Jayson Shaw, Mika Immonen and defending champion Aloysius Yapp are all through to the last 16 of the Seybert’s Michigan Open, while Jasmin Ouschan, Allison Fisher and Margaret Fefilova are into the single elimination stage of the women’s event at the fourth 2022 stop on the Predator US Pro Billiard Series presented by CSI.
Fefilova followed her opening-day victory over Kelly Fisher with a 4-0, 4-1 win against Shanelle Loraine to come through the winners’ side of the draw and into the last 16. Karen Corr rolled back the years to beat Canada Open champion ‘Amber’ Chia Hua Chen by shootout for her place in the single elimination stage, and Allison Fisher defeated Kristina Tkach, also by shootout.
In the open event, Immonen produced a strong performance to beat Naoyuki Oi 4-0, 4-3 for a place in the single elimination stage. The Finnish Hall of Famer won the lag and ran three racks before a dry break allowed Oi out of his chair. However, a misplayed 1-ball bank left a 1/10 combo for Immonen to win the set.
In a reversal of the first set, Oi took the first three racks of the second. However, Immonen was determined to avoid the shootout and put together a brilliant four-pack to win the set 4-3.
“That is probably the best I have played in a little while,” said Immonen. “It was nice to come out of the gates strong and put a three pack on him. He got into the game a little bit in the second set and was 3-0 up. I made a few mistakes but I finally ran out and broke and ran three to close the door to him. When you win the first set, the worst case is you go to shootout, but it was nice to close the door.”
Chang Jung-Lin was taken to a shootout by Sharik Sayed after their first two sets finished 4-1, 2-4. Sayed had sent Carlo Biado to the losers’ side earlier in the day with a 4-3 shootout win, but wasn’t as sharp from the spot against Chang, missing his first two as Chang made three in three to advance to the last 16.
Yapp and Shaw both also needed shootouts to advance. Yapp, winner of this event last fall, won 4-1, 1-4, 3-2 against Bader Alawadhi and Shaw was a 4-2, 1-4, 4-3 winner against Pijus Labutis.
Fedor Gorst, Vitaliy Patsura, Robbie Capito and Joven Bustamante complete the eight players who have made it through to the last 16 from the winners’ side, with three rounds of play on Friday set to determine the other half of the single elimination draw.
Among the big-name players returning on the losers’ side are Alex Pagulayan, who lost in a shootout to Ukraine’s Vitaliy Patsura on Wednesday, John Morra, who was defeated 4-0, 4-1 by Shaw, and Biado after his defeat to Sayed.
Recent World Women’s 10-Ball Championship runner-up Wei Tzu-Chien is among the players who join Fefilova, Corr, Allison Fisher and Ouschan in reaching the last 16 without defeat.
Play continues from 10am local time on Friday, with six more matches to be broadcast live on watchbilliard.tv and the World Billiard TV YouTube channel.
Carrie Vetrono, Jeannie Seaver and Stephanie Mitchell
Prior to this past weekend, Sat. Feb. 26, Carrie Vetrono had won only one major event, and it happened to be one that wasn’t reported to us here at AZ; The 2019 West Coast Challenge, Women’s 9-Ball Division in Kissimmee, FL. Vetrono got her second career win this past weekend at the second stop on the Tiger Florida Tour. With a modified double elimination format (double elimination to the winners’ side quarterfinals and then, single elimination to the finals), the $1,500-added event drew 42 entrants to Stixx Billiards in Oldsmar, FL.
In addition to her remote work with a NY law firm, running tournaments at Capone’s in Spring Hill, FL, being the owner/operator (with her Dad) of Capone’s BCA Pool League, and her arguably most important position as head wrangler of a four-year-old son, Vetrono can now (in her spare time, of course) add ‘Up-and-Coming Contender’ at future events on the Women’s pool circuit. Asked how long it might be now before she became the #1-ranked player on the WPBA, she laughed.
“If only,” she said. “As much as I would really love it, (given the multi-tasking noted above), I don’t see it in the cards.”
