The Tiger Florida Tour kicked off the 2020 season at Brewlands Billiards South in Lakeland, Florida, with 30 players turning out and where Jeannie Seaver took top honors, in more ways than one!
This event drew tough competition from out of state including US Amateur Champion Lisa Cossette, Marianne Merrill and Kelly Nickl, as well as several strong local players and newcomers. The tournament could have been won by any one of at least a dozen different players – the competition was that tough! In the end, and to no one’s surprise, Seaver won Tour Stop #1, and is four-for-four on the Tiger Florida Tour!
The women played a modified double-elimination format. The final four from the one-loss side drew back into the final four from the winners’ side, onto a single-elimination Final Board, race to seven. Early upsets saw top TFT players Stephanie Mitchell and Michell Monk, also a former US Amateur Champion; Sonya Chbeeb and Debbie Teichert leave the tournament early.
Caukin played flawlessly all day, and showed everyone that she came to win – with a surprise 7-3 win over Seaver early in the day. Caukin, Carrie Vetrono, Jessica Human and Lisa Cossette reached the Final Board undefeated. Nicolle Cuellar, Shanelle Loraine, Seaver and newcomer Christina Moxley reached the Final Board from the one-loss side. In the first round of the Final Board, Cuellar knocked out Vetrono; Moxley lost to Human, Caukin ended the day for Loraine, who shot lights out all day in one of her best events; and Cossette was stopped by Seaver.
In the semi-finals, Caukin defeated Cuellar 7-4; Human lost to Seaver 7-2, leaving Caukin versus Seaver in a rematch that Seaver took in Seaver-style 7-4. In addition to winning Tour Stop #1, Seaver’s top-line play, winning three of five events in 2019, also earned her the 2019 Tiger Florida Tour Champion title once again. Seaver’s win also earned her the paid entry to the Super Billiards Expo Women’s Pro 9-Ball tournament.
Three paid entries to the Super Billiards Expo Women’s Amateur 9-Ball event, courtesy of Janis Sessions and the Florida Coastal Ladies Tour, were won by Cossette, Loraine and Moxley.
Thanks to all 30 players who came out to the TFT event! Thanks to room owners Larry Walthall and Mike Dauskart for hosting our event again this year and their continued support of the TFT – and for going non-smoking!
Thanks to Randi Allen, Director of Marketing & Events and staff for helping with the arrangements and making sure our event went off smoothly. Also, thanks to our title sponsor Tiger Products for their continued support of the tour/players; thanks also to Boynton Billiards, Great Lakes Billiards, AZ Billiards and Simonis Cloth for their continued support! And thanks again to Janis Sessions and the Ladies Coastal Florida Tour for sponsoring the amateur entries at the SBE, and thank you to Nicolle Cuellar, Stitch It To Me, for the embroidery on the TFT Member shirts. Some of the matches can been seen on the Tiger Florida Tour Facebook page.
Laura Bendikas, Bonnie Arnold, Pamela Kelly and Barb Arndt
Supporters of the North Central Pool Tour (NCPT) gathered at Romine’s High Pockets in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this past weekend for the tour’s 9th stop of the year. The tournament attracted 18 of the top women players from the region.
Bonnie Arnold, a local favorite, rolled through the bracket undefeated. She sent Sally Steinbach (7-4), Cindy Sherrod (6-2), and Amy Rice (6-4) all to the B side. For the tournament win, Arnold ended up facing Pamela Kelly, another local powerhouse player. Kelly had sent her fair share of players to the one-loss side, too, including Jeanne Cyganiak (7-2), Kelly Nickl (6-3), and Laura Bendikas (6-1). But Kelly came up short in a hill-hill battle against Arnold.
The complete bracket and final standings are available at challonge.com. Players who cashed were:
The NCPT will return to Romine’s next month for the last tour stop of the year. The 10th stop is a qualifier for the U.S. Open being held in Las Vegas in April 2020! The event is limited to the first 32 players who pay their entry fee. In addition to the cash payout, the winner receives a paid entry to the U.S. Open worth $1,000. For more details, visit NCPTplay.com.
