The annual Ron Park Memorial, originated and held under the auspices of the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, is shaping up to be something of a ‘moveable feast,’ in that each year could (although this is somewhat unofficial) see a new format.
“Who knows?” said Tour Director Herman Parker. “We’ll see.”
Last year, it was a straightforward 9-Ball event, while this year’s version of the memorial was a Scotch Doubles Tournament. The father/son Team Wyatt (Evan/Nate) went undefeated to claim the title, downing the team of Jason Blackwell and Mallory Walters twice, in one of the winners’ side semifinal and finals. The $250-added event drew 36 teams of two to the site of the first Ron Park Memorial – West End Billiards in Gastonia, NC.
Team Wyatt and Blackwell/Mallory met up in that winners’ side semifinal as Team Seeley (father David and son Sean) squared off against Kris Brower and Joey Fox. Team Wyatt prevailed 5-2 over Blackwell/Mallory and in the hot seat, met Team Seeley, who’d sent Brower and Fox to the loss side 5-4 (Brower/Fox racing to 7).
On the loss side, Blackwell/Walters picked up the team of Lisa Cossette and Chris Wrigley, who’d defeated Jimmy Tanner and Brian Goodson 5-3 and Ricardo Carcamo and (room owner) Josh Newman 5-4 to reach them (Carcamo/Newman racing to 8). Brower/Fox drew Lance Davis and Thomas Sansone, who’d recently eliminated the husband/wife team of Sidney and Gene Foard 7-3 and Mackie Lowery and Chad Vinesett 5-3.
Blackwell/Walters and Brower/Fox got right back to their winning ways, both teams advancing to the quarterfinals; Blackwell/Walters downing Cossette/Wrigley 5-3 and Brower/Fox defeating Davis/Sansone, double hill (5-4). With Brower/Fox racing to 7, Blackwell/Walters eliminated them 5-5.
Blackwell/Walters got their second shot at Team Wyatt with a 5-1 victory over Team Seeley in the semifinals. As the sun began its work of lightening the sky on Mother’s Day, at around 5 a.m. on Sunday, Team Wyatt finished a second win over Blackwell/Walters, this time 5-3, to claim the 2nd Annual Ron Park Memorial Tournament title.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked Josh Newman and his staff for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, BarPoolTables.net, Dirty South Grind Apparel Co., Realty One Group Results, Diamond Brat, AZBilliards.com, Ridge Back Rails, and Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division.
The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend, May 14-15, will be a $500-added, 9-Ball event, hosted by the Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA.
Mike Davis, Jr. won the first three NC State Open 9-Ball championships from 2014 to 2016. After relinquishing the title for three years, to (in order) Shannon Fitch (‘17), Reymart Lim (’18) and Keith Bennett (’19), Davis returned to compete in the 7th Annual NC State Open 9-Ball tournament and in spite of having his path to victory re-routed through the loss side of the event’s bracket, returned to meet and defeat Justin Martin in the finals and reclaim the title. The $500-added event drew 43 entrants to Randolph’s Billiards in Hickory, NC.
Davis advanced through the field to draw Justin Martin in one of the winners’ side semifinals, as Barry Mashburn faced Brian Capps in the other one. Martin sent Davis to the loss side 7-4 and in the hot seat match, faced Mashburn, who’d defeated Capps 7-5. Martin claimed the hot seat 7-4 over Mashburn and waited on Davis’ return.
Capps sent Mackie Lowery home with some cash in a 7-5 win. He was joined in the quarterfinals by Davis, who’d survived a double hill battle versus Heeter. Davis then denied Capps a second shot at Mashburn by downing Capps in those quarterfinals 7-2.
Davis moved on to deny Mashburn a second shot at Martin with a 7-3 win in the semifinals. In the finals that followed, Davis was looking to regain a title he’d last held in 2016. His opponent, Justin Martin, was looking to break a three-year streak of being the NC State Open 9-Ball tournament’s runner-up.
Davis won his fourth NC State Open 9-Ball title and handEd Martin his 4th runner-up finish. Davis completed his run with a 9-4 win in the finals.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Randolph Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, Delta 13 Racks, AZ Billiards and Tickler Pool Ball Washing Machine. The next stop on the tour, scheduled for March 7-8, will be a $500-added event ($1,000-added with 64+ entrants), hosted by Break & Run Billiards in Chesnee, SC.