“I’ve been playing a lot more at Capone’s,” she added of this recent win, “and I’ve been playing with a lot of the guys over there (who’ve) helped me. My game has vastly improved, at least a ball or two over the past 6-8 months. I’m taking smarter shots and playing safeties when I need to.”
“I feel more confident of going for shots, too,” she went on to say, “and, of course, when they go in, that boosts the confidence even more.”
In addition to Vetrono’s (somewhat) ‘break out’ win, Florida Tiger Tour’s second stop had a few ‘headline’ matchups, including a first-round-of single-elimination rematch between the winner and runner-up of the tour’s first stop in late January (14-year-old Sofia Mast and Stephanie Mitchell), a Vetrono/Mitchell match and a final match between Verono and Jeannie Seaver.
It was initially a two-match race to the winners’ side quarterfinal; three for Mitchell and Mast, who were among the 20 entrants that played in a preliminary round. Vetrono got by Krystalann Williams and Nicolle Cuellar to arrive at her winners’ side quarterfinal versus Mast. Mitchell sent Erica Yeager-Lombard, Tracy Mullen and Abigail Schrader to the loss side to meet up with Kimberly Housman. Jeannie Seaver defeated Kim Caso and Dawn Logan to take on Helene Caukin. Kaylee McIntosh, who’d downed Christina Maher and Shanelle Loraine squared off against Michel Monk.
Mast advanced to the first round of single elimination with a double hill win over Vetrono. Mitchell and Housman battled to double hill, as well, with Mitchell ending up on the loss side. McIntosh downed Human 6-4 and Seaver got by Caukin 6-2.
Vetrono won her loss-side match against Jeannie Seaver’s sister, Vanessa, double hill. Mitchell ousted Miranda Orange 5-2. Danielle Marie Fee, who’d lost her opening match to Tiffany Stanaland, won four on the loss side, including a 5-2 win over tour director Mimi McAndrews, to meet and defeat Caukin in a double hill fight. Jessica Human was the fourth loss-side competitor to earn a slot in the single-elimination round of eight, with her 5-1 victory over Michel Monk.
Seaver moved into the event’s second quarterfinal, 6-3 over Fee, while McIntosh was busy eliminating Human 6-4. Vetrono got back in the mix with a 6-2 win over Housman and faced Mitchell, who’d avenged her loss against the teenager Mast in the first stop on the tour by eliminating her 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the second.
“I was up 5-1,” Mitchell recalled of her match against Mast, “when I missed a 9-ball. Then she won a few and I thought, ‘Well, we don’t want to go there,’ so I got back into it.”
“(Sofia) hangs out with all the adults,” she noted of her opponent. “She’s a professional and has better manners than people I know who are older than me.”
So, it was Vetrono against Mitchell and McIntosh versus Seaver in the semifinals.
Seaver advanced to the finals 6-2 over McIntosh and faced Vetrono, who prevailed over Mitchell by the same score. Vetrono completed her second major win 4-2 over Seaver and claimed the Tiger Florida Tour’s second event title.
Tour director Mimi McAndrews thanked Stixx owner Tom George and Kathy King, as well as manager Josh Maville and his staff for hosting the event and their continued support of the TFT. She also thanked title sponsor Tony Kalamdaryan and Tiger Products, Brutal Game Gear, Stitch It To Me, Boynton Billiards, Great Lakes Billiards, AZ Billiards and new sponsors Eastern Billiards and Andy Cloth.
McAndrews sent a special shout out to Jerry Sotelo and Stephanie Mitchell for what she called “their invaluable help in running the event and fending off shot clock grumbles.” The size of the room, the number of tables (10) and attendees (42), led to a reduction of match lengths from 7/5 (winners’ side/losers’ side) to 6/5 in order to complete the event in the single day of Tiger Florida tour stops. The final match was also reduced to its race to 4.
