Capone’s 5th Labor Day Classic, held this past Labor Day weekend (Sept. 3-4), is in the books and the undefeated winners are Tommy Kennedy in the $500-added Open event and Rhyan Hunter in the $1,000-added Amateur event, which was open to competitors with a Fargo Rate of 640 and under. Both events yielded full fields; 64 in the Amateur event and 16 in the Open event at Capone’s in Spring Hill, FL.
Hunter was the only player in the Amateur event having to give the entire field a single game on the wire, which wasn’t enough for anyone to come close to him. His precision shooting and heart gave him the victory in every match. He opened with a shutout over JT Russell and advanced through victories over Justin Logan 7-3, Justin Ward 7-3 and another shutout, versus Dan Mello, to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal against Andy Crews. In the meantime, eventual runner-up Ameet Kukadia, slowly becoming a regular at Capone’s events, advanced to the other winners’ side semifinal versus (unrelated to Dan) Mike Mello, who was playing in his first event at Capone’s.
Hunter defeated Crews 7-3, as Mike Mello sent Kukadia to the loss side 7-4. Hunter claimed the hot seat 7-4 over Mello and waited on Kukadia’s return.
On the loss side, Kukadia drew Dan Mello, who’d survived a double hill match against Jamison Daniels and shut out Justin Logan to reach him. Crews picked up Justin McNulty, who’d also survived a double hill match, against Benji Estor, and came within a second straight double hill match, downing Litos Davila 6-4.
Kukadia and McNulty advanced to the quarterfinals; Kukadia, 6-2 over Dan Mello and McNulty, 6-4 over Crews. Kukadia defeated McNulty in those quarterfinals 6-3 and then won his redemption match versus Mike Mello 6-2 in the semifinals.
To claim the title, Kukadia needed to win two matches against Hunter in the finals that followed. Hunter completed his undefeated run with a 7-2 win in the only set necessary.
Tommy Kennedy (File photo)
Kennedy weathers ‘challenge’ storms to go undefeated in Open event
The Open event had its share of past champions, including Jason Richko (2019) and Tony Crosby (2021). Not present was the Labor Day Classic’s 2020 Champion, Donny Mills, who was ‘laboring away’ at Turning Stone in New York state over the weekend.
“He was doing damage up there,” said TD Carrie Vetrono, “and finished as runner-up. Congratulations to Donny.”
Tommy Kennedy was a former champion, as well (2019), and his undefeated run through the Classic made him the first competitor to have his ‘name up in lights’ as winner of the event, twice. It was not an easy journey for TK.
Of the five matches Kennedy played to claim the Labor Day Classic’s 2022 Open title, two went to double hill and two more came within a game of it. He opened with an 8-6 win over Marcus Murillo and a double hill win over Richard Broumpton, which set him up in a winners’ side semifinal against one of the former champions, Jason Richko. In the meantime, Lee Heuwagen and Tony Crosby were working their way to their meetup in the other winners’ side semifinal; Crosby arriving with a 16-3 aggregate score against Zee Zee Green (0) and Ross Webster (3), Heuwagen arriving with a 16-4 aggregate score against Bobby Jones (3) and Guy Jones (1).
Kennedy got into the hot seat match 8-6 over Richko. Heuwagen joined him after a commanding 8-2 win over Crosby. TK grabbed the hot seat 8-4.
Crosby wanted the trophy and came back from the loss-side, knocking out Sandeep Swain 7-5, Ross Webster 7-1 in the quarterfinals and this time, victorious over Heuwagen in their semifinal rematch 7-5.
Kennedy and Crosby locked up in what was Kennedy’s second double hill match. After a long day of shooting, Crosby fell short, giving way in the 15th rack and handing Kennedy the title.
TD Carrie Vetrono thanked everyone that participated and helped make Capone’s 5th Annual Labor Day Classic the tournament that it was.
“Without everyone’s help we could not do this,” she said. “Special thanks to Rocco-Rocky McElroy and his Capone’s staff for all they do, as well as Joel Vetrono and Anthony Fisher for helping send matches out on the amateur event.”
The next event at Capone’s, scheduled for the weekend of October 8-9, will be an Open Handicap event that will play out on the venue’s 9-foot tables.
The Ballpark Village 9-Ball Invitational is proud to extend an invitation to the following 90 players, who are officially invited to participate in the inaugural $25,000 added 9-Ball tournament in St Louis, MO, November 27 – December 2, 2018.
Player Registration Form is available at www.BallparkVillage9Ball.com at the bottom of the front page.
