Twenty-nine players from around the state converged at The Corner Pocket in Largo, Florida, for the Tiger Florida Tour’s $1,000-added, 9th Annual “Cues for Cure” breast cancer awareness fundraiser last month. At the end of the day, Jeannie Seaver went undefeated to win this special event once again, with this win making it three wins back to back to back.

 

This event was a modified double-elimination format, playing down to four players on each side. The four players on the one-loss side redrew into the winners side for a single elimination match. 

 

Seaver went undefeated against Carrie  Metz, Sabra McArthur Beahn, Margarita Makeeva, Deanna Frost, and room owner Stephanie Mitchell to the final match, where she met up with Beahn in a revenge match.  Beahn got to the finals by defeating Celia Heinbach, Dixie Sutton, Elizabeth Brown, Lisa McElroy and caught a second wind coming back to take the match from Nicole Cuellar.  Beahn played strong all day, but not quite strong enough to stop Seaver's trek to the finals.  

 

Seaver’s win also tied Cuellar for the TFT 2017 Regional Tour Champion title. Seaver has earned the TC title four times since the Tour’s inception in 2009,  not including two ties, one with Crystal McCormick in 2015 and this year with Cuellar.

 

Three APA players also won cash thanks to the support from LeCain Family Insurance, Sutton Appliance & Installation and Relocationandestatesalesbydixie.com.  Elizabeth Brown won the prize in the 2-3 category; Janice Larocca in the 4 – 5 category; and Casie Aynat in the 6 category. Thank you LeCain family!

 

A huge thanks to all of the players and spectators who devoted their time and money to  support this event, including those players who brought friends to play for the first time. Players and spectators had fun trying to land the crazy cue ball on the ribbons, guessing the number of M&Ms and Hershey’s kisses, in addition to winning prizes in the raffle.  The monies raised benefits the Florida Suncoast Affiliate of Susan G. Komen. 

 

A big shout out to Stephanie Mitchell, owner of The Corner Pocket, for being a great hostess of the TFT's breastcancer awareness fundraising event! Also, thanks to Jeannie Seaver for donating prizes for the raffle and thanks to those who helped out with and participated in the fundraising.  As always, many thanks to our title sponsor Tiger Products, and continued thanks to our sponsors Pete Franco with Ulterior Chalkers; Great Lakes Billiards, Boynton Billiards and AZ Billiards for their year-long support of our Tour.  Kudos to Jerry Sotelo for his patience and hard work for another great year as the Tournament Director.  We appreciate you all!

 

The new year brought new faces to the 2017 Tiger Florida Tour Women’s 9-Ball Kick-off event at Brewlands Billiards in Lakeland, Florida, and new faces in the finals.  Among them Asia Cy, who made her debut on the TFT by going undefeated in the modified, double elimination format.  Cy, who just arrived in Florida days ago from North Carolina, wasted no time getting acclimated to the Florida 9-ball climate.  Cy finished the races to 7 easily over Celia Heinbach (7-2), Janice LaRocca (7-1), Stephanie Mitchell (7-3), Donna Favors (7-3) and Michell Monk (7-6) to make it to the Finals. 

 

Favors got to the finals from the one-loss side with initial wins over Lauren Kowalski (7-3) and Lisa McElroy (7-6), then losing to Cy but defeating teen up-and-comer Kaylee McIntosh (5-3).  Favors prevailed over Nicolle Cuellar in a tough hill-hill battle in the semi-finals to take on Cy once again in the final match.  This was Favors first time in the finals as well.  Cy and Favors went neck and neck for the first eight games, then Cy then broke loose and won the next three games for the win. Some of the matches can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZimU3Hg1UA.

 

Some surprises during the day saw McIntosh, who made the money for the first time, sending home three veteran players – Tour Champion Jeannie Seaver (5-2), Leslee Blaikie (5-1) and Jessica Barnes (5-3). Watch out for this rising star! 

 

Thanks to all the players who turned out for this opening event.  We also thank our returning title sponsor Tiger Products; and returning sponsors Great Lakes Billiards, Ultimate Chalkers, Boynton Billiards, AZ Billiards and Discount Mugs. Thank you to Chad Clement, Larry Walthall and Mike Dauskart and everyone at Brewlands Billiards for being great hosts!

