On the weekend of September 15-16th, 2018, thirty-seven women descended onto the great state of Texas’s capital to battle for the top prize at the Jerry Olivier’s Ladies Tour’s 4th Stop, held at Slick Willie’s on Burnett Road.  The September event in Austin is significant to the members of the JO Tour, as it is the stop where we take the time to remember one of our own, Emma Stewart Davis who, three years ago, left us unexpectedly.  We know you’re watching, Emma!

 

On hand to show his support for the women and to provide cue repair services, was renowned cue maker and tour sponsor, Jerry Olivier.  Jerry has always been a staunch supporter of women’s billiards and it was no different this weekend.    Thank you, Jerry, for all that you do!  You can check out his cues on jocues.com or talk to him about having a custom cue made!

 

At the pre-tournament player’s meeting Saturday morning, it was revealed that one of the original Hunters/OB/JO Cues Tour Board Members was resigning.  After dedicating 20+ years to the tour, Shayla Neris decided it was time to close this chapter in her life and forge on as a full-time player.  “It was just time” Shayla says, “but I’ll be back as a player and not on the board!”  We will miss her and the time and effort she has devoted to helping make this tour a success!  

 

Onto the battles… with $2000 added to the prize money, the women were ready to fight.  Saturday began with 37 but ended with 12.  On the A side, the returning Sunday matches would be Natalie Mans (Houston) vs Michelle Cortez (Austin) and Jennifer Kraber (Austin) vs Tam Trinh (Austin).  Natalie’s quest started with wins against Margaret Fox (Austin) 7-6, Tina Soto (Dallas) 7-4, Veronica “Pistol” Perez (Austin) 7-5, and Teresa Garland (Houston) 7-5.  Michelle took on the always tough opponent “Bye,” Tera Saunders (Dallas) 7-2, Gail Roles (College Station) 7-3, and Darcy Durham (Austin) 7-0.  Jennifer’s day consisted of Nicole Menitz (Austin) 7-3, Kitty Poutthaung (Dallas) 7-4, Orietta Strickland (Dallas) 7-5, and Kimberly Brown (Waco) 7-1.  Tam stacked up wins against the always tough “Bye,” Melissa Smith (Denton) 7-6, Kim Pierce (Austin) 7-5, and Belinda Lee (Houston) 7-5.  The one-loss side had 8 women returning on Sunday.  Matchups were Yvonne “The Casher” Asher (Houston) vs Kimberly Brown (Waco); Rachel Hurst (Austin) vs Belinda Lee (Houston); Kelly Isaac (Waco) vs Teresa Garland (Houston); and Orietta Strickland (Dallas) vs Darcy Durham (Austin).  

 

With the one loss side returning at 10am on Sunday, Yvonne defeated Kimberly 7-3, Belinda defeated Rachel 7-4, Teresa defeated Kelly 7-6, and Orietta defeated Darcy 7-1.  However, they did not leave empty-handed as they shared the winnings for 9th through 12th at $35 each.  Free play for the weekend!  On the No Loss Side, Michelle was victorious over Natalie 7-2 and Tam over Jennifer in a hill-hill thriller.  As those matches progressed, the one loss side women were at it again and this time it would be Belinda barely edging out Yvonne in another hill-hill thriller and Orietta defeating Teresa 7-5.  Yvonne and Teresa, both members of the JO Ladies Tour Board and sponsored by Jerry Olivier, went home with the 7-8th place finishes at $95 each.  (Yes, Yvonne “the Casher” Asher lived up to her new nickname…)

 

The fight to advance past 5-6th matched up two friends who are also road partners and opponents who had already faced each other the day before – Belinda vs Natalie and Orietta vs Jennifer.  Belinda and Orietta ended up victorious in those matches, 7-3 and 7-4 respectively, but Natalie and Jennifer earned $170 each for their 5th-6th finish.  

 

The hot seat match was a great display of Austin women’s billiard skills.  Michelle and Tam battled it out, trading blows until it was another hill-hill matchup.  In the end, Michelle was victorious.  Meanwhile on the other side, Belinda and Orietta had to face each other and after the score was tied 4-4, Orietta made a charge and beat Belinda 7-4 while earning a 9 ball on the snap lottery ticket!  Belinda went home with the 4th place prize at $335. 