The tournament is reserving 6 spots for sponsor exemptions and a select number of qualifier tournaments, leaving 58 positions available to this list of invitees.
Entry fee for all invitees is $500. With a full field, the total purse will be $57,000. 1st place will earn $13,000 and 13th – 16th place will receive $1500.
Each participating player will receive a benefit package to include special room rates at the 4-star rated Hilton at The Ballpark. This discounted rate of $89 per night is for players only. The spectator rate is just $10 more per night. Players and fans staying at the Hilton will also get daily breakfast discounts and overnight parking rates not found elsewhere in downtown St. Louis.
The Player's package also includes event apparel, free venue parking, The Player's Lounge and discounts on food and beverage in BallPark Village. The Player's Lounge will be second-to-none in pro pool.
All players can register at the event website www.BallparkVillage9ball.com , which is mobile friendly. Registration is easy and once complete a confirmation email will be sent with follow-up instructions on payment through PayPal or credit card.
The Invited Players are:
Alcaide, David
Alcano, Ronnie
Appleton, Darren
Aranas, James
Archer, Johnny
Baraks, Jamie
Bergman, Justin
Biado, Carlo
Boyes, Karl
Bryant, Charlie
Bustamante, Fancisco
Calderon, Jerry
Caohan, Tony
Chau, Manny
Chinakhov, Ruslan
Compton, Chip
Corr, Karen
Corteza, Lee Van
Crosby, Tony
Daulton, Shannon
Davis, Mike
De Luna, Jeffery
Dechaine, Mike
Deuel, Corey
Dominguez, Oscar
Ekonomopoulos, Nick
Ellerman, Mitch
Feijen, Niels
Filler, Joshua
Fisher, Allison
Fisher, kelly
Foldes, Vilmos
Frost, Scott
Gomez, Roberto
Gorst, Fedor
Grabe, Dennis
Gray, Mark
Hall, Justin
Harriman, Danny
Hasson, Loree Jon
Hatch, Dennis
Hernandez, Frankie
Hjorleifson, Eric
Hohmann, Thorsten
Hundal, Raj
Immonen, Mika
Jones, Jeremy
Kaci, Eklent
Kang, Omar
Kazaris, Alex
Kennedy, Tommy
Kiamco, Warren
Klatt, Jason
Korsiak, Joey
Lee, Jeanette
Magid, Imran
McMinn, Shane
Meglino, Anthony
Melling, Chris
Mills, Donnie
Morra, John
Morris, Rodney
Orcollo, Dennis
Ouschan, Albin
Owen, Gabe
Pagulayan, Alex
Peach, Daryl
Perez, Manny
Pinegar, Jonathon
Reyes, Efren
Roberts, James
Roberts, Josh
Robles, Tony
Saez, Rob
Schmidt, John
Shaw, Jayson
Shuff, Brandon
Smith, Danny
Sossei, Jeremy
Souquet, Ralf
Strckland, Earl
Thorpe, Billy
Van Boening, Shane
Van Dan Berg, Nick
Webb, Monica
Villareal, Vivian
Wilkie, Shawn
Winter, Shane
Woodward, Skyler
Zvi, Zion
Any player not on this list and who wishes to be on the "Invite List" should also register at the www.BallParkVillage9Ball.com in order to be considered for the tournament, should there be an opening.
For more information, contact Tournament Director Rocky McElroy at (352) 584-5124 or email robsykora@gmail.com.
Professional pool makes its debut in the Gateway City, Tuesday, November 27th through Saturday, December 1st in downtown St. Louis, MO with The Ballpark Village 9-Ball Invitational.
Ballpark Village is the region's first sports-anchored premier entertainment district in the heart of downtown St. Louis.
This new pro 9-Ball event will feature an "Invitational Only" list of 64 premier professional pool players from around the globe who will compete for their share of the $57,000 purse. Tournament promoters are adding $25,000 to the entry fees of $500 per player to create the prize fund of $57,000. The winner of this inaugural event will earn $13,000. The prize fund will pay to 16 places, with the 13th-16th finishers taking home $1,500.
The Ballpark Village Invitational is a double elimination tournament played in Fox Sports Midwest Live
Opening night, November 27th, will feature a charity event with celebrity / player competition and exhibitions. Friday, November 30th, features live music with a local St. Louis tribute band. The tournament will conclude on Saturday, December 1st with 2 semi-final and championship matches inside FOX Sports Midwest Live!