The next stop on the Tiger Florida Tour, scheduled for May 7, will be hosted by Brewlands Bar & Billiards in Lakeland, FL.
The Tiger Florida Tour kicked off the 2020 season at Brewlands Billiards South in Lakeland, Florida, with 30 players turning out and where Jeannie Seaver took top honors, in more ways than one!
This event drew tough competition from out of state including US Amateur Champion Lisa Cossette, Marianne Merrill and Kelly Nickl, as well as several strong local players and newcomers. The tournament could have been won by any one of at least a dozen different players – the competition was that tough! In the end, and to no one’s surprise, Seaver won Tour Stop #1, and is four-for-four on the Tiger Florida Tour!
The women played a modified double-elimination format. The final four from the one-loss side drew back into the final four from the winners’ side, onto a single-elimination Final Board, race to seven. Early upsets saw top TFT players Stephanie Mitchell and Michell Monk, also a former US Amateur Champion; Sonya Chbeeb and Debbie Teichert leave the tournament early.
Caukin played flawlessly all day, and showed everyone that she came to win – with a surprise 7-3 win over Seaver early in the day. Caukin, Carrie Vetrono, Jessica Human and Lisa Cossette reached the Final Board undefeated. Nicolle Cuellar, Shanelle Loraine, Seaver and newcomer Christina Moxley reached the Final Board from the one-loss side. In the first round of the Final Board, Cuellar knocked out Vetrono; Moxley lost to Human, Caukin ended the day for Loraine, who shot lights out all day in one of her best events; and Cossette was stopped by Seaver.
In the semi-finals, Caukin defeated Cuellar 7-4; Human lost to Seaver 7-2, leaving Caukin versus Seaver in a rematch that Seaver took in Seaver-style 7-4. In addition to winning Tour Stop #1, Seaver’s top-line play, winning three of five events in 2019, also earned her the 2019 Tiger Florida Tour Champion title once again. Seaver’s win also earned her the paid entry to the Super Billiards Expo Women’s Pro 9-Ball tournament.
Three paid entries to the Super Billiards Expo Women’s Amateur 9-Ball event, courtesy of Janis Sessions and the Florida Coastal Ladies Tour, were won by Cossette, Loraine and Moxley.
Thanks to all 30 players who came out to the TFT event! Thanks to room owners Larry Walthall and Mike Dauskart for hosting our event again this year and their continued support of the TFT – and for going non-smoking!
Thanks to Randi Allen, Director of Marketing & Events and staff for helping with the arrangements and making sure our event went off smoothly. Also, thanks to our title sponsor Tiger Products for their continued support of the tour/players; thanks also to Boynton Billiards, Great Lakes Billiards, AZ Billiards and Simonis Cloth for their continued support! And thanks again to Janis Sessions and the Ladies Coastal Florida Tour for sponsoring the amateur entries at the SBE, and thank you to Nicolle Cuellar, Stitch It To Me, for the embroidery on the TFT Member shirts. Some of the matches can been seen on the Tiger Florida Tour Facebook page.
Kelly Fisher came to Rothschild, WI on the long weekend of November 20-24 in search of her first 2019 win and knew almost immediately that she might need to defeat some adversaries she’d faced before. There were, at the WPBA’s Aramith/DR Pool Classic, the usual array of suspects in that regard; Allison Fisher, Jasmine Ouschan, Jennifer Baretta, LoreeJon Hasson, Janet Atwell and Line Kjorsvik, to name just a few. And though she wouldn’t have to face China’s Siming Chen, who did not compete and who’d defeated her in the finals of the WPBA Masters last February in Michigan, she knew she might have to face Chinese Taipei’s Tzu-Chien Wei, whom she’d defeated in the semifinals of that WPBA Masters and then, been defeated by in the semifinals of August’s Sondheim Diamond Invitational in Iowa. She did face Wei this time around, twice as it turned out, losing the first, but coming back from the loss side to win the second and claim the event title. The $20,000-added event drew 48 entrants to the Central Wisconsin Convention and Expo Center in Rothschild.
