Donnie Stewart made his first official appearance on the AZBilliards Money Leaderboard in 2018, when he recorded cash payout finishes in four stops on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour; finishing 9th, 7th, 5th, and (his best, to that point) 3rd at a stop in Cary, NC. On Saturday, November 2, at a $500-added stop, hosted by Shore Thing Billiards in North Myrtle Beach, SC, Stewart went undefeated into the hot seat, gave up the opening set of a true double elimination final to Matt Collins, but came back to take the second set and claim his first ever event title.

 

Stewart had to get by Collins twice, actually. They met first in a winners’ side semifinal, as Mitchell Floyd and Deon Rheuark squared off in the other one. Stewart sent Collins to the loss side 6-3. Floyd joined him in the battle for the hot seat, after shutting Rheuark out. Stewart claimed the hot seat 6-2 and waited for Collins to finish his three-match, loss-side trip back to the finals.

 

On the loss side, Collins drew Travis Guerra, who’d defeated Alex Stone 6-4 and Keno Patel 6-2 to reach him. Rheuark drew Wendell Thompkins, who’d gotten by Sugar Small 7-3 and survived a double hill (7-6) battle versus Greg Dix.

 

Collins got into the quarterfinal match with a 6-4 win over Guerra. Thompkins joined him, after eliminating Rheuark 7-1. The last recorded time that Collins and Thompkins had faced each other in a pool match, it was in the same location, in the finals of a stop on the Great Southern Billiard Tour in 2015. Thompkins had defeated Collins in the hot seat match of that event, but Collins came back from a double hill win in the semifinals, chalked up a second double hill win in the opening set of the finals, and then took the second set to claim his first event title. Back at Shore Thing Billiards, just over four years later, Collins bested Thompkins again; this time, 6-4 to win the quarterfinal match.

 

Collins shut Mitchell Floyd out in the semifinals and strode into the double elimination finals with some momentum. He used it to chalk up a 6-2 win in the opening set. Stewart, though, came back in the second set to win it 6-2 and claim his first event title.

 

Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Shore Thing 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 (Nov. 9-10), will be a $500-added event ($1,000-added with 64 or more entrants) hosted by Break ‘N Run Billiards in Chesnee, SC.

Two months ago (July 26), Gerry Shepherd, owner of Mickey Milligan's in New Bern, NC, became the first room owner to ever win a stop on the Great Southern Billiard Tour. On the weekend of Sept 26-27, Marty Opyd, owner of Legends Billiards in Inman, SC became the second. He went undefeated in the $1,000-added event that drew 47 to his establishment.

 

Opyd was challenged by separate opponents in the hot seat match and potential double elimination final. He'd defeated James Moore 6-2 to get into the hot seat match, where he was met by Mike Wood, who'd sent Mike Langley to the loss side 4-2. Opyd claimed the hot seat 6-2 over Wood and waited on what turned out to be the return of Bruce Lutrell. 

 

Lutrell was already on the loss side, working on a winning streak that would take him to the finals. Following victories over Dayne Miller 7-2 and Cary Burton 7-3, he drew Moore. Langley picked up Marcus Ovalle, who'd gotten by Matt Collins 4-3 (Collins racing to 6), and Michael Vinesett 4-2.

 

With Ovalle racing to 4, Mike Langley prevailed 3-2 to advance to the quarterfinals. He was met by Lutrell, who'd defeated Moore 7-3. Lutrell gave up only a single rack in the quarterfinal versus Langley, and gave up only two to chalk up the semifinal against Wood. Opyd stopped Lutrell's streak with a 6-5 win in the opening set of the true double elimination final to claim the event title.

Matt Collins had gotten as close as third in his attempts to win a stop on the Great Southern Billiard Tour. Returning to the site of that third-place, April 2014 finish, Shore Thing Billiards in Myrtle Beach, SC, Collins took a short, loss-side route to the winners' circle; losing the hot seat match, and returning from the semifinals to double dip hot seat occupant, Wendell Thompkins, a veteran GSBT competitor with a few victory notches on his GSBT belt. The $600-added event drew 27 entrants to Shore Thing Billiards on the weekend of September 5-6.