Admission to Ballpark Village and the tournament are free, as will be the live streaming. Ballpark Village features a 1,200 square foot LED TV wall complete with a center 40 foot TV, creating the ultimate fan experience.
The Player Invitation list will be published within the next week. Player Registration for the exclusive invited players will begin shortly thereafter at the tournament website www.ballparkvillage9ball.com.
For more tournament information, contact Tournament Director, Rocky McElroy at (352) 584-5124 or email robsykora@gmail.com for business and sponsorship inquiries.
Stop # 9 on the Sunshine State Pro Am Tour featured separate tournaments held on the weekend of November 18-19. A $1,000-added Open 10-Ball event drew 57 entrants, and saw Benji Buckley win seven on the loss side to meet and defeat hot seat occupant Donny Branson in the finals. On the Amateur side, in a $500-added, 9-ball event, James Adams went undefeated through a field of 43. Both events were hosted by Capone’s in Spring Hill, FL.
Buckley’s trip to the finals was moving along on the winners’ side of the bracket, commencing with a victory over the Amateur event winner, James Adams, and then, through James Sandaler, before coming up against Rodney Morris. Morris sent Buckley to the loss side 7-3, before following him over on the heels of a 6-4 win by Jason Sheerman in a winners’ side quarterfinal. Sheerman moved on to a winners’ side semifinal against Jerry Sullivan, while Branson faced Murbarak Sulaiman.
Sheerman and Branson advanced to the hot seat match without giving up a single rack to either Sullivan or Sulaiman. Branson then defeated Sheerman 7-3 and sat in the hot seat, waiting for Buckley to complete his loss-side campaign.
Buckley began his loss-side work battling in one of the matches that determined the eight-way tie for 17th place. He got by Travis Croft, Mark Wathen, Nathan Rose, and Donny Mills to draw Sullivan. Sulaiman drew Anthony Meglino, who’d been defeated in the second winners’ side round by Sheerman (double hill) and set out on his own seven-match, loss-side winning streak that included wins over Joseph Remos, Jason Richko, Bill Bloom, Tommy Kennedy, Jessica Human and Rodney Morris, before drawing Sulaiman.
Buckley advanced to the quarterfinals 7-3 over Sullivan, as Sulaiman ended Meglino’s loss-side streak the way his winners’ side streak had been ended by Sheerman, in a double hill match. Buckley then defeated Sulaiman 7-2 in the quarterfinals, and got his shot at Branson in the hot seat with a 7-4 win over Sheerman in the semifinals.
Buckley and Branson battled back and forth through the finals. Buckley edged ahead at the end to claim the event title 11-9.
Adams goes undefeated in Amateur event
James Adams faced separate opponents in the hot seat and finals of the Amateur event. He advanced to a winners’ side semifinal against Moe Fattah, as Estel Walton faced Ricardo Rodriguez in the other one. Adams downed Fattah 7-5, and in the hot seat match, faced Walton, who’d sent Rodriguez west 7-4. Adams claimed the hot seat 7-5 over Walton and waited on what turned out to be the return of Adams.
On the loss side, Rodriguez and Fattah got right back to winning. Rodriguez defeated Sam Kantar 5-1, as Fattah advanced to meet him in the quarterfinals with a double hill win over Jeremy Bell.
Rodriguez defeated Fattah in the quarterfinals 5-2, and then shut out Walton in the semifinals. Adams put an end to Rodriguez’ short, loss-side winning streak 9-7 in the finals to claim the event title.
In addition to the prize money awarded to the finishers in each tournament, the Amateur event awarded $20 each to the top Junior finisher – Kodi Allen – and top female finisher – Kelly Cavanaugh. The Open event awarded $40 to the top female finisher, Jessica Human.
Tour director Janene Phillips offered special thanks to Rocky McElroy, owner of Capone’s, and his staff, as well as McDermott Cues for donating a cue for an event raffle. The next stop on the Sunshine State Pro Am Tour, scheduled for December 16-17, will be the tour’s Season Finale, which will be hosted by Park Avenue Billiards in Orange Park, FL.
Johnny Archer, Rodney Morris, Rocky McElroy and Tony Crosby
Meglino goes undefeated to claim Amateur title
After a double hill battle that left Rodney Morris in the hot seat, Florida Pool Tour director, Tony Crosby kept a semifinal appointment with Johnny Archer, defeated him and came back to down Morris in the finals. The $1,000-added Super 16 event ($500 to winner in the form of paid entry to the Tornado Open), was held on Sunday, April 24, and actually drew 22 entrants to Capone's in Spring Hill, FL.