Red Shoes Billiards in Alsip, Illinois, is known for hosting quality pool tournaments. The weekend of August 24 was no exception. The seventh stop of the year for the North Central Pool Tour (NCPT) was a 10-ball tournament that featured some of the best women players in the region.
Jenna Bishoff, on a break from the road, posted early wins against Laura Bendikas (7-5) and Vanessa Hood (7-2). To secure the hot seat, she battled it out with Amy Latzko, winning on the hill (7-6). Before losing to Bishoff, Latzko cruised through the bracket with wins over Kelly Nickl (7-3) and Laura Semko (7-1). She would best Semko (6-2) again on her way to the finals.
In the final set, Bishoff was quickly up 4 to 0, punctuated by a break and run in game 3. Latzko finally got on the board with a win in game 5. And a 1-10-ball combination in game 8 brought her within 2 games of breaking even with Bishoff. But Bishoff took control of the match after that. She won the next 4 games in a row to finish the event with a final score of 9 to 3.
To see the full list of players and bracket, visit leaguepoolestats.com. Players in the money were:
1st Jenna Bishoff ($305)
2nd Amy Latzko ($110)
3rd Laura Semko ($40)
More NCPT events–both open and women’s–are in the works for the current year. Watch for upcoming tournament announcements at NCPTplay.com and the NCPT Facebook page.
The North Central Pool Tour (NCPT) hosted its fifth event of the year at Pyramid Sports Bar and Pizzeria on Saturday, June 29. Twenty-seven players signed up to compete in the open 10-ball tournament. By the end, the two players vying for the top spot were Scott Cohen (McHenry, IL) and Mason Koch (Menasha, WI).
Young gun Koch cruised through the A side to claim the hot seat. He downed Joe Ulanowski (7-2), Olivia Cheng (7-4), Tom Karabatsos (7-4), and Marcus Wronski (7-4) on his undefeated streak. He even sent fellow finals contestant Scott Cohen (7-4) to the one-loss side in a late-round A-side match. Undeterred, Cohen rebounded with solid wins against Donald Branson (6-3), Andrew Mackey (6-5), and Marcus Wronski (6-2) to secure a rematch against Koch.
In the final set, one race to nine, Koch started off strong. He was quickly up 2-0 on Cohen, snagging his second win with a bank on the 10. But then Koch made some uncharacteristic mistakes. Cohen closed the gap–and then some–winning the next six games in a row. Koch attempted a late-match rally with some impressive play, even making a four-rail bank shot on the 9. But the late hour may have affected his focus as he then missed two 10 balls. Cohen cleaned up the match with a 9 to 4 finish.
To watch streamed matches from this event, visit the RailbirdsTV’s YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy7rtHkZxl4&feature=share. To see a full list of players and the brackets, visit challonge.com. The final standings for the event are:
The NCPT thanks Pyramid Sports Bar and tour sponsor Eric Nelson for adding $300 to this event. A big thanks, too, to RailbirdsTV for streaming all the action. The new tour directors for the NCPT (Vanessa Hood, Laura Semko, Rho Reyes, and Laura Bendikas) are sincerely grateful to Kelly Nickl for all her work over the past 3 years. She set the groundwork for the successful continuation of this tour.
The NCPT will be hosting two ladies division events July 20 at City Pool Hall and August 24 at Red Shoes Billiards. At least one more open event is also in the works for the fall. Visit the NCPT facebook page or NCPTplay.com for more details! You can also find the NCPT on Instagram and Twitter.
Melissa Herndon, Eleanor Collado, Khanh Ngo and Veronique Menard
It’s the kind of match that spectator fans love to see. A player sends an opponent to the loss side in an early round and that opponent treks all the way back through the loss side to face that opponent in the finals. And then, it’s a double elimination final and the loss side opponent wins the first set, double hill. They battle a second time to double hill and the hot seat occupant finally wins it. So went the North American Pool Tour’s (NAPT) Division I West Coast Challenge, a 10-ball tournament, held on the long weekend of June 20-23 at Hard Times Billiards in Sacramento, CA. It was Melissa Herndon who sent Veronique Menard to the loss side in the event. Menard won seven on the loss side and defeated Herndon double hill in the opening set of the double elimination final. Herndon returned the favor, defeating Menard in the second set, double hill to claim the title. The event drew 33 entrants to Hard Time Billiards.
