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Wagner Earns Third AWBT Title of Season

Rebecca Wagner and Samantha Shaw

Congratulations to all the ladies who cashed in the tour stop at Bullshooters on October 8th – 9th. Day two started out with two tight battles on the A side, where Samantha Shaw and Dori De Leon squeaked by with very close wins. On the B side, the first matches advanced Rebecca Wagner and Pearl Ortiz. Rebecca was determined to stay afloat and get a shot at a repeat win, and won handily over Sara Miller and Ortiz. Meanwhile, on the front side, Dori and Samantha had a hill-hill battle that came down to the last balls, and Samantha came out with the win. Rebecca won over Dori, sending her home in 3rd place. Rebecca had her game face on in the final matchup between her and Samantha, and only let 3 games get by her with a final score of 9-3 in the extended race format.

17 ladies returned on Sunday for the 2nd Chance tournament. $300 was up for grabs thanks to additional money added by Mike Bates and Bull Shooters! Congrats to the winners!

1st – Barb Hamilton – $175
2nd – Angel Rodriguez $105
3rd – Barbara Lee – $60
4th – Justine Bishop – $40

24 Dudes played in the Balls Only event. Nick De Leon split because he had to catch a plane to the US Open.

1st/2nd – Nick De Leon and Marios Komninakis – $525
3rd – Bret Huth – $75
4th – Manny Luevano – $25

We want to thank our generous sponsors for all the added money at these events!

See you next month at the Bernie Store Scotch Doubles Season Finale!

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Wagner Wins Second AWBT Title This Season

Justine Bishop and Rebecca Wagner

The ladies of the Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour were back in action on stop 5 of the 2022 season at Metro Sportz Bar in Phoenix, Arizona on September 10th – 11th, and Rebecca Wagner again made the most of her long trip from Las Vegas to earn her second tour stop win of the season. 

Wagner had wins over Holly Swider and Amanda Pulley on Saturday, and that was enough to keep her on the winners side for Sunday play. Sunday matches on the winners side looked like an all-star lineup from past AWBT events. Wagner faced Susan Williams, who has won more AWBT titles than she can probably count. On the other side of the bracket, tour director (and runner-up at stop 4) Justine Bishop took on Susan Mello, who has been winning AWBT tour stops since the first season of the tour. 

Bishop did her best to send the message that this is her time to win on the tour, as she sent Mello to the left side of the board 7-1. Williams had more of a battle, but handed Wagner her first loss 7-5. 

The hot-seat match was a battle, with Bishop scoring a 7-5 win to her earn her spot in her second straight final match. 

The loss to Williams might have spurred Wagner on, as she was on a warpath on the left side of the board. Wagner scored back to back to back 7-2 wins over Pearl Ortiz, Jaye Succo and Williams to earn her place in the finals against Bishop. 

The final match was an extended 9-8 match and Wagner took complete control at the 2-2 point of the match. Bishop failed to cash in on a couple opportunities and that was all Wagner needed as she won seven straight racks for the 9-2 win and her second title of the season. 

Sunday’s second chance tournament saw Claudia Morado go undefeated with wins over Holly Swider for the hot-seat and then Samantha Shaw in the finals. 

The AWBT staff send out their thanks to all of the staff at Metro Sportz Bar as well as all of their sponsors for this season, Las Glorias Grill, Your Way Logistics, Avalon Home Performance, Goober Pet Direct, Amber Call – Realty One Group, Idle Hands Vintage, Sophia’s House Cleaning, A-Best Billiards and Friends of the AWBT. The tour will be at Bullshooters in Phoenix on October 8-9 for their next stop.

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Heather Cortez Goes Undefeated for AWBT Win

Justine Bishop and Heather Cortez

A broken hand might have sidelined Heather Cortez’s pool playing career, but it was only a temporary setback as she went undefeated to win stop four on the Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour at Pockets Billiards in Tucson, Arizona on July 10th – 11th.