The importance of chalking up her first win of the year at this event was not lost on Fisher. As a professional, she’s not inclined to dwell on a given event’s individual importance, lest it interfere with the game(s) at hand, but having been on the mend since surgeries sidelined her for a few years, she was getting a little antsy.
“I was getting a worried for a moment there,” she said. “I’d had numerous semifinal wins (since last May; 3, to be exact), so I’m very pleased to have gotten this title.”
“I’m finally feeling that my game is back to where it was a few years ago,” she added.
Fisher was one of 16 seeded competitors who were awarded opening round byes, as the other 32 squared off against each other. Fisher drew Shanelle Loraine out of that original 32, defeated her and joined 12 other players who’d been awarded opening round byes in advancement to the third round. Only Gerda Gregerson, Melissa Little, Line Kjorsvik and Jenna Bishoff from that group of 16 seeded, went to the loss side, sent by (in order) Jeannie Seaver, Dawn Hopkins, Jasmin Ouschan and Teruko Cucculleli.
Fisher went on to defeat Monica Webb 8-1and then survived a double hill battle versus Jennifer Baretta to draw Tzu-Chien Wei in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Jasmin Oushchan, in the meantime, got by Joanne Ashton 8-1, survived her own double hill battle versus Kjorsvik, and downed Dawn Hopkins 8-2 to pick up Jia Li.
Wei defeated Fisher 8-5 and in the hot seat, faced Ouschan, who’d sent Li to the loss side 8-4. A double hill battle ensued for possession of the hot seat. Wei prevailed, sending Ouschan off to a second straight, double hill semifinal matchup against Fisher.
Over on the loss side, there were some top-notch matches brewing as the tournament’s elites moved toward picking up Fisher and Jia Li, coming over from the winners’ side semifinal. After losing to Jeannie Seaver in the second round, Gerda Gregerson embarked on a six-match, loss-side streak that saw her eliminate Eugenia Gyftopoulos, Catherine Tschumper and, moving into the early money rounds, Caroline Pao and Emily Duddy. She went on to down Brittany Bryant 8-5 and young Atlantic Cup Challenge competitor, April Larson 8-4 to draw Li.
Fisher drew Tamara Peeters, who was working on a six-match, loss-side winning streak of her own and fresh off something of an 8-1 upset over Teruko Cucculleli. Cucculleli had defeated Allison Fisher on the winners’ side, before being sent over by Jia Li in a winners’ side quarterfinal. She proceeded to eliminate Jessica Barnes, Beth Fondell and jumped into the money pool with an 8-4 win over Loree Jon Hasson. She downed Gail Eaton and Dawn Hopkins, both 8-6 and then, eliminated Cucculleli to reach Fisher.
Fisher gave up only a single rack to Peeters in advancing to the quarterfinals. She was joined by Jia Li, who’d sent Gregerson home 8-6. Fisher won a second straight 8-1 match, eliminating Li 8-1.
That little 16-2 run wasn’t destined to last, as Fisher squared off against Jasmin Ouschan in the semifinals. It was Ouschan’s second straight double hill match, and proved to be the second one in a row that she lost.
With lingering echoes of previous matchups and a nagging little voice that kept telling her that since she’d earned herself a second chance against Tzu-Chien Wei, she’d damn well better take advantage of it, Fisher launched into the finals, in search of her first 2019 win. There are, she noted, generalities about such endeavors, and specifics, related to particular opponents. You have to play ‘your game,’ regardless of opponent, while awareness of specific opponents can inform decisions about approach.
“My main thing,” said Fisher, “is to come out of the gate strong, to keep control of the table.”
“Looking back at previous matches against Wei,” she added, “it was about not allowing her to come back. She’s capable of coming back from behind, so I knew once I had (the lead), I had to keep it.”
As noted in a Biblical proverb – “The heart of Man (Woman) plans his/her way, but the Lord establishes his/her steps.” Fisher lost the opening four racks and immediately switched roles to become the person “capable of coming back from behind.” She allowed Wei only one more rack, before she chalked up 10 to claim that first 2019 title.