Herndon and Menard clashed first in the second round of play. Herndon had opened with a 7-1 victory over Samantha Hill, while Menard was busy downing Sher Ahola 7-3. Herndon took the first of their three matches 7- 4 and moved on past Bernie Store (7-3) to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal against Rachel Lang. Eleanor Callado, in the meantime, who’d almost been sent to the loss side in the opening round, survived that double hill match against Laura Bendikas and advanced to defeat Amani Ali 7-1, and shut out Kelly Nickl to arrive at the other winners’ side semifinal against Khanh Ngo.
On the loss side, it was Lang who ran into Menard, four matches into her loss side streak, which had most recently eliminated Stephanie Hefner 7-3 and Nickl 7-5. Ngo picked up Bernie Store, who, following her defeat at the hands of Herndon, had survived two straight double hill fights against Janna Sue Nelson and Sher Ahola.
Bernie Store’s third straight double hill match was not the proverbial ‘charm’ she’d hoped it would be. Ngo hung on to win the match and advance to the quarterfinals, where she was met by Menard, who’d chalked up loss-side win #5 against Lang 7-1. Menard then put an end to Ngo’s weekend with a 7-3 win in the quarterfinals and followed up with a 7-5 win over Callado in the semifinals.
It was clear from the opening set of the final that neither of these women was going to go quietly. Menard had the usual momentum boost from seven matches on the loss side and Herndon knew she only had to win one more set to go home with the top prize. Herndon arguably had more at stake than Menard did. They’d both been around competing since the turn of the century, but in recent years, Herndon had been taking time off for a job and a husband routine. For her, standing on the brink of her first major title in years, there was an “I’m back” feel to the whole process, which would have felt good no matter how the finals turned out, but winning it was clearly on her mind and in her game.
Menard took an early, short lead in the opening set, but Herndon caught up to tie things at 4-4. The ninth rack turned into a back-and-forth safety battle as they both worked at dropping the 5-ball. Menard broke through, but jumped up, shooting at the 8-ball and turned the table over to Herndon. Herndon dropped it, but scratched shooting at the 9-ball, giving Menard a ball-in-hand shot at the 10-ball and immediately thereafter, the lead.
Herndon took the 10th rack to tie things at 5-5. Menard took game 11 to reach the hill first. With a connect-the-dots finish to rack #12, Menard missed the 9-ball, allowing Herndon to finish and force a deciding rack. Menard broke and ran rack #13, claiming the first set and forcing a second.
Tension mounts in the second set of a true double elimination final like an old-fashioned Jack in the Box. Especially when it goes back and forth as this one did. The crank keeps turning, ratcheting up the tension, as you brace for that damn clown to jump out at you.
Two things were evident right from the start of the second set. No one was going to jump out to any kind of substantial lead. They were both tight and cautious, one game at a time. And they were getting a bit tired. Making mistakes; missing shots, rattling them in holes, putting each other in tough situations and alternately shooting right out of them.
They established a lead/tie pattern right from the start, with Menard taking the first rack, Herndon, the second. Back and forth to a 2-2 tie, until Herndon threatened to go out in front for the first time as she aimed at the 10-ball. She missed it, tapping the 10-ball to concede the rack and the pattern resumed, all the way to a 4-4 tie.
Herndon broke the pattern, and took her first lead, 5-4, in game #9, and with nothing byt the 9 and 10-ball to go in rack #10, she threatened to go up by two. She left herself in an awkward position shooting at the 9-ball and missed it, allowing Menard to knot things at 5-5.
Herndon misjudged a position shot in game #11 that left a 5-ball hanging in the pocket and allowed Menard to recapture the lead and reach the hill first at 6-5.