Stroker’s Billiards and Sports Bar welcomed the Florida Pool Tour on it’s first stop of the season this weekend. Saturday’s Amateur 9-Ball event drew 71 entrants while Sunday’s Super 16 10-Ball event was pre-booked with a full field. 

 

The Amateur 9-Ball event was stacked with talented pool players and lots of auction action. A recipe for excellent pool all weekend long. Quite a few new faces had breakout results during this event. Naples player Francisco Diaz, Top FL Lady Player Chris Fields, and Tampa local Mitchell Keiser.

 

In it’s new format, the Super 16 10-Ball Event would host a complete field to some of the best talent in the country. After placing 2nd in the Amateur, James Adams would look strong and hungry to snap off this event. 

 

Top 8 Breakdown

 

James Adams after recently taking 3rd place in the Florida State Amateur 9-Ball Championships showed up to play this weekend. Posting wins over Amine Ouahbi 7-2, Javier Chirino “The Trophy Maker” 7-4, local player Dave Stem 7-4, a hill-hill thriller with Dan Marchini, and finally 7-4 over Rich Johnson would find himself battling Mitchell Keiser for the hotseat. Showing up to that match primed and hungry, Adams would put the set away at 7-3. 

 

Mitchell Keiser would find a way to grind out wins over Mark Wathen 7-4, Michael Stack 7-2, before capturing a $25 bounty on Mike DeLawder besting him 7-5, survived a hill-hill thriller with Miami area player Felix Luna and find a groove against Naples, FL native Francisco Diaz all before falling to James Adams 7-3 allowing James to have the hotseat and awaiting Jason Sheerman on the westside of the chart. 

 

Rich Johnson would have an impressive 5 rounds deep into the winner side. Winning over Jason Richko 7-3, David Uwate 7-5, Daniel Grider 7-4, and Jim Sandaler, all before falling to James Adams. Johnson would not complete another match as the winnder. Jason Sheerman would beat him in a hill-hill match and complete Rich’s weekend. 

 

Upstart player from Naples, FL Francisco Diaz would show some promise and post wins over Lisa McElroy 7-2, Justin Gilsinan 7-4, Finnish player Antti Mattilla 7-4 before falling to Lady Player Chris Fields in a hill/hill thriller. Then falling to Mitchell Keiser7-5. Diaz would then choose to forfeit out of the tournament for unknown reasons. 

Dan Marchini would win against Tony Rowells 7-2, Lee Holland 7-4, Allen Ellison 7-3, Dave Ross 7-3, before falling to James Adams in a hill/hill thriller. On the westside he would pick up George Saunders, but would not take the set, letting Saunders pass with a 5-0, securing 8th place. 

 

George Saunders would put a string of wins together after losing to Dave Stem 7-1. On the one-loss side he would beat Luke Sutliffe 5-4, Mike Lear 5-2, Jim Sandaler 5-3, Dan Marchini 5-0, Francisco Diaz 5-0, before falling to Jason Sheerman 5-2, securing 4th place. 

 

Felix Luna would risk a loss with a hill/hill thriller against Junior Player Trenton White, Jason Bowen 7-5, falling to Nathan Rose 7-4. On the one-loss side Luna would pick up Gary Gilsinan and squeak that one out, only to fall next to Jason Sheerman again hill/hill. 

 

Jason Sheerman had a design that was all his own this weekend. He would lose to Nathan Rose in the second round and then went on to grind out 10 matches in a row to reach the one-loss side final against Mitchell Keiser. Sheerman would go on to beat Keiser and secure his first Amateur 9-Ball title in 5 years, and it just so happens it was at Stroker’s Palm Harbor that he claimed his first victory. Sweet homecoming for Sheerman indeed. 

 

Super 16 Recap

 

James Adams had one thing on his mind this weekend and it showed, it was winning. James had a great run into the finals of the Amateur 9-Ball event and then proceeded to build a charge in the first Super 16 event. 

 

For starters we have Adam Wheeler winning against Donny Mills in a hill/hill thriller. Then he would meet up with Raymond Linares who dispatched Mitch Breedlove 8-3. James Adams would have a hill/hill thriller with Mike DeLawder and wait for Han Berber who had just finished a winning set over Tony Crosby 8-6, an upset since Tony was on a 5-1 deficit. Would not have enough to complete the charge. Jason Richko would best Eddie Sharp 8-4 and wait for Tommy Kennedy to steamed rolled Tim Parisian 8-1. James Roberts would send room owner Jose Del Rio down the hard path 8-4 and wait for Nathan Rose who bested Jason Sheerman 8-6. 