“I’ve been practicing quite hard,” she said a few days later from her home in Scotland. “It came down to being patient. I knew I was close (to getting back into previous form), and that there was room to grow.
“I want to win the big ones,” she added, “and it really is just a matter of practice.”
She’ll spend a few days at home, more than likely find time to do some of that practice and then head for China and competition in the 2019 Women’s World 9-Ball Championships, to be held from December 13-20.
WPBA representatives thanked the ownership and staff at the Central Wisconsin Convention and Expo Center for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Diamond Billiards Products, Aramith, Outsville and Simonis Cloth.
On this weekend we were so happy to return to Cue Phoria Billards and Cafe after their short hiatus from the tour scene. With the changes to the formats for each event, we still booked a full field in both events. We even threw in a bonus event for the amateur players. The Amateur 9-Ball event was capped at 64 players and it filled up quickly. The Super 16 Open 10-Ball was a prepaid full field to start. The BONUS Super 16 Amateur event drew 14 players, with 10 players actually making the start.
We also held a raffle in support of the Lepak Fund. We raised $350 almost instantaneously by donating a pool cue for raffle, and Mr. and Mrs. Crosby added $50 to provide the Lepak’s with $400 toward efforts to save their home. If you would like information regarding helping the Lepak’s please visit www.gofundme.com/thelepaks and support them if you can. We appreciated the support from the Lepak’s toward our tour when they were pool room owners. Thank you!
Amateur Bar Box Breakdown
Che Mrvos put on a clinic all weekend long. He found that grove that everyone else was struggling to get a piece of. Posting wins over Mike Fitzgerald 7-1, Jose Del Rio 7-5, Ed Kiess 7-4, David Uwate 7-3, and Doc Torres before getting to Barry Partridge for the hotseat.
On the west side of the charts, Jose Del Rio picks up Evan Ford and Ford wins the set 5-3. Gary Gilsinan picks up David Uwate and gets by him 5-3. Amine Ouahbi and Marc Coats square off with Amine taking that set 5-3. Richard Murray picks up Francisco Diaz with Diaz pushing through.
Amine blisters Diaz 5-1 and Gary Gilsinan gets by Evan Ford 5-2. Nick Applebee in wait for Gilsinan puts their set away 5-2 to move into the one-loss semifinal. Amine Ouahbi starts to get a taste for the win and puts Doc Torres down 5-3 and moving into the one-loss semifinal.
It’s a showdown between Applebee and Ouahbi on the left side and Partridge vs Mrvos on the winner side hotseat match. Apple just could not stop the Florida based Moroccan Ouahbi with a stinging 5-1 loss.
In the hotseat arena, Che Mrvos would not let anyone deter him from wining. Winning the set 7-2 over Barry Partridge with Partridge going west to take on Amine Ouahbi. Partridge would continue his coming out party as he handed Amine the 3rd place envelope this time.
Che Mrvos and Partridge would square off in the Finals and Che just kept on grinding and claim his first Florida Pool Tour Amateur 9-Ball title.
Super 16 Recap
An explosive set of skills and talent comprised the 16 player field for the Super 16 Open 10-Ball event. Tony Crosby, Anthony Meglino, Tommy Kennedy, and Mike Davis all make quick jumps to the quarterfinal rounds.
Tony Crosby puts a hurt on John Souders 7-2, and then barely escapes a close one with Mike DeLawder. Trading rack for rack all the way to hill/hill and closing the set 7-6. Using the first two sets as a warm up, Crosby squares off with Meglino.
Anthony Meglino gets in the box with Jose Del Rio and starts his warm up 7-2 before taking on Marc Coats. Coats would be formidable and take Meglino to the hill. Anthony would have enough to pull through and face Crosby.