Mackie Lowery moved into uncharted territory two months ago when he came back from a defeat in a hot seat match to win a stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour. The win turned 2019 into his best earnings year since he first showed up on a payout list 13 years ago, finishing 7th in an earlier version of the Viking Cues’ tour. On Saturday, September 21, Lowery chalked up his second 2019 win on the tour, going undefeated through a field of 54, on hand for the $500-added event, hosted by Break & Run Billiards in Chesnee, SC.
Lowery had to get by a competitor who was also in the midst of his best and also his first earnings year, and looking for his second win on the 2019 tour, Travis Worden. Worden had won his first-ever regional tour event last month at a stop, hosted by Buck’s Billiards in Raleigh, NC. They met first in a winners’ side semifinal, as Joey Fox and Sam Epps squared off in the other one.
Lowery and Fox advanced to the hot seat match with identical 7-4 wins over Worden and Epps. Lowery then downed Fox 7-2, claiming the hot seat.
On the loss side, Worden picked up Aaron McClure, who’d defeated Billy Fowler 6-6 (Fowler racing to 9) and Daniel Jones, double hill, to reach him. Epps drew a rematch against Clay Davis, whom he’d sent to the loss side in the event’s third round and was in the midst of a six-match, loss-side winning streak that had included recent wins over Junior competitor Joey Tate 7-5 and Tommy Johnson 7-2.
Davis chalked up a successful rematch against Epps 7-3, as Worden was busy eliminating McClure 7-4. Worden then ended Davis’ loss-side run with a 6-5 win in the quarterfinals (Davis racing to 7).
Worden downed Joey Fox 6-4 in the semifinals for a shot at Lowery, waiting for him in the hot seat. He’d have had to win two to claim the title. Lowery, though, made the point moot. He won the opening and only set 7-5 to claim the event title.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Break & Run Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, Delta 13 Racks, AZ Billiards and Professor Q-Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (September 28-29), will be a $500-added event, hosted by Mickey Milligan’s in New Bern, NC.
Former junior competitor Hunter White is a single tour stop victory away from making 2019 his best earnings year to date. His previous best earnings year, 2016, featured three wins on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour. On the weekend of August 24-25, White chalked up his second win on the 2019 tour, backing up his win two weeks ago, when he came back from a loss in the hot seat to Billy Fowler and double-dipped him in the finals. At this most recent event, White and Fowler met in a winners’ side semifinal, but not again. Instead, Junior Gabriel, defeated in the third round of play, won seven on the loss side to challenge White in the finals; Gabriel took the opening set of the true double elimination final, but White came back to win the second and claim the title. The $1,000-added event drew 60 entrants to Break and Run Billiards in Chesnee, SC.
As noted, White and Fowler met for the first time since the weekend of August 10-11, squaring off in this event’s winners’ side semifinals. Mike Parkins, in the meantime, faced Rob Hart in the other one.
Parkins advanced to the hot seat match 5-5 (Hart racing to 7), while White downed Fowler 8-4. White then gave up just a single rack to Parkins and claimed the hot seat.
With Hart racing to 7, Gabriel advanced to the quarterfinals over him 5-5. He was joined by Fowler, who’d defeated Abernathy 8-5. Gabriel spoiled Fowler’s hopes for a finals re-match against White with a 5-3 win over him in those quarterfinals.
By the same score, 5-3, Gabriel completed his loss-side run, downing Parkins in the semifinals and then, with White racing to 8 in the opening set of the finals, Gabriel took that opening set 5-5. Hunter came back to win the second set 8-2 to cap his birthday celebration with an event title.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Break and Run Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, Delta 13 Racks, AZ Billiards and Professor Q-Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (August 31-Sept. 1), will be hosted by Speakeazy Billiards in Sandford, NC.
Mackie Lowery’s come-from-the-loss-side win on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour on the weekend of July 6-7 turned 2019 into his best earnings year, to date. He surpassed his previous best earnings year (2018) just a little over halfway through 2019, by chalking up his first win of the year. Lowery had to come back from a loss in the hot seat match and contend with a competitor, Barry Mashburn, who’d lost his opening match and proceeded to win 11 on the loss side to face Lowery in the semifinals. The $1,000-added event drew 66 entrants to Steakhorse Restaurant & Billiards in Spartanburg, SC.