Cortez had wins over Morgan Serventi, Audrey Chua, Stephanie Parker, and tournament director Priscilla Hernandez to get to the hot-seat match, where she faced stop three winner Rebecca Wagner. Cortez commented on the pressures of those last couple matches, “I was fighting nerves all day and did not play my best my first match (on Sunday) against Priscilla and almost lost. Then I found out I was playing Rebecca and it lit a fire in me. I wanted that match. I thought it would be her and I in the finals. I honestly don’t remember much of the match. That’s how I know I was focused”. That focus was rewarded in the form of a 7-2 win over Wagner.

The finals were not a rematch with Wagner, as tour director Justine Bishop came into the semi-finals on a seven-match winning streak and then sent Wagner home in third place. Bishop dropped her first match of the weekend to tour veteran Anne Gray, but bounced back to run through a who’s who of top AWBT players on the one-loss side. Bishop had notable wins over multiple event winner Rae Evan, multiple event winner Amanda Pulley, multiple multiple event winner Susan Williams and then a 5-3 win over Wagner to get to the finals. Bishop commented on that run of left-side matches, “honestly I kept imagining I was in a video game where you gotta beat the level bosses all the way to the end to meet the final boss”.

The final match was an extended 9-8 race and Bishop took control early. “I thought Justine had me beat. I started out down 3-0 and spotting her a game to 9. I told myself to just relax and enjoy it.” said Cortez. Cortez fought back to tie the match at 4-4, but Bishop reached the hill first at 7-7. Bishop hung what would have been the case 9-ball, leaving the two players one rack to determine the event winner. “The last rack I told myself to just be smart. I made a ball, got an open shot, and took it one ball at a time from there.” said Cortez. That strategy paid off as she ran that last rack for the tournament win.

In addition to the broken hand, and Covid, Cortez had to deal with her Mom passing away recently. Just before her Mom’s passing, Cortez received the invite to play in the WPBA event in Las Vegas back in March. She cashed in that event and took that as a sign that she needed to get back to her pool game. “I’m a big believer in the universe and karma and everything happens for a reason and I felt like the universe knew I needed something good and that was it”. With her 9th place finish in Vegas, Cortez was ready to get serious about her game again. “It’s been a few months now and I decided I wanted to really give this a shot and see what could come of it. So now I practice almost everyday and am trying to make it to as many events as possible.” Cortez’s next event will be the WPBA Masters in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan next week. Her next AWBT event will be stop five at Metro Sportz Bar in Phoenix on September 10th – 11th.

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Wagner Back in the AWBT Winner’s Circle

Kaitlin Stengel and Rebecca Wagner

In her second tournament back on the Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour, Las Vegas’ Rebecca Wagner shook off the rust and came through the one loss side to win stop three at Main Street Billiards in Mesa, Arizona on June 4th – 5th. 

Wagner was the top rated player in the event, and she had to earn each and every match win, as she was giving up 6-3 races in many of her matches. She made it past 6-3 races against Claudia Justus and Misty Anderson, but a 6-3 race against tour veteran Terri Johnson-McCauley was too much for Wagner to handle. “She came with some crazy good outs that I didn’t anticipate.” said Wagner. 

Johnson-McCauley didn’t have too long to celebrate on the winners side, as she dropped her next match to eventual hot-seat occupant Kaitlin Stengel. Stengel followed up the win over Johnson-McCauley with a hill-hill win over Stephanie Martin and then a win against Simone Huskey for the hot-seat. 

Back on the one loss side, Wagner ended Saturday with two hill-hill wins (both 6-3 races) over Jamie Hagerty and Joanne Mattingly.

Wagner’s Sunday started with a 6-5 match against Rae Evans, who had not lost a match through the first two AWBT events this season. That perfect record was brought to an end by Huskey on the winner’s side Saturday and Wagner was happy to end Evans’ weekend in 9th place after a hill-hill match. 

Wagner went on to win four more matches on Sunday to get to the single elimination final against Stengel. As Stengel is still a bit of a newcomer to the tour, this was the first meeting between Wagner and Stengel, but Stengel said she was familiar with her opponent’s game. “I had never played Rebecca Wagner but I have had the pleasure of watching her shoot before. Rebecca plays an excellent game, striking when she has the opportunity and playing safe until she does.” she said.

