match. Pagulayan dominated the final, double elimination match against Frost in a single set to claim the title 5-1.