In a $1,000-added, Amateur event, held on Saturday, April 23 (same location), Anthony Meglino went undefeated through a field of 83 to claim that title.
The first of the Crosby/Morris battles followed two 7-4 wins by them in the winners' side semifinals. Crosby, defeating Mike Delawder, and Morris, sending Tommy Kennedy to the loss side. Morris won the double hill, hot seat fight and waited on Crosby's return.
On the loss side, Kennedy picked up long-time rival/former road partner Johnny Archer, who'd eliminated Richard Broumpton 7-4 and Donnie Mills 7-5 to reach him. Delawder drew Meglino, who'd already won the Amateur event and here, sent Jason Richko (7-4) and Han Berber (7-3) home. Delawder and Meglino locked up in a double hill battle that eventually sent Delawder to the quarterfinals against Archer, who'd defeated Kennedy 7-2. Archer advanced a step further with a 7-4 victory over Delawder, but had his bid for the title ended by Crosby 7-4 in the semifinals.
Things weren't looking too good for Crosby when the finals opened with three straight racks for Morris. But Crosby responded, not only tying it at 3-3, but chalking up three more for a three-rack lead, which he'd never relinquish. At 6-3, they both won two more racks, and Crosby had the title.
In the Amateur event, Meglino advanced to a winners' side semifinal against Raymond Linares, while Kyle Bova and Dan Marchini squared off. Meglino and Bova advanced to the hot seat match, both 7-2, over Linares and Marchini. Meglino then defeated Bova 7-3, and waited on what turned out to be an opponent he'd sent to the loss side in a winners' side quarterfinal, Francisco Diaz.
Diaz had moved to the left bracket and defeated Mike Kohn 5-2 and John Souders 5-3 to draw Marchini. Linares picked up Felix Luna, who'd gotten by Justin Stock and Jason Hunt, both 5-3. Diaz then survived a double hill battle versus Marchini, as Luna eliminated Linares 5-3.
Diaz took the quarterfinal match over Luna 5-2 and then denied Bova a re-match versus Meglino with a double hill win in the semifinals.
Meglino completed his undefeated run with a double hill win in the finals. The victory, combined with his later 5th place finish in the Super 16 event, notched his winnings to just over $1,000 for the weekend.
Tour director Tony Crosby thanked Capone's owner Rocky McElroy and his staff for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Aramith, Simonis, Stroke-It Wear, Florida Pool Table Movers, and Billiards and Darts Supply. A "super-special" thank you went out to Xtreme Pool Challenge for the work and effort that went into their producing one of the best live streams in the country.
The Florida Pool Tour and Xtreme Pool Challenge will be at Park Avenue Billiards in Orange Park, FL on the weekend of May 14-15. The event – Super 32 – will be an Open 10-Ball Championship with a $5,000 first prize. Call 727-488-0536 or 904-200-5843 for more information or to pay your entry fee. You can also visit the tour Website at www.floridapooltour.com.
"The Rocket," otherwise known as Rodney Morris, has been chalking up his frequent flyer miles, not to mention pool shooting titles, all over the country this year. He's won three stops on the Mezz West Tour, along with the Chinook Winds (Oregon) Open 10-Ball Championships, and the 8th Wyoming Masters 10-Ball. He was third behind Dennis Orcollo and Mike Dechaine at the US Open 8-Ball Championships in Vegas, and third in the Jay Swanson Memorial Tournament out in Bellflower, CA. He's also pocketed his share of prize money in East Coast events, like Turning Stone XXIII (7th), the 4th Annual Steinway Classic (7th), the American 14:1 Championships in Virginia (9th), the Super Billiards Expo Players Championship and US Open 9-Ball Championships (13th in both).
In the weekend prior to Thanksgiving (November 21-22), he joined familiar opponents like Johnny Archer, Josh Roberts, Donny Mills, and Mike Davis in the $2,500-added, 1st Annual Super 32 10-Ball Championships, held under the auspices of the Florida Pool Tour and hosted by Capone's in Spring Hill, FL. He battled Corey Deuel twice and finished undefeated to claim the title.
He and Deuel met first in the hot seat. Deuel had sent Roberts to the loss side, double hill, as Morris was downing Florida Pool Tour director Tony Crosby 9-1 in the winners' side semifinals. In their first of two, Morris defeated Deuel 9-4, and sat in the hot seat, awaiting his return, which, based on the loss-side field still left in the hunt, wasn't exactly a sure thing.