For Stengel, the appearance in her first final on tour was proof that her hard work is paying off. “Mitch (Ellerman) was kind enough to give me a few pointers while playing some racks at Metro Sports Bar last week, and I’ve also been working with Jon Smith a bit in the last few months. Both of them have really helped me with my stroke mechanics, cue ball movement and practicing with intention” said Stengel. “Over the last 6 months I have been putting a lot of attention on my mental focus during competitions. I definitely think that this, along with a nice sprinkle of luck, was what made the biggest difference for me at this event”. 

In the end, the finals appeared to come down to experience. For Wagner, a final match like this is nothing new, but for Stengel it was her first time in a situation like this. “ I think that the nerves of being up against such a high caliber player and the fatigue from a long weekend of pool definitely took its toll on my game” said Stengel. “The skill level difference got into my head and I didn’t approach my sequences in the same way I had for the rest of the weekend”.

Wagner won the extended final match 8-2 and while she says she thinks she is playing at maybe 80% of her game, she isn’t sure how many more events she will be able to get back out to attend in the immediate future. “I’m still working two full time jobs so probably not much time for competition but I’ll sneak an event or two in” she said. 

Both Wagner and Stengel will have their next opportunities on July 9th – 10th when the AWBT travels to Pockets in Tucson, Arizona for stop #4. 

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Evans Stays Perfect on AWBT

Susan Williams and Rae Evans

The Arizona Women’s Billiards Tour made their way up to Griff’s in Las Vegas, Nevada for their second stop of the year on March 5th and 6th, but even the change in scenery didn’t change anything at the top of the tour, as Rae Evans extended her undefeated streak and won her second (third, going back before Covid) straight tour stop. 

The field of thirty seven players held most of the usual Arizona suspects, along with some of the top female talent in Sin City. Two notable additions to the field this time were junior players Savannah Easton and Asia Gillespie. Easton caught a first round bye, while Gillespie won her first match against Ma Deterala 4-0. The second round saw both junior competitors drop their matches (Easton to eventual winner Evans) and then end up paired against each other on the one loss side. Easton got the best of her fellow junior warrior and stayed alive on the left side of the board all day on Saturday, finally succumbing to local champion Rebecca Wagner on Sunday. In her first AWBT tour stop, Easton made quite an impression. Evans commented on both young player, “Savannah does so much stuff better than me. She breaks better than most players and has better fundamentals. I could go on and on. The other junior in the tournament (Gillespie) played amazing too. They both are fierce”.

After the win over Easton, Evans had wins over Billie Jo Smith, the aforementioned Wagner, Mandy Beck and finally AWBT veteran Susan Williams for the hot-seat. Williams earned a hard fought victory over Pearl Ortiz in the semi-final match, to earn another shot at Evans in the finals. Evans had beaten Williams fairly handily for the hot-seat 7-1, but she had a fight on her hands in the extended final match. Both players were tied at 1-1 and 2-2 before Williams took the first two rack lead of the match at 4-2. That might have woke Evans up as she proceeded to win six straight racks to take the hill at 8-4. Williams dug back and won three in a row to get within one rack at 8-7, but a missed 8-ball by Williams in the sixteenth rack was her last trip to the table and Evans won the match 9-7. 

For Evans, it was her second straight undefeated win on the tour, but she still felt she got fortunate to get the win, commenting after the match about how everyone on the tour is playing so much better after the long Covid break. “I didn’t have an easy match all weekend. All of the ladies are putting in so much time practicing and getting better. I’ve seen tremendous leaps in some of their games”, she said. 

Tour director Tim Daniel thanked everyone for coming out to compete in the event, as well as Mark Griffin and his great staff at Griff’s. He also sent out thanks to all of tour’s sponsors, Constantin Alexander with Papa C Productions for their streaming coverage of the event all weekend and finally his partner on the tour, Justine Bishop for her continued support in making the AWBT a success.

The Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour will be back in action on June 4th-5th at Main Street Billiards, in Mesa, Arizona for 8-ball on the 7 foot Diamonds. 