Tommy Kennedy starts out with Dave Bremer, and controls the entire set with some lock tight safety play. Bremer forced to kick out of every turn could not produce and goes down 7-2. Playing super strong still Kennedy puts a stinger on Nathan Rose 7-0 and moves forward to match up with Mike Davis.
Mike Davis survives a close opener with Han Berber and escapes 7-6. Next up was Jerry Calderon, a close set goes down at 7-5 putting Davis forward to match up with Kennedy.
On the west side there was still a lot of heart being shown.
Adam Wheeler being sent west first round by Jerry Calderon, beats Han Berber 7-5 and then Mike DeLawder 7-2. Before facing Marc Coats who was sent over by Meglino. At 7-5 Coats would move forward and wait for an opponent.
Jerry Calderon on the west would match up with Nathan Rose. Rose sent west by TK and Jerry sent over by Wheeler, would square up and play a super intense match. Rose would yield the shot of the event with a full table 5/10 jump shot that pleased the entire room. Using that momentum Rose would eek by Calderon 7-5.
Back on the winner side, Crosby would play Meglino and put the heat on dispatching Meglino swiftly at 7-3 and move into the hotseat match.
Kennedy also has his eyes on the hotseat and storms through Davis 7-2 and prepares to take on Crosby.
In the one-loss quarterfinal, Rose and Meglino would showdown and Coats and Davis would show down. Meglino would review his notes from the loss to Crosby and hope to put it together against Rose. Meglino would hand Rose the 5th place envelope and move forward to play Mike Davis who set Marc Coats in stone at 6th place.
On the West Side semi final we have Meglino vs Davis. Davis holding enough together to get past the moster breaking Meglino would wait on his opponent and the shot at moving back to the east.
In the winner side semi-final Crosby and Kennedy match up and it was close all the way up to 5-5 when a few unforced errors by Crosby would let Kennedy slip into the driver seat and rest while Crosby goes west to play Davis. As the day grew late, Crosby would prove to be worthy of the win and sits Davis down in 3rd place before taking a short break.
Now in the Final, Kennedy is poised to stop the attack from Crosby and on this day it appears fatigue would get the best of Crosby. At 5-2 Kennedy starts to pull away and Crosby just could not catch up, thus allowing Kennedy to capture his second title in a row on the Florida Pool Tour. Who will knock off King Kennedy, find out at our next stop Cunningham’s in Vero Beach, FL.
We would like to say Thank You to Faheem Zia, Kendall Morris and staff at Cue Phoria Billiards and Café in Winter Park. The service was excellent, on point, and the food was pretty good as well. Ask for chicken and rice, you won’t be disappointed. Overall Cue Phoria knows how to have a good time!
Ga Young Kim proved why most experts consider her the greatest female pool player in the world as she put on a clinic against her lovely counterparts yesterday. The ANDY CLOTH Battle of the Billiard Beauties will be a TV network aired program that brought together Kim, #1 American Jeanette Lee, Guam's Shanelle Loraine & Japan's Akiko "Leopard Queen" KItayama. as they got it on in a pool beauty slugfest!! The ANDY CLOTH Battle of the Billiard Beauties took place at Steinway Billiards Cafe and sponsored by Andy Cloth, J.Pechauer Cues , Viking Cues, Steinway Billiards. , Olhausen Balls, Pool & Billiard Magazine , the NAPL & Focused Apparel . Patron sponsors include Dr. Greg Diehl, Tom Gleich, and Dr. Michael Frank. Media partners include PKE Partners, IB Sports, NYC Grind, Gotham City Technologies, Nona Photography, and Charles Eames Photography. 7 days of live pool will be filmed and streamed by Inside Pool TV. Pay per view on www.Dragonpromotions.com for $10 daily or $50 for the entire week for the upcoming Andy Cloth Women's International Pool Championship taking place December 16th-21st at the same venue.
The players would start off playing duel matches in 8-Ball and 9-Ball earning points for every game won and set one. The evening finale would be a ring game 10-Ball where the points would determine how much ante each lady had and how long they would last.