 

Collins earned his spot in the hot seat match with a 6-4 win over Scott Crane. Thompkins had defeated B.J. Hucks 8-4 to join him. Thompkins claimed the hot seat 8-4, and waited on Collins' fateful return.

 

On the loss side, Hucks drew David Tootle, who'd defeated Phillip Britt 6-6 (Britt, racing to 9) and Tony DeGuzman 6-2, to reach him. Crane picked up Gatlin Askins, who'd eliminated Zach Baker 8-2 and Melody Duval 8-1. With Askins racing to 8, Crane defeated him 5-7, as Tootle downed Hucks 6-4.

 

Crane then came out on the right side of a double hill quarterfinal against Tootle. He came out on the wrong side of subsequent double hill semifinal versus Collins, who got a second shot at Thompkins in the hot seat. Collins locked up in his second straight double hill match and won it to force a second set. They came within a game of another double hill match, but with Thompkins racing to 8, Collins completed his first GSBT victory with a 6-6 win in the second set.

 

The next stop on the GSBT, a $1,000-added event (with 40 or more entrants; $1,500 with 60 or more), scheduled for the weekend of September 19-20, will be hosted by Michael's Billiards, in Fairfield, OH. Sign-ups and practice are scheduled for noon on Saturday, with match play commencing at 2 p.m.

 

It was the first time that either Brad Stone or Christy Norris had appeared in a Great Southern Billiard Tour final. They'd met earlier in a winners' side semifinal, with Stone advancing to the hot seat, and Norris coming back from a three-match sojourn to the losers' bracket. Stone took two out of three against Norris to claim his first GSBT title, approximately three weeks ahead of reporting for duty with the United States Marine Corps. The $800-added event, drew 39 entrants to Shore Thing Billiards in Myrtle Beach, SC on the weekend of December 13-14.

 

The first of the three meetings between Stone and Norris was a double hill affair that moved Stone into the hot seat match and sent Norris to the losers' bracket. Stone was joined in the winners' side final by Rich Anderson, who'd defeated Zach Courtwright 8-2. Stone defeated the higher-ranked Anderson 4-6 to gain the hot seat and wait on Ms. Norris.

 

On the loss side, Norris picked up Matt Collins, who'd defeated Brittany Burnett 7-2 and Matt Hall 7-1 to reach her. Courtwright drew Luis Tovar, who'd eliminated Tanya Parsley 5-1, and Tony DeGuzman 5-2.

 

It was Norris and Courtwright who advanced to the quarterfinals; Norris with a 5-4 victory over Collins, as Courtwright was busy ending Tovar's day 4-2. Norris downed Courtwright in that quarterfinal match 5-2 and went on to defeat Anderson 5-7 in the semifinals.

 

She defeated Stone 5-2 in the opening set of the true double elimination final. The two battled to double hill in the second set, before Stone prevailed to earn his first GSBT title.

Tyler Mayfield came back from a loss in the winners' side quarterfinals of the June 14-15 stop on the Great Southern Billiard Tour, to meet and twice defeat hot seat occupant, Wendell Thompkins. It was Mayfield's first win on the tour. The $750-added event drew 28 entrants to Shore Thing Billiards in Myrtle Beach, SC.

 

It was Mike Slaughter who sent Mayfield west 7-3, during the winners' side quarterfinals. Slaughter moved on to face David Small, as Thompkins met up with Dan Woods. Slaughter sent Small over to follow Mayfield 7-4, as Thompkins downed Woods 9-2. Thompkins shut Slaughter out in the hot seat match, little knowing that the shutout would be his last win.

 

Mayfield opened his loss-side campaign with a 6-5 win over B.J. Hucks, and followed it with a 6-3 win over Mitchell Floyd, which set him up to face Woods. Small picked up Mickey Hucks, who'd gotten by Matt Collins 6-5 and Joey Stevens 6-2 (prior to being eliminated himself, Stevens had eliminated his wife, Kathy, 5-2).