 

Now on the westside, we have Mills and Breedlove, with Donny winning 7-5. DeLawder would then win the set against Crosby 7-4. Tim Parisian would best Sharp 7-2 and Jose Del Rio would march on past Sheerman in a hill/hill thriller. 

 

Back on the eastside, James Adams and Raymond Linares would square off for a chance at the hotseat. Linares would take his first loss in a hill/hill thriller. Adams would be in the second hotseat match in 2 days. On the lower half, Tommy Kennedy and James Roberts would battle for the hotseat, if you call it a battle. Kennedy runs away with the set 8-2.

 

Back on the one-loss side, DeLawder picks up Linares and Linares pushes through 7-5. Jose Del Rio picks up James Roberts and this time puts him away. Del Rio and Linares would fight for a chance to play and jump back over to the eastside. 

 

Back on the winners side, Kennedy and Adams would square off in a close one. Adams wouldnt have enought to stop TK and would go west to meet up with the winner of the one-loss side hotseat. That would be Raymond Linares.

 

After some super slow play, Linares and Adams actually get put on the shot clock and turns would trade. With the pressure of the shot clock, uncharacteristic misses and nerve controlling runouts would put Linares and Adams hill/hill. In the middle of what would seem a routine runout, the sound of a miscue coming from Linares’ cue would resonate throughout the pool room as he left a 4 ball runout to Adams with ball in hand. Adams would finish the set and prepare to take on Kennedy in the final. This would be 2 tournaments in 2 days and 2 finals for Adams. 

 

Now in the finals, Kennedy and Adams trade a couple of racks, with Kennedy expressing his creative side of the game. Creating angles and playing combos, this would put Kennedy up 4-1. Adams would fight back with pressured safeties and consistent shot making. At 6-6 Kennedy would pull away. In the early hours of Monday morning, 2 days of super solid play would seem to weigh heavy on Adams shoulders. Taking advantage of one too many mistakes by Adams, Kennedy would secure his first Super 16 Title of 2015 just before daybreak on the horizon.

 

 

The Florida Pool Tour would like to thank Jose Del Rio and the staff at Stroker’s Palm Harbor for the wonderful hospitality all weekend long. Combined with amazing restaurant quality food, you cannot find a place that can beat that. Stroker’s Palm Harbor has been an anchor stop on the Florida Pool Tour for years as well as the host location for the US Amateur Championships for the last 5 years. Give Jose and the family there a visit and see for yourself why this is perhaps one of the best pool rooms in the country. 

 

Xtreme Pool Challenge came through with another amazing weekend of LIVE HD quality streaming. We want to thank Gary Patrick and crew for producing one of the best streams available and the best prices around. $5 for an entire weekend of fantastic HD coverage is by far a steal in this industry. By supporting Gary and XPC you are supporting the future of pool and the future of this pool tour. 

It's something of a stark reminder that most regional pool tours reward a combination of performance and participation. You can shoot lights out and rank below a lesser-skilled player who has competed in every stop on a tour. Jeannie Seaver won her second straight stop on the Tiger Florida Tour, going undefeated through the tour's modified double-elimination tournament on the weekend of August 9-10, but made little headway in the tour rankings, where she is currently in third place, behind April Wallen and Crystal McCormick. Kelly Cavanaugh, Cassidy Mulligan and Lisa McElroy are behind them. They all signed on to the sixth stop on the tour, a $500-added event that drew 25 entrants to Wally's in Lakeland, FL, and all made it into the final eight/money rounds.

 

Emerging from the double elimination proceedings for a re-draw to single elimination were Seaver, Cavanaugh, Wallen and Stephanie Mitchell on the winners' side. Advancing from the losers' bracket were Mulligan, McElroy, McCormick and Michell Monk. The quarterfinal matchups were hotly contested, with two of them going double hill and the other two falling just a game short of double hill.

 

Cavanaugh downed Mulligan, while Mitchell eliminated McElroy, both via the double hill route. Seaver defeated Monk while McCormick finished Wallen, both 7-5. 

 

Seaver chalked up another 7-5, this one over Cavanaugh to advance to the finals. She was joined by McCormick, who finished McElroy's day 7-4. Seaver punctuated her undefeated run with a 7-1 victory over McCormick.