The first match saw Jeanette win 3-0 against Shanelle in 8-Ball and though Shanelle won the first game in 9-Ball, Lee came back with 3 in a row. Akiko came next and showed off her 8-Ball skills with 3-0 blank of Shanelle, but Shanelle bounced back and shut Akiko down 3-1 in the 9-Ball which equaled them both splitting the sets. Next Ga Young came out, and apparently jetlag proof as she scorched Akiko 3-0, 3-0 in 20 minutes. Then she looked liked she was going to blank out Shanelle but Loraine came back and made a huge runout including a tough backward cut of the 8-Ball into the side. Although she lost the set 3-1, the one game proved significant as it would be Kim's only blemish the entire day! Kim proceeded to win 3-0 in the 9-Ball. Next Jeanette defeated Akiko 3-1 and 3-0. This set up the finale duel between Kim and Lee, who coincidentally are the #1 and #2 seed in this week's Andy Cloth Women's International Pool Championship . The final duel match proved to be anti-climatic as Kim broke and ran the first 2 racks of 8-Ball leading to a 3-0 shutout and then a 3-0 shutout in 9-Ball. Kim was on fire running out shooting balls in an average 4 seconds per shot!
A special bank pool match was held with Lee and Kim, and this proved much more closer as Kim and Lee traded games and some great banking. KIm still scored a 3-1 win in the exhibition match.
In the final 10-Ball ringgame, Kim came in with the most chips at 3000, Lee had 2000, Shanelle at 700, and Akiko at 600.
AKiko was eliminated in the 5th game, and Shanelle won a nice 900 chip game but followed next out the door in the 7th game. Jeanette and Kim traded games back and forth but Kim's lead was too great and put Lee in sudden death mode 3 times. Finally Kim ended the match and the event with a runout to be crowned the Queen of the Billiard Beauties!
Dragon Promotions & Synergy International are event organizing and marketing companies respectively. Dragon Promotions is one of the leading producers of billiards and sports programming in the world today covering billiards, tennis, football, golf, MMA, charity events and more. In a span of 14 years, Dragon Promotions has produced over 300 international events airing on TV networks globally from the USA, China, Philippines, South Korea, Canada, the Middle East, all of Asia, and Europe. Events include The World Tournament of 14.1, KIA Motors Football Korea vs Philippines, The Women's International Pool Championship , Dragon MMA Combat Night, The African American TennisTournament, The Queens Cup, The Orlando Summer Tennis Open, The International 10-Ball Championship, King & Queen of Carom, The Typhoon Haiyan Tennis Tournament, Pro Pool Schools, Women's Trickshot Challenge, World Junior 10-Ball Championships, The World Mixed Doubles, the Vietnamese Tennis Open and many more. Visit www.dragonpromotions.com .
George Saunders, Will Schoonmaker, Erica Gordon, Erik Decious, Amanda Brisson, Bobby & Jimmy Garza
The Billiard Factory hosted its third annual pool festival at its Jacksonville, Florida store. Four events took place which included the Andy Cloth Mixed Doubles 9-Ball Open, the Billiard Factory Junior 8-Ball Open, the Pure X Cues 10-Ball Amateur Open and the Kamui Free Pro Clinic with Charlie Williams. The big story was about two local Jacksonville brothers named Jimmy Garza and Bobby Garza who split up in events and both won their respective divisions. There was a little something for everyone that came. The Billiard Factory events were all produced by Dragon Promotions.
The events drew over 50 players from Georgia and Florida as well as numerous fans who came just to watch and enjoy the fresh grilled barbecue. Players competed from the ages of 7 years old up to 70. In the Andy Cloth Mixed Doubles 9-Ball, early favorites included the teams of Rachel Manning (last year's runner-up) & Asher Le, Shanelle Loraine & George Saunders, and Bobby Garza and Amanda Brisson. Manning and Le made an early upset against Loraine & Saunders but later were in turn upset by Erica Gordon and Will Schoonmaker in the semi-finals. But in the end, Brisson & Garza defeated Gordon & Schoonmaker 4-2 for the title.
