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Moore chalks up fourth APT win to maintain season-ending top tour ranking

Eric Moore and Shaun Wilkie

Going into the final event of the 2017 Action Pool Tour season, there was no catching Eric Moore's top spot in the tour rankings. Ahead by nearly 2,000 points, with three victories on the year (in Feb., June, and Nov.), Moore would have been the tour champion even if his closest competitor in the rankings, Brandon Shuff, had competed and defeated him in the finals of the event. Punctuating his finish at the top of the tour rankings, Moore went undefeated through a field of 35, on-hand for APT's season finale, hosted by Q Master Billiards in Virginia Beach, VA, on the weekend of December 10-11.
 
 
While there was no drama surrounding who'd be the 2017 tour champion, the season finale did offer two competitors the opportunity to vie for the runner-up position, which would earn that player entry into all three divisions of the 2017 US Bar Table Championships in Las Vegas, as well as hotel accommodations (the winner, Moore, received the same bonus prize, in addition to plane fare). With Shuff not in attendance, that runner-up slot would (no matter where they finished) go to either Shaun Wilkie, who entered the tournament in third place, or Kenny Miller, who entered the tournament in fourth place. They were separated by only 19 points.
 
 
In effect, that question was answered when they met in the third round of play. After an opening round bye, Wilkie opened his campaign with a shutout over Thomas Williams. Miller, also awarded an opening round bye, opened with a double hill win (9-8) over Christopher Wilburn, who ended up 6th in the tour rankings. Wilkie advanced 9-5 over Miller, who moved west, won a single match (against Nicole Fleming) and was then eliminated by Steve Fleming, who'd end up 5th in the tour rankings.
 
 
Wilkie and Moore, now securely in the #1 and #2 positions on the tour, advanced to face each other in a winners' side semifinal. Reymart Lim, making only his third appearance on the 2017 tour, and cousin Nilbert Lim, making his second, squared off in the other semifinal. In their first of two, Moore downed Wilkie 9-7, as Reymart Lim defeated Nilbert Lim 9-6. Moore claimed the hot seat 9-6 over Reymart, assuring Reymart another (minimum) third place finish to match his effort back in May, when he finished behind Wilkie and Shuff. 
 
 
On the loss side, Wilkie drew Greg Sabins, who'd defeated Steve Fleming, double hill (right after Fleming had eliminated Kenny Miller) and R.J. Carmona 7-3. Nilbert Lim picked up Pat Carosi, who'd gotten by Ray Reyna 7-5 and Christopher Wilburn 7-2 to reach him. Wilkie advanced to the quarterfinals 7-2 over Sabins, and was met by Carosi, who'd ended Nilbert Lim's weekend 7-5.
 
 
Wilkie made short work of Carosi, allowing him only a single rack in their quarterfinal match. Reymart Lim, looking to advance to his first final, put up a fight in the semifinals against Wilkie, but fell short 7-5.
 
 
And so it was, that the top two players on the 2017 Action Pool Tour, squared off in the finals of the tour's season finale. Moore laid further claim to his already secured top spot in the rankings with a commanding 11-4 victory over Wilkie. 
 
 
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Q Master Billiards for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Predator, Ozone Billiards, AZBilliards and Hammerbacher Instruction.

Green goes undefeated to take 10th Annual VA State 9-Ball Championships

Eric Moore, Joshua Dickerson (TD) and Danny Green

Though Eric Moore would come back from winning five on the loss side to face him in the finals, Danny Green hung on to go undefeated and win the 10th Annual VA State 9-Ball Championships on the weekend of September 14-15. In addition to prize money, both Green and Moore received free entry to the US Open 9-Ball Championships next month, as did top female finisher, Daisy Blancaflora. The event drew 68 entrants to Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA.
 
Having sent Moore to the loss side 9-7 in the fifth round of play, Green moved into a winners' side semifinal against R.J. Carmona. Brandon Shuff, in the meantime, took on Ray Mart-Lim. Green and Shuff faced each other in the hot seat match with identical 9-4 wins over Carmona and Lim. Green and Shuff locked up in a double hill fight that eventually sent Shuff to the semifinals against Moore.
 
Moore's march back to the finals began with a 9-6 win over Corey Sykes and was followed by a 9-7 win over Max Schlothauer, which set Moore up to face Carmona. Lim drew David Hunt, who'd gotten by Ray Reyna 9-3 and Chris Futrell 9-5. 
 
Moore and Lim moved into the quarterfinals with 9-7 wins over Sykes and Hunt, and then battled each other to double hill before Moore advanced. Moore then took out Brandon Shuff 9-7 in the semifinals for a second shot against Green. Green took the final match 11-7 and the 10th Annual VA State 9-Ball Championship crown.
 

Hughes stops loss-side challenge from Winpiglar to win GSBT stop

Joe Hughes, Shannon Daulton, & Rick Winpiglar

It took Joe Hughes five matches to get into the finals of the Great Southern Billiard Tour stop on the weekend of April 14-15. It took his opponent, Rick Winpiglar, who’d gone to the loss side after the first round of play, twice that many. Winpiglar took the opening set of the true double elimination final to win his eleventh, but Hughes came back to chalk up his sixth and capture the event title. The $1,000-added, bar table US Open Qualifier tournament drew 44 entrants to Q-Master Billiards in Virginia Beach, VA.

With three wins behind him, Hughes moved into the winners’ side semifinals to take on Ray Reyna. Jesse Figeroa, in the meantime, squared off against Cary Dunn. Figeroa sent Dunn west 9-7, as Hughes moved into the hot seat match against him with a 7-3 win over Reyna. Hughes chalked up his fifth win, 7-3 over Figeroa, and sat in the hot seat, waiting for Winpiglar to complete his 10th on the loss side.

It was Reyna who ran into the streaking Winpiglar, who’d already chalked up seven, including a 7-1 victory over Romy Malonzo, and a 7-4 win against Rob Leeper. Dunn drew Darrell Neselrod, who’d defeated Jose Hernandez 9-3 and Chris Futrell 9-8 to reach him. Winpiglar downed Reyna 7-4 and was joined in the quarterfinal match by Dunn, who’d eliminated Neselrod 9-7.

With eight down and two to go, Winpiglar defeated Dunn in the quarterfinals 7-3, and completed his loss-side journey with a 7-6 win over Figeroa in the semifinals. He then took the opening set of the double elimination final against Hughes 7-3. Hughes ended Winpiglar’s run with a second set, 7-5 win that secured the event title.

Tour directors Shannon and Marge Daulton thanked Q-Master Billiards’ owner Barry Behrmann and his staff for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, Nick Varner Cues and Cases, Mike Davis Exterminating, Tiger Products and Delta-13 racks. The Great Southern Billiard Tour will return to Q-Master Billiards in July, and will also host a bar table/US Open qualifier the weekend of the start of the US Open, which will be open to all players, including the pros.