 

Mayfield and Hucks handed Small and Woods their second-straight loss; Mayfield, 6-1 over Woods and Hucks, 6-5 over Small. Mayfield downed Hucks 6-3 in the quarterfinals, earning himself a re-match against Slaughter in the semifinals. He exacted his revenge 6-4 and then defeated Thompkins twice in the double elimination final – 6-5 and 6-6 – to claim his first GSBT title.

Wendell Thompkins got two shots at him, but couldn't get by Anthony Vallario, who went undefeated to win the May 10-11 stop on the Great Southern Billiard Tour. The $700-added event drew 28 entrants to Shore Thing Billiards in Myrtle Beach, SC.

 

Thompkins (racing to 9) had his first chance against Vallario in a winners' side semifinal, as Kevin Ping and Justin Martin were squaring off in the other one. Vallario (racing to 6) defeated Thompkins 6-5 and in the hot seat match, facEd Martin, who'd sent Ping to the losers' bracket 5-4. Martin battled Vallario to double hill, but Vallario prevailed to sit in the hot seat, awaiting the return of Thompkins.

 

Thompkins moved to the loss side and picked up Phillip Britt, who'd defeated Chad Lee 9-2 and Ken Cable 9-4. Ping drew Jason Martin (father to Justin), who'd gotten by Guy Faulk 6-2 and survived a double hill match against Matt Collins. Jason Martin downed Ping 6-1, as Thompkins was busy eliminating Britt 9-4. Thompkins then spoiled the possibility of a father-son semifinal with a defeat of the father, Jason, 9-3 in the quarterfinals. He then defeated the son, Jason, by the same score in the semifinals for a second shot at Vallario. 

 

Thompkins fared better in the re-match, falling a game short of forcing a case game. Vallario, though, hung on to win 6-7 and claim the event title.

 

Tour director Shannon Daulton thanked the ownership and staff of Shore Thing Billiards, along with sponsors Nick Varner Cues & Cases, Delta-13, Ozone Billiards, Tiger Products, Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, Lomax Cues, and Universe Clothing. The 10th stop on the GSBT, scheduled for May 17-18, will be hosted by Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.

Bo Miller came into the April 12-13 stop on the Great Southern Billiard Tour playing at the bottom of the amateur rankings. He had to win only three games per match, while other competitors in the $1,000-added event that drew 44 entrants to Shore Thing Billiards in Myrtle Beach, SC had to win as many as nine games per match. Miller went undefeated through the field, and in the process stopped a strong challenge by a 21-year-old US Marine, Josh Heeter, who won nine on the loss side to face him in the finals.

 

Miller advanced to a winners' side semifinal against Brad Stone, racing to 5, and defeated him, double hill (3-4), to advance to the hot seat match. He faced Matt Collins, who'd sent Dan Woods to the loss side 6-2. Miller won his requisite three games in the winners' side final, with Collins winning only two of the six he needed.

 

On the loss side, Heeter, with a bye and four matches behind him, defeated Josh Salins 7-4 and Chandler DeGuzman 7-2, to draw Stone. Woods picked up Ricky Boughman, who'd gotten by Phillip Britt 7-7 (Britt racing to 9), and BJ Hucks 7-5, to reach him. Heeter gave up only a single rack to Stone, and Boughman, only two to Woods, advancing them to the quarterfinals.

 

Heeter chalked up loss-side win # 8 in a 7-3 win over Bougham, and then picked up a second, single-rack-only victory over Collins in the semifinals. Heeter and Miller fought to double hill (2-6) in the finals, but Miller prevailed to chalk up his first victory on the Great Southern Billiard Tour.

 

Tour director Shannon Daulton thanked the ownership and staff at Shore Thing Billiards for their continuing hospitality, as well as sponsors Nick Varner Cues & Cases, Delta-13, Ozone Billiards, Tiger Products, Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, Lomax Cues, and Universe Clothing. The GSBT will return to Shore Thing Billiards on the weekend of May 10-11, , scheduled for April 12-13, will be hosted by Shore Thing Billiards in Myrtle Beach, SC.