At this point, Menard was probably the only person in the room, or the extended chat world that didn’t want Herndon to tie things up at 6-6 to force a deciding game. Herndon being the strongest proponent for forcing a game #13, tried to accomplish it a little early, going for a 5-10 combo, which she rushed and missed. Menard dropped the 5-ball and with five balls down and five to go, things looked grim for Herndon.
Menard made it to a shot at the 8-ball, which she attempted to put into a side pocket. But she over-anxiously hit it way too hard and when it caromed off the rail next to the side pocket, it looked as though it had enough speed on it to reach a table in New York City. Herndon stepped to the table and promptly tied the match at 6-6.
Herndon broke the final rack, sinking the 8-ball and giving herself a decent look at the 1-ball. But like Menard, she got a little over-anxious and bounced the 1-ball off the side rail. Subsequent ball action dropped two other balls. Since the ball at which Herndon was shooting didn’t drop, 10-ball rules dictated that Menard had the option of taking over or allowing Herndon to keep shooting. Menard chose to shoot, ran to the 5-ball and rattled it in and out of the side pocket.
Herndon played safe and Menard safed her right back, but not quite good enough. Herndon made a terrific, long-table, oblique angle shot on that 5-ball that drifted it within less than an inch or two of two other balls on its way into the corner pocket. Herndon dropped the last three balls and claimed the NAPT’s West Coast Challenge title.
NAPT President Adrianne Beach thanked the ownership and staff at Hard Time Billiards, as well as Cue Sports Live and the players who made it out to play. The next Division I NAPT event, scheduled for August 15-18 will be the 4th Annual NAPT Summer Classic, to be hosted by Shooter’s Sports Bar and Billiards in Grayslake, IL.
The North American Pool Tour (NAPT) is living up to its name with their next Women’s Division I Tournament, Coupe du Quebec at Dooly’s, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, November 1-4, 2018.
With a $21,000 prize fund ( based on a full field), this double elimination tournament attracts some of the most talented women players from all over the United States and Canada. The field is limited to 64 players and consists of professionally ranked players who have received personal invitations, and players who have earned invitations through their local, Division II Tour qualifier tournaments.
Dooly’s St-Jean-sur-Richelieu is a young, handsome, bright and refined venue offering entertainment at its best with 21, 9ft billiard tables, golf simulators, dart boards, video lottery machines and VIP lounges. Visit their website at https://doolysquebec.com/st-jean-sur-richelieu/?d=st-jean-sur-richelieu
As tradition, tournament players will again participate in a pro-am charity event on Thursday evening. This is a modified single elimination, blind draw, scotch doubles with teams made up of one Division I player and one local, amateur player. Donation of $20 is required to get partnered with a Division I player. Dooly’s will choose the charity that will benefit from the funds collected.
NAPT has several confirmed upcoming Division I Pro Women’s and Open events for 2018 & 2019 season and are always looking for more dates to fill. Venues interested in hosting NAPT events should contact NAPT at office@playnapt.com.
In our effort to continue to provide quality opportunities to promote our sport, as well as provide national exposure for your business, NAPT is actively considering 2017-18 sponsorship bids for individual tour stops as well as annual tour title sponsorships. With many options available, we can accommodate every budget. We welcome representation from all industries. Please contact, Adrianne Beach (adriannebeach@playnapt.com) or Kelly Nickl (kellynickl@playnapt.com) to discuss detailed partnership options.
The North American Pool Tour (NAPT) was formed in early 2016 to provide an additional opportunity for semi-professional and professional players to participate in highly competitive billiard events across North America.
The North American Pool Tour (NAPT) is excited for their second visit to Griff’s Billiards, Las Vegas, NV as they host their second Desert Challenge, September 20-23, 2018.
This Women’s Division I (pro) double elimination tournament attracts some of the most talented women players from all over the United States and Canada. The field is limited to 64 players, many of which are professionally ranked players who have received personal invitations. Other players have earned invitations through their local, Division II Regional Tour qualifier tournaments.