 

Tour director Mimi McAndrews thanked owner (Jim Thomas), manager (Rocky Hochman), and the staff at Wally's for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Tiger Products, Ozone Billiards, and Boynton Billiards. The next (and last) stop on this year's Tiger Florida Tour will be their 6th Annual Cues for the Cure event, at which participants arrive, dressed in pink and prepared to play a series of fund-raising games between themselves and spectators. The event is held to benefit the South Florida affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The event will be hosted by Amy's Billiards in Stuart, FL on October 18.

Jeannie Seaver shut out 72-year-young Mary Lou Mendez twice to win her second of three stops on the Bay Area Amateur Tour on Saturday, July 21. As a result, Seaver moved into the top spot in tour rankings. With two stops to go on the tour, Seaver finished five ranking points ahead of Lisa McElroy and Cassidy Mulligan, tied for second place. The $400-added event drew 16 entrants to Stix in Palm Harbor, FL.

Seaver went into the tournament ranked at the bottom of the top five players on the tour, and was one of only two among those five who made it to the winners’ side final four. She faced the other, Echo Pinkley, who entered the stop in fourth place. Mendez, in the meantime, squared off against Deanna Foster. Seaver sent Pinkley west 7-2, as Mendez was busy downing Foster 4-3. Seaver shut Mendez out and sat in the hot seat to await her return.

Pinkley moved over to meet up with McElroy, who’d been sent to the loss side by Mendez, and defeated Jessica Barnes 3-2 (Barnes racing to 6), and shut out Jamie Toennies 3-0. Foster drew Mulligan, who’d been sent west by Seaver, and then, shut out Barbara Ellis and given up only one rack against tour director Stephanie Mitchell. Foster chalked up the fourth of five shutouts among the event’s final 12 against Mulligan, and in the quarterfinals, faced McElroy, who’d ended Pinkley’s day 3-1. 

In those quarterfinals, McElroy again gave up only a single rack, defeating Foster 3-1, and turning to a grudge match semifinal against Mendez. For the second time, Mendez defeated McElroy with a tie score. In their first meeting, Mendez had won 4-4, with McElroy going to 6, and in their second, Mendez won 3-3, with McElroy racing to 5. Though a victory on this year’s tour has eluded her, McElroy has finished third twice and second, once, which has left her in second place in the overall tour rankings.

Though Seaver would shut Mendez out for the second straight time in the finals to capture the event title, Mendez chalked up her best finish on the tour, ever. She had previously finished in 7th place in a November 2011 tour stop. 

The event scrambled the rankings of the top five players on the tour. Seaver moved from fifth place to first, while seventh place finisher, Jessica Barnes, who’d held the top stop previously, dropped to fourth. Mulligan came into the tournament in second place, just ahead of McElroy, and the two finished, tied for second. Echo Pinkley rounded out the top five, dropping from fourth to fifth on the heels of her 5th place finish. The women will have two more chances to re-arrange that list. The tour will stop at Stroker’s in Palm Harbor on September 1 and hold the tour’s Grand Finale at Capone’s in Spring Hill on October 20.

She’d shut her out in the battle for the hot seat, but Cassidy Mulligan came back from the semifinals to win the first set of the two-set finals against Jessica Barnes at the May 26 stop on the Bay Area Amateur Tour. Though Mulligan would battle to double hill in the second set, Barnes prevailed to win the $220-added event that had drawn 11 entrants to Wally’s in Lakeland, FL.

Barnes would give up only one rack in the two matches that left her in the hot seat. She sent Lisa McElroy west 6-1, and facing Mulligan, who’d defeated Echo Pinkley 4-2, she didn’t give up any. 

McElroy moved over to face Cortney Bernard, who’d been sent to the loss side by Mulligan, and then defeated Tammy Gillis, double hill, and Terri Cockrell 4-1. Pinkley picked up Marci Whitaker, who, after falling to McElroy in the winners’ bracket, defeated Sabra MacArthur-Beahn 3-3 (MacArthur-Beahn racing to 7) and Kelly Cavanaugh 3-5 (Cavanaugh also racing to 7).