Still left, as Roberts and Crosby moved over, were Archer and Davis. Archer had eliminated Stony Stone 9-4 and Felix Luna 9-5 to reach Roberts. Davis had gotten by Anthony Meglino 9-5 and just did outlast Donny Mills, double hill, to pick up Crosby. Crosby and Roberts went right back to work; Crosby downing Davis 9-1 and Roberts ending Archer's weekend 9-5.
Roberts defeated Crosby 9-5 in the quarterfinals, and then had his short, two-match, loss-side run ended in the semifinals by Deuel 9-6. In a single race to 11, Morris defeated Deuel a second time, 11-4, to claim the title.
The Florida Pool Tour thanked Rocky McElroy and the staff at Capone’s for hosting this inaugural event and for providing some great service, great food, and great times. Capone’s, said tour representatives, has been a staple room for many pro and regional tours in Florida for years, and has raised a stable of professional players including Morris and Deuel. They suggested that if you're in the Spring Hill area, you should visit Capone's and support the room. Special thanks went out to Jimi and Janene Phillips, and the Central Florida BCA Leagues & USAPL for sponsoring this event. Tour representatives thanked Xtreme Pool Challenge, Gary Patrick and his staff, for their time and effort in producing an outstanding streaming experience; five tables in HD quality, free of charge.
The next event on the Florida Pool Tour, scheduled for January 16-17, 2016 at ZIngale's Billiards and Sports Bar in Tallahassee, FL will be the $5,000-added Florida State Open 10-Ball Championship. Visit www.floridapooltour.com for more information and 'Like' Florida Pool Tour on Facebook for updates.
The Seminole Pro Tour would like to thank all of the fans, players, room owners and especially sponsors who have supported the tour through the past five years that the tour has been in existence. It is with great sorrow and lament that the Seminole Tour will not have a season in 2012 and will continue to suspend operations indefinitely.
From its small beginnings as a regional tour in South Florida, to its growth as the premier national 10-ball tour in the country, the Seminole Pro Tour has always strived to put the player’s and fan’s interest first. The operations were not munsoned, but rather an executive decision to suspend operations was made. The amount of support that the Tour has had has been overwhelming. The countless correspondence that has been received expressing their support for the Tour has not gone unnoticed. The Seminole Pro Tour and the Seminole Tribe would like to say, “Sho-naa-bish (thank you).”
The Tour would especially like to thank a few people specifically. John DiToro, the creator of the original Seminole Pro Tour, is not only one of the best tour directors, but also a wonderful person. It was his vision and dedication that got the Seminole Pro Tour to the heights of the industry. John is a true professional and his work ethic is second to none. Thank you, John.
The Seminole Tribe had the pleasure to sponsor a couple of players. Corey Deuel, the Prince of Pool, was a true cornerstone to the betterment of the Tour’s operations. Corey’s professionalism and true love of the game helped the Tour grow leaps and bounds. If not for Corey, the Tour would have never been able to reach the levels that it did. Thank you, Corey.
The many sponsors and room owners that helped make the Tour possible are another group of people that were essential to the Tour’s operations. Without dedicated room owners and sponsors, the Tour would have never been able to reach the number of fans all over the country and the world. One room owner who stood by the Tour through thick and thin has been Rocky McElroy. No matter what the situation, The Tour could always count on Rocky to be there with his support and the support of his pool room, Capone’s. Thank you to all the sponsors, room owners and Rocky.
The Tour could not have grown without all of the great players that have honored the Tour by playing in the tournaments. The Seminole Pro Tour was unique in that it allowed average players to play alongside of World Champions. The Tour has seen several great matches and players in each tournament. If the great players would have never supported the Tour, there would have never been a national Tour. Thank you to all players who played in the tournaments.
The Tour would like to thank all of the staff and workers who dedicated themselves and sacrificed their time to make sure the Tour ran as smoothly as possible. Gerry Mayen, Tiffany Marquez, Kevin Pickard, Brenda Mello, Bobby Frank, OB Osceola and Elrod Bowers all had their mark on the operations of the Tour. Without their hard work in the office and on the road, the Tour would not have been so successful. Thank you, Seminole Pro Tour staff.
Lastly, the tour would like to thank all of the fans who supported the Tour. So many great fans came to see the events all over the country and thousands more watched online through our web streams. The fans are who the Tour was created for and their unconditional support is appreciated. Thank you, fans.
The Seminole Tribe of Florida has decided to pursue other operations within the Tribe and therefore will not be considering any further pool-related ventures at this time. The Seminoleprotour.com website will remain running so the final inventory of merchandise can be sold with extremely reduced prices.