Lowery advanced to a winners’ side semifinal against Justin Martin, while Tavis San Filippo squared off against Alex Escamilla in the other one. Lowery sent Martin to the loss side 7-6 (Martin racing to 10), as San Filippo downed Escamilla 5-1 to join him in the hot seat match. Lowery and San Filippo battled to double hill before San Filippo prevailed 5-6 (Lowery to 7).
On the loss side, as Escamilla and Martin arrived, Mashburn was nine matches into his loss-side winning streak, that had most recently included back-to-back, double hill wins over Scott Green 9-4 and Ricky Bingham 9-6. Mashburn drew Martin. Escamilla picked up Dalton Messer, who’d defeated Landon Hollingsworth and Steven Ellis, both 6-4, to reach him.
Mashburn recorded his third straight double hill win, sending Martin to the figurative ‘showers’ 9-9. Messer recorded his third straight 6-4 victory, sending Escamilla home and then, opted out of a quarterfinal match, which leapfrogged Mashburn into the semifinals against Lowery.
Lowery stopped Mashburn’s 11-match loss-side run with a 7-6 win in those semifinals (Mashburn racing to 9) and turned his attention to his re-match against San Filippo, waiting for him in the hot seat. With San Filippo racing to 5 and already ‘in the money’ for the first time on the tour, he and Lowery played two sets and a total of 17 games. Lowery won all but three of those games, giving up three in the opening set and none at all in the second set to claim the event title.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the Dayne Miller and his staff at Steakhorse Restaurant & Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, Delta 13 Racks, AZ Billiards and Professor Q-Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (July 13-14), will be hosted by Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.
Two former winners on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour squared off on Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 24-25) in the finals of the tour’s 6th Annual Turkey Bowl. Hunter White, who, as a junior player, won three events on the tour two years ago, went undefeated through a record field of 76 entrants (last year’s Turkey Bowl drew 66). White had to defeat Chase Smith twice, whose last appearance in a Q City 9-Ball winners’ circle occurred in September 2017. The $1,000-added event, which featured competitors from eight states (WI, MI, VA, TN, NC, SC, GA & FL) and Germany, was hosted by Steakhorse Restaurant & Billiards in Spartanburg, SC.
They met first in a winners’ side semifinal, as former BEF Junior Champion (14-and-under Boys, 2013) Sergio Rivas and Lauren Kauffman squared off in the other one. In their first of two, White and Smith battled to double hill before White finished it 7-5 (Smith racing to 6). Rivas joined White for the hot seat match, having shut Kauffman out. White claimed the hot seat in a double hill win over Rivas and waited for Smith to return.
Anderson jumped right into the quarterfinals when Kauffman forfeited their match. He was joined by Smith, who’d downed Hart 6-1. With Anderson racing to 8 in the quarterfinal match, Smith defeated him 6-1 to face Rivas in the semifinals.
Rivas slipped a gear, so to speak, and managed to chalk up only one rack of the 10 he needed to win the semifinal. Smith, in the meantime, chalked up the six he needed for a re-match against White in the finals.
White and Smith fought a second double hill battle, with the same result. With Smith racing to 6 in the first of potentially two sets, White chalked up his seven racks first and claimed the event title.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked Dayne Miller and his Steakhorse staff, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, Delta 13 Racks, AZ Billiards and Professor Q-Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (Dec. 1-2), will be hosted by Speakeazy Billiards in Sanford, NC.
As far as we can determine, Mackie Lowery’s been at the tables for about 15 years. He’s cashed, according to our records, in a total of nine events, including a Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour, runner-up payday almost exactly 10 years ago at Randolph’s Billiards in Hickory, NC. On Saturday, Oct. 27, leaking into the early hours of Sunday, Lowery went undefeated to claim his first title, on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, at Randolph’s Billiards in NC; a clear application of the ‘location, location, location’ answer to the question of where a player does his best work. The $250-added event drew 33 entrants to Randolph’s and while Lowery was declared the official winner, he split the top two prizes with runner-up Brian Francis, who’d won five on the loss side to face him in the finals.
When Justin Clark sent Francis to the loss side, he advanced to a winners’ side semifinal against Kirk Overcash. Lowery, in the meantime, squared off against Zac Leonard. Lowery moved on to the hot seat match with a 7-4 win over Leonard, and was joined by Overcash, who’d sent Clark to the loss side 5-3. Lowery claimed the hot seat and, in effect, the event title with a 7-2 victory over Overcash.
