The G Cue Billiard Store Diamond Pool Tour held their second stop of the season at Skip & Jan’s in Gilbert on June 17th – 18th, where they once again crowned a new winner in the amateur division, and a returning champion in the open division. 

 

The amateur division kicked off on Saturday with 36 players and a new group of favorites at the top of the list. With tour stop one winner Max Maurer over the 625 Fargo limit, early favorites in this  event included Rick Armbrust (619), Lee Brown (619), Ken Laney (618) and Mike Hamman (616). As a testament to the handicapped format of the event, only Armbrust would finish in the money.

 

Saturday play whittled the field down to the final eight players in the money, with Bob Mizer set to face Scott Vogelsburg (looking for his second big win in as many weeks) and Rick Armbrust set to face Nick Cipiti. The one loss side came down to Steve Stowers vs Wes Sowers and Randy Reid vs Jesse Johnson. 

 

As play began on Sunday, Vogelsberg beat Mizer 8-2 in an even 8-8 race, and Armbrust beat Cipiti 9-6 in a 9-8 race. 

 

On the left side of the board, Steve Stowers eliminated Wes Sowers 8-5 in an 8-7 race, while Randy Reid upset Jesse Johnson 6-2 in a 6-8 race. Stowers would then eliminate Mizer in a hill-hill match 8-6, and Cipiti bounced back from his earlier loss to send Reid to the seats with an 8-2 scoreline. Cipiti would soon be joining Reid in the seats, as Stowers scored a hill-hill win to eliminate Cipiti in 4th place. Due to the Father’s Day holiday, Vogelsberg forfeited his semi-final match against Stowers and the race to 9 final match was underway. 

 

The final match came down to hill-hill, before Armbrust dropped the final 9-ball for the 9-8 win and first place. 

 

Sunday’s Open event drew a talented field of 25 players that included Hungary’s Vilmos Foldes, Mitch Ellerman, Stop 1 winner Gus Briseno, Bobby Emmons and New Mexico’s Tommy Tokoph to name just a few. 

 

On one side of the winner’s bracket, Foldes was on a tear. He defeated Carl Stewart, Ben Hrabina and Brian Long by a combined score of 30-2. On the other side of the winner’s bracket, it was Bobby Emmons making noise. Emmons defeated Tracie Hamman, Eric Young and then Mitch Ellerman in a hill-hill match.

 

Ellerman took the trip to the one loss side, where he then dropped a hill-hill match to Eric Young to finish in 4th place. 

 

Back on the winner’s side, Emmons was playing like he didn’t have a care in the world and sent Foldes to the one loss side 7-3 (in a 7-10 match).

 

Foldes was ready for round two with Emmons though, as he then eliminated Young in a hill-hill 10-4 match. 

 

Just to prove that the first time was no fluke, Emmons defeated Foldes in the first set of the finals by the same 7-3 scoreline. 

 

The tour will next head out to Tucson on the 15th and 16th of July for two events on the 9’ tables at Pockets.

 

The G Cue Billiard Store Diamond Pool Tour is proudly sponsored by…

 

G Cue Billiard Store

Diamond Billiards

Casino Del Sol

Aramith Billiard Balls

Iwan Simonis Cloth

JB Cases

Hanshew Custom Cues

Kumui Billiard Products

Slikster Apparel

Your Way Logistics

Big Time Threads

 

Marc Garza blazed through 42 open 8-ball players this past Saturday, November 1st, 2015, at the PxP Tour Finale held at Bogies Billiards & Sports Bar in Houston, Texas.  Seasoned player and tour newcomer Garza took no prisoners as he forged ahead to victory and a piece of the almost $3,000 purse. The PxP Tour is title sponsored by Poison by Predator cues, www.poisonbilliards.com, along with other sponsors Delta-13, www.delta-13.com, as the official rack, and the APA of North Harris County, www.facebook.com/apanorthharriscounty.

 

Action commenced around 2pm with top notch players battling their way towards the finish line.  Winding down on the winners’ side, “The Machine” Eugene Browning bested Chase Rudder 4-0, and newcomer Steven Wyatt fell to Darryl Amos, 4-0. Dallas’ “Little Al” Al Mason lost to Garza, 4-1, while Ken Laney sent T.J Ortiz to the loser’s side, 4-3.  Browning bested Amos, 4-0, while Garza sent Laney west, 4-1. After losing to Amos in the third round on the winners’ side, 4-1, Danny Lee won an impressive 6 consecutive matches, reigning over John Winter, 4-0, Jose Irizarry, 4-2, Al Mason, 4-1, Amos and Ortiz, by the same score of 4-0. A similar upset in the same round included T.J. Ortiz over John Newsome, 4-1, with Newsome returning to claim 5 consecutive match wins over Will Felder and Ryan Holley, 4-0 each set, Chase Rudder, 4-3, Brian Rosenbaum, 4-1, and Laney, 4-0. Browning and Garza teed off for the hot seat while Lee and Newsome faced off on the one loss side Garza defeated Browning, 4-2, and Lee eliminated Newsome, 4-1. In the finals, Garza squeezed by Lee in the first set, 4-3.

 

Once again, the PxP Tour would like to recognize the best in the business: Poison by Predator Cues, Delta-13 Rack, and the APA of North Harris County. The tour would like to acknowledge all of its Press Partners who strive to bring billiard news to the world. A big, Texas “thank you” to Rack Em Magazine’s Don and Mary Akerlow for printing the stories that players love to read, collect, and cherish. Press Partners, event details, and information on the upcoming 2015 season can all be found at www.PxPTour.com. “Like” us at Facebook/pxptour.