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Evans & Honoway Win AWBT Jack & Jill Scotch Event

Brian Honoway and Rae Evans

With all of their host locations shut down by Covid, the Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour hadn’t ran an event since their tour opener at Bullshooters in Phoenix back in March. Tour staff worked with Thor Skogan at Main Street Billiards in Mesa though, and the traditional season finale, a Jack and Jill Scotch Doubles Event, was able to be saved and scheduled for November 14th. 

In less than 24 hours, the event was full with a field of 24 teams back in October. Changes in pool room occupancy restrictions then allowed staff to increase the field to 32 teams, with those eight extra spots being filled from an already full waiting list of tour members. “The ladies were itching to get out and play after the past year we had and it showed. “ said tour director Junior Flores.

When the event got underway, four teams quickly separated themselves from the pack. The winner’s side came down to Rebecca Wagner & John Gottlieb, Cathy Kelley & Bud Aiello, Rae Evans & Brian Honoway, and Maria Simonson & Bryan Bach. Evans & Honoway defeated Simonson & Bach in a hill-hill match, while Wagner & Gottlieb beat Kelley & Aiello in a slightly less stressful 7-3 match. The hot-seat would then go to Wagner & Gottlieb in a tough 7-5 match. 

The team to beat on the left side of the board was Leandrea Gaff & Tony Scerca. After a loss to Wagner & Gottlieb in the third round, Gaff & Scerca won four straight matches to earn their spot in the semi-finals against Evans & Honoway. The loss in the hot-seat match did not dampen Evans & Honoway’s drive. It appeared to motivate them even more. “We were pretty riled up after losing the hot-seat match” said Evans. “It definitely made us catch a gear and fight for the win.” They quickly raced to a 3-0 lead and controlled things on the way to a 6-1 win to earn their rematch with Wagner & Gottlieb in the finals. 

The final match was an extended single race to nine and it was Evans & Honoway who cruised to a 9-4 win for first place and their first AWBT win as a couple. “I expected it to be tough and was surprised at how well we played together” said Evans. “Getting to win an AWBT event with Brian was great” she continued. 

Tour Director Junior Flores commented on how nice it was to see the tour back together after the months of lockdown. “Lots of laughing and hanging out, with some competitive pool as well. Looks like everyone had a great time. Let’s hope 2021 we can start the tour back up stronger than ever.”, he commented. Flores expressed his thanks to everyone that helped with the event. “Big thanks to Thor Skogan for hosting this event and all the staff for taking care of us! Let’s give it up to Gil Franco, Cathy Hamilton-Kelley, & Cheryl Bower Timonen for helping run a smooth tournament.”, he said. 

Wagner Takes Women’s 8-Ball, 9-Ball and All-Around Titles at USBTC

Rebecca Wagner

CueSports International, Henderson, NV (Aug. 27, 2016)  — Rebecca Wagner of Las Vegas had the hometown advantage and made the most of it, earning the Women’s 8-Ball, Women’s 9-Ball and the All-Around Titles at the 2016 US Bar Table Championships at the Westgate Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

 

Not bad for a woman who has only played one tournament since having her son, Lincoln, in October.

 

"The only tourney I played was an AWB stop and I won that," she said.

 

In fact, Wagner was so unsure about playing the USBTC that she waited until the very last minute to enter. She was at work and asked a co-worker to cover for her so she could go to the bathroom and enter the tournament 18 minutes before entries closed.

 

"The (USBTC) is in my backyard, so I felt stupid not playing," she said, even though she was not prepared and hadn’t been practicing.

 

In 2015, Wagner won the Chinook Winds Open 10-Ball tourney, beating world champion Allison Fisher twice in the finals to win. She also posted three first place wins in Arizona Women’s Billiard Tour stops throughout the year. In 2013, Wagner was the USBTC 9-Ball Champion and took second place in the 8-Ball Division.

 

Wagner, who is sponsored by Tony Hargain, owner of Hustlin USA Clothing Co., used her experience on the table to send opponent after opponent to the loser’s bracket. She beat Heather Cortez in the first round, 4-1, and followed that win up with wins over Bo Bowman, 4-1; Kimberly Whitman, 4-2; Tina Larsen, 4-1; and finally beating Jessica Frideres in the hot seat match, 4-1.