On the loss side, Francis opened his trek to the finals with a 6-8 victory over JT Ringgold (Ringgold racing to 10) and a 6-1 defeat of Clint Clark (no relation to Justin). This set him up to face Leonard coming over from his winners’ side semifinal defeat. Justin Clark picked up Mike Bumgarner, who’d survived two straight double hill matches, against Clay Davis and Josh Heeter, to reach him.
Francis downed Leonard 6-4, as Bumgarner was eliminating Justin Clark 7-4. Francis and Bumgarner locked up in a double hill quarterfinal fight, won eventually by Francis, who moved on to what turned out to be the last match of the event, the semifinals against Overcash. It was a second straight double hill fight for Francis and his last win of the night. He and Lowery agreed on the split and the event was over.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Randolph’s, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, Delta 13 Racks, AZ Billiards and Professor Q-Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (Nov. 3-4), will be hosted by Corner Pockets in Fayetteville, NC.
Brown goes undefeated to win following week’s stop in Garner, NC
Viking Cues’ Q-City 9-Ball Tour director Herman Parker had nothing but the highest praise for his newest venue – The Steakhorse Restaurant and Billiards in Spartanburg, SC – which hosted a recent stop on the tour. Parker spent a good deal of time in the restaurant over the weekend and described it as the best pool room’s restaurant he’s ever eaten in. Owner Dayne Miller, a player in his own right, who won a stop on the tour this past January, added $1,500 to the event that drew 84 entrants (70 men/14 women & junior players) to the site on the weekend of June 2-3. According to Parker, arrangements are already in progress to have the site host his annual Tour Championships in the fall.
Jonathan “Hennessee from Tennessee” Pinegar, who’d won seven on the loss side took the opening set of the true double elimination final over hot seat occupant, Matt Harrell. Harrell, though, rallied to take the second set and claim the first-ever event title at The Steakhorse.
With Pinegar already at work on the loss side, following a defeat (by Derek Pierce) in the fourth winners’ side round, Harrell advanced to a winners’ side semifinal against Mackie Lowery. Brian Bagwell squared off against Mike Bumgarner in the other winners’ side semifinal. Harrell downed Lowery 6-5 (Lowery racing to 7) and in the hot seat match, faced Bagwell, who sent Bumgarner west 7-5. Harrell claimed the hot seat with a double hill win (6-6) over Bagwell.
On the loss side, with two notches on his loss-side belt, Pinegar ran into Don Lilly, winner of three straight Q-City 9-Ball stops earlier this year (one in late January and two in February). Pinegar eliminated him 12-5, and then defeated Rob Hart 12-3 to pick up Bumgarner. Lowery drew Derek Pierce, who’d defeated Collin Hall double hill (5-5) and Daniel Adams 5-2 to reach him. A re-match between Pinegar and Pierce was two matches away.
Pinegar did his part, defeating Bumgarner 12-6 to advance to the quarterfinals. Pierce, though was defeated by Lowery 7-4. Pinegar leapfrogged over the quarterfinal match when Lowery forfeited due to a work commitment.
The semifinal match wasn’t as easy. Bagwell came to the table with five games on the wire, racing to 12. Pinegar was on the hill at 11, but Bagwell had chalked up six to force a deciding match. Pinegar closed it out and turned to face Harrell in the hot seat.
Harrell entered the double elimination final with six on the wire, racing to 12. Both sets went double hill with Pinegar defeating Harrell in the first, 12-5, and Harrell, in the second, defeating him 6-11.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked Dayne Miller and his Steakhorse staff for their hospitality and added money, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball.
The following week, on Saturday, June 9, the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour made a stop in Garner, NC and held an event which drew 20 entrants to Shotmaker’s Billiards. David Brown went undefeated in this event, downing Collin Hall 8-4 in the hot seat match, and Scott Roberts, double hill, in the only set necessary in the finals. The Parkers thanked their hosts and the same sponsors of this event.