As tradition, tournament players will again participate in a pro-am charity event on Thursday evening. This is a modified single elimination, blind draw, scotch doubles with teams made up of one Division I player and one local, amateur player. Donation of $20 is required to get partnered with a Division I player. Griff’s will choose the charity that will benefit from the funds collected.
Griff's Bar & Billiards, 3650 South Decatur Blvd., Las Vegas, NV (http://www.griffslv.com) features a full bar & restaurant, non-smoking with outside smoking area, free parking, 25 HD TVs, and many specials and weekly tournaments.
The NAPT has several confirmed upcoming Division I Pro Women’s and Open events for 2018 & 2019 season and are always looking for more dates to fill. Venues interested in hosting NAPT events should contact NAPT at office@playnapt.com.
There are ten, Division II Regional Tours throughout North America. These regional tours are considered ‘feeders’ for the NAPT Division I events and provide opportunities for players to reach their highest levels of competition. Visit the NAPT website (www.playnapt.com) to find a regional tour near you and to learn how to get involved.
In our effort to continue to provide quality opportunities to promote our sport, as well as provide national exposure for your business, NAPT is actively considering 2017-18 sponsorship bids for individual tour stops as well as annual tour title sponsorships. With many options available, we can accommodate every budget. We welcome representation from all industries. Please contact, Adrianne Beach (adriannebeach@playnapt.com) or Kelly Nickl (kellynickl@playnapt.com) to discuss detailed partnership options.
The North American Pool Tour (NAPT) was formed in early 2016 to provide an additional opportunity for semi-professional and professional players to participate in highly competitive billiard events across North America.
The North American Pool Tour (NAPT) is pleased to announce that Hard Times Billiards in Sacramento, CA will once again be hosting the Second Annual, NAPT Women’s Division II Championships, February 22-25.
The top 64 Division II Regional players from US and Canada will compete for cash, prizes, and bragging rights in this round robin, $5000 added, 9-ball event. The top 4 finishers will receive automatic invites to NAPT Division I Tournaments throughout 2018.
Players earned invites to this championship tournament by participating in their regional tours throughout 2017. Top point earners from each of the 10 Division II Regional Tours have been invited to compete in this marquise event.
Visit www.playnapt.com to find a regional tour map and a tour near you as they begin their 2018 season. NAPT regional tours consist of: J.Pechauer NorthEast Women’s Tour (JPNEWT), Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour (AWBT), Circuit de billard feminin du Quebec, Midwest Ladies Regional Tour (MLRT), North Central Pool Tour (NCPT), Northeast Women’s Pool Association (NWPA), OB Cues Ladies Tour (OB), Sport 9 Tour, Tiger Florida Tour, The West Coast Women’s Tour (TWCWT).
NAPT is grateful for the continued support they’ve receive from Hard Times Billiards, Sacramento, CA. Hard Times has been voted best pool room in Sacramento by KCRA, 3 years in a row, is very excited to host this Championship Tournament for the second time. The 12,000-square foot, 31 table pool room has plenty of free spectator seating in their 8-table tournament room and excellent food and drink specials.
In our effort to continue to provide quality opportunities to promote our sport, as well as provide national exposure for businesses, NAPT is actively considering 2018 sponsorship bids for individual tour stops as well as annual tour title sponsorships. With many options available, we can accommodate every budget. We welcome representation from all industries. Please contact, Adrianne Beach (adriannebeach@playnapt.com) or Kelly Nickl (kellynickl@playnapt.com) to discuss detailed partnership options.
The North American Pool Tour (NAPT) was formed in early 2016 to provide an additional opportunity for semi-professional and professional players to participate in highly competitive billiard events across North America. For more information about our Division II regional tours and Division I Pro Tournaments, please visit, www.playnapt.com.
The North American Pool Tour (NAPT) welcomes Eagle Billiards (http://eaglebilliards.com), Dickson City, PA as the latest venue to host an NAPT Division I Pro Tour Stop, Sept 28 – Oct 1, 2017. The total purse for this event is $22,400 with a full field of 64.