 

Frideres beat Juliana Goodman, 4-0; Sierra Reams, 4-0; and Melinda Huang, 4-0; in the winner’s bracket before losing to Wagner, 1-4. In the loser’s bracket, Frideres beat Tina Larsen, 4-1, to earn her way back to the final’s arena.

 

In the true double-elimination tournament format, Frideres had to beat Wagner twice and she knew it, jumping out to capture the first set quickly and decisively, 0-4. But in the second set, Wagner played smart and careful, keeping Frideres from the table and an opening shot as often as possible. The strategy worked and Wagner finished Frideres off in the second set by a score of 4-2.

 

Wagner said her only regret in the tournament was not playing better in the 10-Ball Division, where she placed second to Frideres.

 

"I did not capitalize on the opportunities given to me in the 10-Ball," she said.

 

The $20,000-added 23rd Annual US Bar Table Championship concludes today with the finals of the Men’s 8-Ball Division. Sponsors include: OB Cues, the Official Cue; Kamui, the Official Tip; Diamond Billiard Products, Cyclop Balls, Simonis Cloth, BadBoys Billiard Productions, FargoRate, Magic Ball Rack and Matchroom Sport.

 

The 2016 US Bar Table Championships are produced by CueSports International, the parent company of the BCAPL and USAPL. CSI also produces independent events, such as the US Open 10-Ball Championship, the US Open 8-Ball Championship and much more. For more information, visit www.playcsipool.com or call 702-719-POOL.

 

 

CueSports International (CSI) ◊ 2041 Pabco Rd., Henderson, NV 89011 ◊702-719-7665 ◊ 866-USA-POOL

 

Iceberg Two-For-Two at 2016 USBTC, While Wagner Wins Women’s 9-Ball

Justin Bergman

CueSports International, Henderson, NV (Aug. 26, 2016)  — With cool determination, Justin Bergman iced his opponents to win the 9-Ball Division of the US Bar Table Championship (USBTC) Friday at the Westgate Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, beating Shane McMinn in the finals by a score of 9-7.

 

It was a perfect follow up to his victory Wednesday when he won the 10-Ball. Bergman, aka, “Iceberg” pocketed $4,100 for the win and locked up the $1,500 All-Around Bonus, making it a $9,400 week for the 29-year-old from Fairview Heights, Ill.

 

Bergman faced a touch field in the 9-Ball Division, posting wins over Billy Thorpe, 9-6; Donny Branson, 9-6; Chris Stanfield, 9-8; Max Eberle 9-3; Ryan DeBerg, 9-2; and Edwin Garcia, 9-1, before sending Shane McMinn to the loser’s bracket after a 9-7 win to take the hot seat.

 

McMinn, a former Oklahoma State champion, beat Roberto Gomez Jr., 9-6; Josh Roberts, 9-5; Julio Burgos Torres, 9-5; and Mike DeWitt, 9-6, before losing to Bergman, 7-9. Then McMinn beat Jason Klatt to meet Bergman in the finals.

 

The finals of the 9-Ball Division, which had an alternating break format, started with each of the players breaking and running a rack. In the third rack, McMinn, who had won the lag, jawed the seven ball, giving Bergman the rack and an advantage that McMinn was unable to overcome.

 

Bergman is also still undefeated in the 8-Ball Division, which began Friday, so he has the opportunity to win the USBTC’s Triple Crown, a feat that has never been accomplished by any player. 

 

In addition, he’ll receive Mosconi Cup points for his wins — a fact that is very important to him. Before the start of the USBTC, Bergman was 14th on the Mosconi Cup rankings.

 

“I want to make the Mosconi Cup (team) so bad,” said Bergman, who represented the USA as part of the Mosconi Cup team in 2015 and 2014. “So that’s my main goal this year.”

 

[photo id=45218|align=right|width=200]

Rebecca Wagner of Las Vegas (photo at right), who placed second in the Women’s 10-Ball Division, found her way to another finals and was able to capture the 2016 USBTC Women’s 9-Ball Champion title early Friday, beating Susan Williams of Chandler, Ariz. in the finals posted wins against Mary Coffman, 7-4; Debra Aarens, 7-1; and Tina Larsen, 7-1. She beat Williams in the hot seat match, 7-4 on Thursday and repeated that feat in the finals.

