(l to r): Bobby Martin (owner), Tommy Kennedy, Stephen Richmond, Rick Martin (owner)
Tommy Kennedy went undefeated through an extraordinarily short field of 10 entrants who competed in the J. Pechauer SE Open 9-Ball Tour’s $1,000-added Bob and Brad Martin Memorial Tournament held on Labor Day weekend, August 31-September 1 at The Miscue Lounge in Fort Myers, FL.
“We had a small turnout,” said Kennedy in a Facebook post, “but not a lack of talent.”
Kennedy battled twice against Stephen Richmond to claim the title. Kennedy had sent Eric Huddleston to the loss side 9-3 in one winners’ side semifinal, as Richmond was sending Willie McBride west in the other one. In their first of two, they battled to double hill before Kennedy prevailed to claim the hot seat.
On the loss side, Huddleston drew and defeated Eric Gouder 7-3 and advanced to the quarterfinals. He was joined by McBride, who had picked up Keith Lennox and sent him home 7-4.
McBride took the quarterfinal match 7-4 over Huddleston and had his brief loss-side trip halted by Richmond 7-4 in the semifinals.
The race was extended to 11 for the finals rematch. Kennedy completed his undefeated run with an 11-6 victory to claim the event title.
Kennedy thanked Bobby and Rick Martin, co-owners of the Miscue Lounge for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor J. Pechauer Cues, Simonis Cloth, Mueller Recreational Products and tournamentsnearme.com. The next stop on the J. Pechauer Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for the weekend of September 21-22, will be hosted by Mr. Cues II in Atlanta, GA.
(l to r) Amateur winners Bill Bloom, Miscue Lounge Owner Ricky Martin & Che Mvros
Boom goes undefeated to capture Amateur title
On Saturday, August 19, Tommy Kennedy, tour director of the J. Pechauer Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour, chalked up his second straight victory on the tour. Following his victory a week earlier at Uncle Waldo's Billiards in Daytona Beach, in which he followed a hot seat loss with a finals victory, Kennedy and the tour visited the Miscue Lounge in Fort Myers and repeated that process in the Bob and Brad Martin Memorial Tournament. Stephen Richmond sent him to the semifinals in this most recent, $600-added event that drew a short field of 14 entrants, but Kennedy came back to win a decisive victory in the finals.
In a $400-added Amateur event that drew 34 entrants on Sunday, August 20, Bill Bloom downed separate opponents in the hot seat (Antti Matilla) and finals (Che Mrvos) to claim the amateur title.
Kennedy's path in the Open event went through Randy Epperson in a winners' side semifinal, as Richmond battled Keith Lennox. Kennedy got into the hot seat match with a 9-4 win over Epperson and was joined by Richmond, who'd sent Lennox over 9-5. Richmond claimed the hot seat and his last win of the event 9-4 over Kennedy and waited on his return.
On the loss side, Epperson picked up Antti Matilla, who'd gotten by Anthony G. and John Deek to reach him. Lennox drew Glenn Olson, who'd defeated James R. and Jimmy Clay. Lennox locked up in a double hill fight that he eventually won against Olson, and in the quarterfinals, met up with Epperson, who'd eliminated Matilla 7-2.
Epperson downed Lennox 7-3 in those quarterfinals, but was defeated, same score, by Kennedy in the semifinals. Kennedy got his second shot at Richmond and took full advantage, downing him 11-4 in the finals to claim his second straight SE Open 9-Ball title.
In the Amateur event, Bill Bloom advanced to the hot seat match with a double hill win over Chris Hall in one winners' side semifinal, while Antti Matilla defeated Billy McBride 6-4 to join him. Bloom claimed the hot seat 6-4.
On the loss side, Hall picked up Trey Jankowski, who'd just defeated Eddie Green 4-1 in the event's first money round. McBride drew Che Mrvos, who'd eliminated Eric Huddleston 4-1.
Jankowski and Mrvos advanced to the quarterfinals over Hall and McBride, by the same 4-1 score. A double hill battle in those quarterfinals advanced Mrvos to the semifinals, where he defeated Matilla 4-1 for a shot at Bloom in the hot seat. Bloom completed his undefeated run with a 9-5 victory over Mrvos in the finals.
Kennedy, as tour director, thanked the ownership and staff at Miscue Lounge, as well as title sponsor J. Pechauer Custom Cues, Mueller Recreational Products, Simonis Cloth, Billiard Buzz, and Chris and Israel Hightower (Cue Man Billiard Products).