 

Tam went to the one loss side seeking revenge but she had to go through Orietta first.  Orietta would prove that she’s 2017 Tour Champion for a reason and beat Tam 7-3.  In a true double elimination format, Orietta would have to defeat Michelle twice in order to go home as the winner.  Michelle had other plans – she beat Orietta 7-3 and called it a day earning her the nickname Michelle “The Conqueror” Cortez.  Congratulations to Michelle!  This is her second win in three years at this particular stop!  For their efforts, Tam went home with $450 for 3rd place, Orietta went home with $600 for 2nd, and Michelle, went home with the top prize of $770!  Not bad for a weekend of doing a labor of love!

 

Not to be forgotten were the women of the “Best of the Rest” Tournament held on Sunday.  Twelve women returned to duke it out and the winner was Gail “Thunder” Roles (College Station).  Board member Monica Anderson (Dallas) came in 2nd. Austin’s own Kim “Texas Heat”Pierce, who is also a Jerry Olivier sponsored player, finished 3rd and Tina Soto (Dallas) 4th.  Congratulations to these ladies for taking another shot and winning!

 

As always, the stop was a combination of fun, laughter, and serious concentration to hone in the pool skills.  We look forward to seeing everyone at the Championship Stop at Legend’s Billiards the weekend of November 3-4, where the hosts Mindy and Craig Cohen have generously added in an additional $1000 to make it a total of $3000 to the prize fund!!!  So come on out and join us!  We welcome players of all skill levels and look forward to meeting new players!  More details of the final stop will be out soon so be sure to check out the website joladiestour.com for the most up to date information!  Tickets are available for cue raffles!  Please contact Yvonne Asher for more details!

 

Congratulations to Omar Alshaheen for winning the 45th Annual Texas Open 9-Ball Championships at Skinny Bob's Billiards in Round Rock, TX! It was also Omar's Birthday, Happy Birthday!

 

The main event kicked off Friday night with a 128 player full stellar field. When it was all said and done, the action boiled down to two determined players in the Finals match.

 

The match would be an epic true double elimination battle between Omar and The Iceberg Justin Bergman. First set in the finals ended with a hill hill thriller with Justin on the winning end 9-8. Second set Omar Cruised to an 8-5 lead with Justin winning one more game before the set was closed out 9-6. Excellent job guys, was a pleasure to watch and enjoy.

 

The Warrior Warren Kiamco earned a very respectable third place finish, he played really strong for the entire event. Jalal Yousef scored 4th place in this stellar field, great job everyone.

 

Congratulations are also in order to Ming Ng for winning the Ladies 9-ball! Jennifer Kraber earned a tough fought 2nd. Scoring a well earned third was Emily Duddy and fourth went to Tam Trinh for her good efforts. Great showing Ladies!

 

Kelly Isaac & Roberto Gomez won the Scotch Doubles Jack & Jill 9-Ball, with a close second by Jennifer Kraber & James Davis Sr, congrats! Claiming third prize was Gail Eaton & James Davis Jr. Fourth was earned by Kimberly Brown & Omar Alshaheen, Thanks to everyone who participated and helped make the scotch doubles a successful turnout.

 

Mr. Smooth John Morra earned First place in the Mini tournament Wednesday night with some fantastic left handed playing against the Young Gun Sky Woodward. Amazing job fellas.

 

Gratz to Manny Chau and Ian Bowling for winning the banks ring game on Thursday, they ended splitting the prize.

 

Special thanks to Skinny Bob's Billiards and staff for hosting this longest running prestigious event! Sincere thanks to Double J Jeremy Jones, for bringing his world class commentary for everyone to enjoy.

PoolActionTV.com would also like to thank our fans and sponsors for another great event! Our sponsors include Steve Lomax of Lomax Custom Cues, Aramith, John Barton of JB Cases, James Hanshew of Hanshew Custom Cues, Mike Durbin of Durbin Custom Cues, Kamui, Simonis, Champs Bar & Grill and Club Billiards of Wichita, KS.

 

Join us this weekend for The Houston Open, 7th-9th at Legend's Billiards in League City,TX. See you all then!

Houston’s Ming “The Empress” Ng made her way through an elite field of 32 players to capture her second  Gulf Coast Women’s Regional Billiards Tour 9-ball event of the 2018 season. Ng overcame Tour newcomer Mille Almaraz in the final, who also booked her best finish to date.  Almaraz joined the Tour in 2017, and in only her second event, competed in her first hot seat match. 