This Women’s Division I (pro) double elimination tournament attracts some of the most talented women players from all over the United States and Canada. The field is limited to 64 players, many of which are professionally ranked players who have received personal invitations. Other players have earned invitations through their local Division II Tour. Invitations will be sent out to players in the coming weeks. As invitations are accepted, a confirmed list of players will be posted on the NAPT website at www.playnapt.com.
As tradition, tournament players will again participate in a pro-am charity event on Thursday evening. This is a modified single elimination, blind draw, scotch doubles with teams made up of one Division I player and one amateur player. Donation of $20 is required to get partnered with a Division I player. The host venue chooses the charity and Eagle Billiards has chosen to have all proceeds benefit the Casen Boniewicz fund.
Eagle Billiards is celebrating the completion of their first year in business and has been dubbed, “the best place to gather with family and friends.” “I love Eagle so much I started teaching lessons a few times a month. A+ tables, A+ management.” James Rampe, Pool Pro, Eagle Customer & Instructor.
In our effort to continue to provide quality opportunities to promote our sport, as well as provide national exposure for your business, NAPT is actively considering 2017-18 sponsorship bids for individual tour stops as well as annual tour title sponsorships. With many options available, we can accommodate every budget. We welcome representation from all industries. Please contact, Adrianne Beach (adriannebeach@playnapt.com) or Kelly Nickl (kellynickl@playnapt.com) to discuss detailed partnership options.
The NAPT is currently scheduling tour stops for 2018, as well as Division II Championships. Venues interested in hosting NAPT events should contact Adrianne Beach at adriannebeach@playnapt.com.
The North American Pool Tour (NAPT) was formed in early 2016 to provide an additional opportunity for semi-professional and professional players to participate in highly competitive billiard events across North America.
The North American Pool Tour (NAPT) is excited to announce that the Desert Shootout will be held at Griff’s in Las Vegas, November 2-5, 2017. Griff’s is adding $5000 to the prize fund, bringing the total purse to $21,000, with a full field of 64 players.
Griff's is a classy non-smoking 8,000-square-foot pool and billiard hall with a full restaurant and bar located at 3650 South Decatur Blvd, Las Vegas, NV. Owner Mark Griffin's desire is to provide Las Vegas with a billiards room that gives pool the respect it deserves. A tasteful, sleek, modern and clean venue that's as nice as any nightclub in Vegas. Griff's offers great food, cool drinks, league play opportunities, and an inviting, upscale, non-smoking atmosphere featuring (8) 9-foot Diamond pool tables; (12) 7-foot Diamond pool tables; a 9-foot Chinese 8-Ball table; and an antique 12-foot Brunswick snooker/golf table. Raised bench seating surrounds the billiards area, offering comfortable seating for guests and providing the ability to watch sporting events on the 25 flat screen televisions from anywhere in the room. Call 702-222-1011 to find out more.
This Women’s Division I (pro) tournament attracts some of the most talented women players from all over North America. The format is double elimination, limited to 64 players.
Professionally ranked players receive personal invitations. Division II (semi-pro/regional) players earn invitations by entering Division II Regional Tour qualifier tournaments.
There are ten, Division II Regional Tours throughout North America. These regional tours are considered ‘feeders’ for the NAPT Division I events and provides an opportunity for woman players to reach their highest levels of competition. The NAPT is currently finalizing other 2017 tour stops throughout North America. For up to date tournament and membership information, and to find regional tour territories and tour director contact information, visit www.playnapt.com.
In our effort to continue to provide quality opportunities to promote our sport, as well as provide national exposure for your business, NAPT is actively considering 2017 sponsorship bids for individual tour stops as well as annual tour title sponsorships. With many options available, we can accommodate every budget. We welcome representation from all industries. Please contact, Adrianne Beach (adriannebeach@playnapt.com) or Kelly Nickl (kellynickl@playnapt.com) to discuss detailed partnership options.
The North American Pool Tour (NAPT) was formed in early 2016 to provide an additional opportunity for semi-professional and professional players to participate in highly competitive billiard events across North America.