 

Williams tournament included wins over Sierra Reams, 7-5; Grace Nakamura, 7-6; Anne Carmona, 7-5; and 10-Ball Champion Jessica Frideres, 7-5, before being sent to the B side of the bracket by Wagner. Then Williams beat Frideres again, 7-3, to secure her spot in the finals.

 

The US Bar Table Championships continues through Sunday with the 8-Ball divisions in full swing. The Open 8-Ball Division has 101 players and there are 26 players in the Women’s Division.

 

Players who place in the top 32 of each open division receive Mosconi Cup USA Team points on a sliding scale. The top three American players with the most points at the end of the year will be selected for the USA Mosconi Cup Team.

 

Sponsors of the $20,000-added tournament include: OB Cues, the Official Cue; Kamui, the Official Tip; Diamond Billiard Products, Cyclop Balls, Simonis Cloth, BadBoys Billiard Productions, FargoRate, Magic Ball Rack and Matchroom Sport.

 

The 2016 US Bar Table Championships are produced by CueSports International, the parent company of the BCAPL and USAPL. CSI also produces independent events, such as the US Open 10-Ball Championship, the US Open 8-Ball Championship and much more. For more information, visit www.playcsipool.com or call 702-719-POOL.

 

 

CueSports International (CSI) ◊ 2041 Pabco Rd., Henderson, NV 89011 ◊702-719-7665 ◊ 866-USA-POOL

 

Fields Narrowed in 9-Ball Division at US Bar Table Championships

Justin Bergman

CueSports International, Henderson, NV (Aug. 25, 2016)  — The 93-player field in the Open 9-Ball division at the 23rd Annual US Bar Table Championships was trimmed to just six players Thursday at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. On the winner’s side of the bracket, Shane McMinn of Ponca, Okla. faces Justin “Iceberg” Bergman of Fairview, Ill. in the hot seat match at 2:30 p.m. Friday.

 

On the B-Side of the bracket, Billy “Thorpedo” Thorpe will play Jason Klatt at 4 p.m.The winner of that match will play the loser of the hot seat match in the semi-finals.  The finals are scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be live-streamed. For live-streaming information, go to http://www.playcsipool.com/live-streaming.html.

 

To get to the hot seat match, McMinn (photo below right), a former Oklahoma State champion, beat Roberto Gomez Jr., 9-6; Josh Roberts, 9-5; Julio Burgos Torres, 9-5; and Mike DeWitt, 9-6.

[photo id=45214|align=right|width=200]

Bergman, who won the 10-Ball division on Wednesday, posted wins over Billy Thorpe, 9-6; Donny Branson, 9-6; Chris Stanfield, 9-8; Max Eberly, 9-3; Ryan DeBerg, 9-2; and Edwin Garcia, 9-1.

 

In the Women’s Division, Rebecca Wagner of Las Vegas, who placed second in the Women’s 10-Ball Division will play Susan Williams of Chandler, Az. in the finals match at 11:30 a.m. Friday. Wagner posted wins against Mary Coffman, 7-4; Debra Aarens, 7-1; and Tina Larsen, 7-1. She beat Williams in the hot seat match, 7-4 on Thursday.

 

Williams (photo below right) tournament included wins over Sierra Reams, 7-5; Grace Nakamura, 7-6; Anne Carmona, 7-5; and 10-Ball Champion Jessica Frideres, 7-5, before being sent to the B side of the bracket by Wagner. Then Williams beat Frideres again, 7-3, to secure her spot in the finals.

[photo id=45215|align=right|width=200]

 

The US Bar Table Championships continue through Aug. 28, with the 9-Ball Division concluding Friday, as the 8-Ball Division begins. The 8-Ball Open Division has 100 players and 20 players in the Women’s Division.

 

Players who place in the top 32 of each open division receive Mosconi Cup USA Team points on a sliding scale. The top three American players with the most points at the end of the year will be selected for the USA Mosconi Cup Team.