 

On August 4th-5th, 2018, the Gulf Coast Tour held its 5th stop of the year at Skinny Bob’s Billiards in Round Rock, Texas. Room owners John and Sue Cielo, along with tour sponsors Cyclop Pool Balls www.facebook.com/CyclopPoolBalls, APA of North Harris County www.facebook.com/apanorthharriscounty, www.VaporKnightsUSA.com, and www.OutsvilleBilliards.com facilitated another successful event for the women of the  Gulf Coast Tour. This “Texas Open Warm-Up” was a $700 added, 9-ball event on open bar tables, which paid out a generous $1,340. The accommodations featured a non-smoking, private playing area with eight (8) new Diamond bar tables, and “Zeus” Cyclop Pool Balls. “I’d like to thank John and Sue Cielo for their never-ending hospitality and generosity, spanning nine years. We greatly appreciate their continued support, and already look forward to 2019,” says Gulf Coast Tour and Poison Lone Star Tour Director, Kim Newsome.

 

Following a short players’ meeting on Saturday morning, action kicked off around noon, and Ming “The Empress” Ng began her trek to the winners’ circle. She booked wins over Yvonne Asher, 7-3, Margaret Fox, 7-0, and Gail “Thunder” Roles, while Tam Trinh overcame Kim “Texas Heat” Pierce, 7-4, Maria Requejo, 7-1, and Stacie Putnam, 7-3. Mille Almaraz bested Celeste Espinosa, 7-3, Ellen Robinson, 7-5, and Sissy “Voo Doo”, Lozano, 7-0,  while Gail “Virginia Slim” Eaton tagged Robyn Petrosino, 7-4, Jennifer Yo, 7-4, and Kris Wilburn, to complete the winners’ side, final four. On the one loss side, after taking a second round hit by Ng, newcomer Fox plowed through the one loss side eliminating Espinosa, 5-2, Brittany Kromer, 5-1, and Wilburn, 5-1. First-timer, Tina Soto, took out newbie Debbie Hammond, 5-3, Requejo, 5-2, and R. Petrosino, 5-4, but was snubbed by Lozano, 5-1. Also new to the Gulf Coast scene, Shar Dyer stayed alive on the one loss side with wins over Cardona, 5-2, Yo, and Lopez, 5-4, but was stopped by Roles, 5-4. Angleton’s Brandi Booth made a splash, defeating newbie Karyna Hahn, 5-2, and Lois Morgado, but fell to Robinson, 5-4. In turn, Robinson was eliminated by newcomer Stacie Putnam, 5-4, rounding out the final eight. On day two, final four action kicked off on each side of the bracket. On the east side, Eaton defeated Almaraz, 7-4, and Ng ousted Trinh, 7-6. Ng dealt Eaton her first blow, in the hot seat match, 7-1. On the west side, Fox was on fire, dusting off Lozano, 5-1, and Trinh, 5-2, while Putnam passed Roles, 5-1, only to be stopped by Almaraz, 5-4. Almaraz went on to eliminate Fox, 5-1, and Eaton, 5-2, meeting Ng for her first-ever, Gulf Coast Tour final. Almaraz was on fire the first set, extinguishing Ng, 7-3. In the second set, Ng regrouped and took charge, besting Almaraz, 5-1, to capture her second Tour victory of 2018.

 

Congratulations to Yvonne Asher and Kimberly Brown, who split first and second place in the second chance event! Margaret Fox and Stacie Putnam also reached milestones, playing in their very first event, Fox finishing 4th, and Putnam, 5th-6th. 

 

The Gulf Coast Tour would like to thank all the ladies who ventured out to Skinny Bob’s to compete in this very special event, and “welcome” its newest members: Margaret Fox, Stacie Putnam, Brandi Booth, Tina Soto, Karyna Hahn, Debbie Hammond, Kimberly Brown, Nina Dolman, Shar Dyer, Liana Butler, and returning members Diana Cardona, Tam Trinh, Lois Morgado, and Jennifer Yo. Gulf Coast Committee members who assisted in running a seamless event included Celeste Espinosa (Office Administrator), Gail Roles (Social Media),  D’Andrea McQuirter, Ming Ng, Kim Pierce, and Toni Esteves. Finally, the Tour would like to thank Mille Almaraz for taking some great photographs throughout the weekend, and sharing them with players, friends, and fans, via social media.

 

Our next event will be our First Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Event, October 13th-14th, at Bogies West, 9638 Jones Road, Houston, Texas. 

 

The Gulf Coast Women’s Regional Billiards Tour is open to all female, amateur players of all ages and skill levels. For more information about the Gulf Coast Women’s Regional Billiards Tour, visit GulfCoastWomensTour.com. Follow us on Facebook @gulfcoasttour1 and Twitter @gulfcoasttour.