Pinkley and McElroy got right back on track; Pinkley downing Whitaker 5-1 and McElroy eliminating Bernard 3-1. McElroy then shut out Pinkley in the quarterfinals to face Mulligan in the semifinals. The three left standing were now the same final three who had battled on the tour’s last stop in March; Mulligan had won that event, McElroy was second and Barnes had finished third. By reaching the hot seat, Barnes had already prevented a repeat of that finish. Mulligan, looking for her second straight tour victory, gave up only a single rack in a semifinal victory over McElroy, and turned to a second chance against Barnes.

Barnes, racing to six in the opening set of the true double elimination final, took the first four games, but Mulligan, racing to four, took the next four to force a second set. Mulligan, this time, racing only to three, took the opening game, but Barnes, now needing five, took the next two. Mulligan won the next game, which put her on the hill, but Barnes chalked up three in a row to spoil Mulligan’s two-straight bid and win the event title.

Cassidy Mulligan gave up a single match in the opening set of a true double elimination final against Lisa McElroy, but came back to win the second, claiming first place in the Bay Area Amateur Tour stop on Saturday, March 31. The $300-added, second stop on the tour drew 14 entrants to Hammerheads in Holiday, FL.

From among the winners’ side final four, Mulligan sent Echo Pinkley west 4-1, as Jessica Barnes was busy doing likewise to Vanessa Seaver 6-3. Mulligan then defeated Barnes 5-4 (Barnes going to 7) and sat in the hot seat, waiting for the return of McElroy.

Seaver moved to the loss side to meet up with her sister, Jeannie, winner of the first BAAT stop, who’d defeated Terri Cockrell 6-1 and Lana Loomis 8-1. Pinkley picked up McElroy, who’d been sent west from among the winners’ side final eight by Barnes, and then defeated Cortney Bernard 3-2 (Bernard going to 4), and Kelly Cavanaugh 3-3 (Cavanaugh going to 6). Jeannie Seaver shut out sister Vanessa, and was joined in the quarterfinals by McElroy, who’d downed Pinkley 3-1.

McElroy had sent Jeannie Seaver to the loss side in the opening round of play, and duplicated that effort in the quarterfinals, shutting her out. McElroy then turned to face the woman who’d sent her over, Barnes, in the semifinals. A 3-3 victory (Barnes going to 5) sent McElroy to the double elimination finals against Mulligan.

In a straight-up race to 4, McElroy won the opening set 4-2. In the second set, reduced to a race to three, Mulligan gave up only a single rack to secure the event title. 

The victory moved Mulligan into second place in the current, two-stop tour standings, behind Jeannie Seaver, whose fourth place finish, allowed her to remain atop the leader board. McElroy moved from fifth to third, behind Mulligan. Next stop on the BAAT tour is scheduled for May 26, at Wally’s in Lakeland, FL.

Jeannie Seaver dominated the season-opening stop of the Bay Area Amateur Tour on Saturday, February 11, winning, on average, four out of every five games she played and going (almost needless to say) undefeated to capture the event title. Seaver’s 46-game journey took her past 2011’s tour champion Kelly Cavanaugh twice. The $300-added event drew 18 entrants to a new venue for the BAAT Tour – Cue-Phoria, in Casselberry, FL.

Seaver and Cavanaugh met first among the winners’ side final four, as tour newcomer, Echo Pinkley, was squaring off against Jessica Barnes. Seaver gave up two of her (total tournament) nine racks in a 6-2 victory that sent Cavanaugh west, as Pinkley downed Barnes 5-4 (Barnes needing to reach six games). Seaver then gave up only a single rack in the match that sent Pinkley to the semifinals, and left her sitting in the hot seat.

Cavanaugh moved over and won three straight double hill matches that propelled her into a rematch against Seaver in the finals. First up was Lisa McElroy, who’d been sent over by Pinkley, and then won two straight double hill matches, against Cassidy Mulligan and Alice Parnell. Barnes, in the meantime, drew Michelle Parker, who’d gotten by Chris Fields 3-3 (Fields needing six), and Marci Whitaker, double hill, to reach her. Cavanaugh survived a double hill match versus McElroy (5-2), and in the quarterfinals, faced Barnes, who’d shut out Parker.

In a straight-up race to four, Cavanaugh left Barnes in fourth place with a double hill win, and moved on to face Pinkley. With Pinkley needing to win one less game (5-4), Cavanaugh left Pinkley in third place, double hill, to earn a second chance at Seaver. For nought, however, as Seaver gave up only two racks in the final for a 6-2 win that concluded her undefeated day.