 

Sponsors of the $20,000-added tournament include: OB Cues, the Official Cue; Kamui, the Official Tip; Diamond Billiard Products, Cyclop Balls, Simonis Cloth, BadBoys Billiard Productions, FargoRate, Magic Ball Rack and Matchroom Sport.

 

The 2016 US Bar Table Championships are produced by CueSports International, the parent company of the BCAPL and USAPL. CSI also produces independent events, such as the US Open 10-Ball Championship, the US Open 8-Ball Championship and much more. For more information, visit www.playcsipool.com or call 702-719-POOL.

 

 

CueSports International (CSI) ◊ 2041 Pabco Rd., Henderson, NV 89011 ◊702-719-7665 ◊ 866-USA-POOL

 

Young Guns Dominate Winner’s Bracket in Opening Day of US Bar Table Championships

Billy Thorpe

The opening day of the 23rd Annual US Bar Table Championships began with a field of 74 players at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. And by the time the first day’s matches concluded, just three remained on the winner’s side of the bracket: Sky Woodward, Justin Bergman and Billy Thorpe — all among a growing group of strong, young players.  
 
Woodward and Bergman will face off at Noon Tuesday and the winner of the match will play Thorpe for the hot seat.
Thorpe posted wins Monday over Can Salim, 7-4; Mike Massey, 7-1; Randy Hatten, 7-2; Larry Nevel Jr., 7-5; and Shane Van Boening, 7-4.
Bergman also play strong all day, with sound wins over Miguel Batista, 7-6; Jason Klatt, 7-1; Jesse Piercey, 7-4; Dale Stanley, 7-2; and Vilmos Foldes.
Woodward’s path had victories over Manny Perez, 7-5; Mo Salamah, 7-4; Bret Huth, 7-0; and Chris McDaniel, 7-2.
 
But there are plenty of solid players on the B-side of the bracket hoping to take home the $3,800 first prize, including Manny Perez, who plays Rodrigo Geronimo at 9 a.m. and Mike Massey, who plays Dale Stanley. Others still on the one-loss side include Van Boening, Sal Butera, Bret Huth, James Adams, Jamie Bruce, Salim, Shane McMinn, Foldes, Piercey, Hattan, McDaniel, Belobradie, Nevel and Josh Roberts.
 
In the Women’s Division, Rebecca Wagner will play Jessica Frideres in the hot seat match at Noon Tuesday. Wagner posted wins against Trihn Lu , 5-3; Kimberly Whitman, 5-4 and Mary Coffman, 5-0. Frideres’ path included victories over Grace Nakamura, 5-1; Heather Cortez, 5-3; and Adina Pelletier, 5-0.
 
On the one-loss side, Nakamura takes on Whitney at 9 a.m. and Kimberly Kirk plays Deb Aarens, also at 9 a.m. The winners of those matches play Pelletier and Coffman.
 
The US Bar Table Championships take play through Aug. 28 and offer 8-ball, 9-ball and 10-ball divisions, as well as a Master of the Table bonus for both the open and women’s divisions.
In addition, players who place in the top 32 of each open division receive Mosconi Cup USA Team points on a sliding scale. The top three American players with the most points at the end of the year will be selected for the USA Mosconi Cup Team.
 
Sponsors include: OB Cues, the Official Cue; Kamui, the Official Tip; Diamond Billiard Products, Cyclop Balls, Simonis Cloth, BadBoys Billiard Productions, FargoRate, Magic Ball Rack and Matchroom Sport.
 
 
 
10-Ball Divisions Aug. 22-24
Open 10-Ball: Race to 7/$5,000 added
Women’s 10-Ball; Race to 5/ $1,000 added
 
9-Ball Divisions: Aug. 24-26
Open 9-Ball: Race to 9/$5,000 added
Women’s 9-Ball; Race to 7/ $1,000 added
 
8-ball Divisions: Aug. 26-28
Open 10-Ball: Race to 5/$5,000 added
Women’s 10-Ball; Race to 4/ $1,000 added
 
Master of the Table Bonuses*
Open Divisions: $1,500/Women’s Divisions: $500  
*Players must compete in all three divisions to be eligible for the bonus.