The Parkers also noted that beginning this Wednesday (June 13-19), they will be directing a tournament not affiliated with (though sponsored in part by) their Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour. They have been asked to run the Doug Beasley Custom Cues Open (Formerly the Don Coates Memorial), a $10,000-added event that has already drawn a number of the country’s top-notch players, with more expected to come over the next couple of days. Among those already scheduled to compete are Johnny Archer, Rodney Morris, Neils Feijen, Ronnie Alcano, Charlie Bryant, Justin Bergman, Sky Woodward, and Tony Chohan, to name just a few. Also competing in the event will be the two finalists in this past Memorial Day weekend’s George “Ginky” Sansouci Memorial Tournament in New York – winner Klenti Kaci and runner-up Dennis Orcollo – as well as the competitor who downed Klaci shortly afterwards to win the recent Maryland State 9-Ball Championship, Zoren James Aranas. The event will feature a number of mini-tournaments, and a live stream by LiveActionMedia and AZBTv, with perennial host UpstateAl. The stream will offer daily ‘chat room’ prize giveaways. The event is being hosted by Brass Tap Billiards in Raleigh, NC.
A pair of ‘Steves’ battled it out for the 2017 Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour Championships on the weekend of December 16-17. Steve Reece and Steve Hughes played three matches to determine the winner. Reece took two out of three of them, including the all-important second set of a true double elimination final to claim the championship title. The $1,500-added Tour Championships drew 74 entrants to Randolph’s Billiards in Hickory, NC.
The first of the three ‘Steve’ battles was the hot seat match. Reece had sent Rick Roper to the loss side, double hill in one winners’ side semifinal, as Hughes sent Chris Walsh over 7-6 (Walsh racing to 8). Reece claimed the hot seat 5-4 (Hughes racing to 7) and waited for him to get back from the semifinals.
On the loss side, Walsh picked up Jeff Abernathy, who’d defeated Scott Roberts 10-6 and Daniel Gambill 10-8 (double hill) to reach him. Roper drew Bernie Kirby, who’d been defeated by one of the ‘Steves’ (Hughes) and was in the midst of an 8-match, loss-side winning streak that would take him all the way to the semifinals. He’d eliminated Dalton Messer 6-3 and Mackie Lowery, double hill (6-6) to face Roper.
Walsh downed Abernathy 8-8 (Abernathy racing to 10), as Kirby chalked up win #7, 6-1 over Roper. Kirby’s last win came in the quarterfinals that followed. He eliminated Walsh 6-5 (Walsh racing to 8) to earn his re-match against Hughes.
Hughes defeated Kirby a second time, shutting him out to earn his own re-match against Reece. Hughes took the opening set of the true double elimination final 7-1. Reece rallied in the second set to win it 5-4 and claim the Tour Championship title.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Randolph’s Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour will be the 2018 season opener, scheduled for the weekend of January 6-7, 2018, and to be hosted by Mickey Milligan’s in New Bern, NC.
Harry Cooper parlayed a mid-level handicap with some deft shooting to go undefeated on the Saturday, August 5 stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour. He was challenged by separate opponents – one with a much higher, and one with just a little higher handicap – in the hot seat match and finals, but stayed the course and won the title. The $500-added event drew 31 entrants to Legend's Billiards in Inman, SC.
Cooper, racing to 5 in his matches, advanced through two rounds of play to meet up with Kyle Bailey in a winners' side semifinal. Bailey had just sent Cooper's eventual opponent in the finals, Steve Ellis, to the loss side. Brian White, in the meantime, racing to 10 in his matches, faced Mike Jones. Bailey and Jones each chalked up three racks in their matches, while Cooper and White scored their 5 and 10, respectively, to advance to the hot seat match. Cooper and White played to a 5-5 tie, which, with White racing to 10, left Cooper in the hot seat, and White moving over to the semifinals.
On the loss side, Steve Ellis, racing to 6, started his trip back to the finals with a 6-3 win over Jerry Varnado, and a 6-4 win over Richard Wojnarowski, which set him (Ellis) up to face Jones. Bailey drew teenage phenom Hunter White (no relation to Brian), who'd defeated Rick Daniels and Mackie Lowery, both 9-2, to reach him.
Ellis downed Jones 6-4, and in the quarterfinals, met up with Bailey, who'd eliminated White 6-7 (White racing to 9). In a straight-up race to 6, Ellis defeated Bailey 6-3, and faced Brian White in the semifinals. In a match faintly reminiscent of the hot seat match (a tie, won by the lower-handicapped player), Ellis downed White 6-6, completing a five-match, loss-side winning streak and advanced to the finals.
In handicap-effect, hot seat occupant Cooper started the final match with one rack on the wire in a race to 5. He completed his undefeated run with a 5-3 victory that earned him the event title.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Legend's Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for August 12-13, will be hosted by The Clubhouse in Lynchburg, VA.