In the Pure X Open 10-Ball, 30 players narrowed down to the clash between the event's two best players. George Saunders of Orlando was the early favorite, but Jacksonville's Jimmy Garza had been on a hot streak in the Southeast winning back to back amateur events. Garza took a loss against Saunders in his first match, but came all the way back to meet him in the finals. Saunders had escaped a thrilling hill hill match with Scott Rohleder, but Garza came out strong and in a high quality match, he came out with a 5-3 win over Saunders for the title.
“ We've been keeping an eye on our Billiard Factory location in Florida, and we are really excited to see the fan interest grow. Pro-active events create more loyalty, which is essential to building any business. Our managing partner Erik Decious has been with Billiard Factory for 17 years and his enthusiasm for the billiard industry is something we can all use today," says Tony Stick, Vice-President of Billiard Factory which has 12 locations throughout the nation. Billiard Factory is the largest billiard retail store in the United States.
"The events this year were an even bigger success than last year. And we have something special planned with Dragon Promotions this October to commemorate the 18th anniversary of our Florida Billiard Factory location", said Erik Decious, Managing Partner for Billiard Factory.
Saratoga, Wyoming- 8-Ball, 9-Ball, 10-Ball, and Saratoga will be the disciplines to master next weekend at the 7th Annual Andy Cloth Wyoming Open! The 3 day Rocky Mountain pool extravaganza will take place on March 28th-30th, 2014. It is widely considered to be the most anticipated tournament that players in this part of America looks forward to each year. Event promoter E.J. Glode manages to bring players of all levels nationwide to Saratoga, including some of the biggest names in the sport. The event is co-promoted by Dragon Promotions and is renown to be the biggest pool event in the state drawing over 150 players. From beginner, intermediate, expert and pro/open level tournaments will all be available . The Wyoming Open is kicking in $10,000 this year to the entry fees to sweeten the purse even more than before. Nearly $30,000 will be paid in cash prizes. The event is sponsored by widely popular Andy Cloth, Pechauer Cues, and Master Chalk. Local partners include Duke's Bar & Grill, the Hotel Wolf & Restaurant, and the Riviera Lodge with all events coordinated by Shively Hardware.
“The Andy Cloth Wyoming Open is not only my fun way of seeing all the pro players who have become close friends, but it has also turned into the biggest event of the entire year in my hometown of Saratoga. It has become highly anticipated among the town businesses and that is why I place the dates during the slower season", says E.J. Glode , the Wyoming Open Founder & Promoter. Businesses see an increase between 50%- 300% during the Wyoming Open.
"Pechauer Cues is very pleased to be the Official Cue of the Andy Cloth Wyoming Open. It's great to see hundreds of players and excited fans flocking to see some of the greatest players in the world come to the Rocky Mountains. Pechauer Cues enjoys supporting the sport in every part of America", says Joe Pechauer, President of Pechauer Cues.
The Wyoming Open this year is drawing the best field ever in the Masters Division with 2x reigning US Open Champion "South Dakota Kid" Shane Van Boening returning to defend his title. Former WY Open champions Rodney "Rocket" Morris and "Korean Dragon" Charlie Williams will also return. India's Raj "Hit Man" Hundal will be back along with newcomer Shanelle Loraine, who will be dazzling the Rocky Mountains with her glamorous beauty and pool skills. Many more players from Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, California, Nevada, Florida and all over Wyoming will be attending in the most fun event of the year in the mountains.
But the Wyoming Open isn't just for the pro and open players. There is a $2000 Added Expert Division , a $200 added Sportsman Division for novices and a $1000 added Classic Division for intermediate level players. Also for kids, a $400 added Junior Tournament! For more info and to follow the WY Open goto www.facebook.com/wyomingopen
This year a "Hard Luck" second chance 9-Ball will take place on Sunday for players knocked out with the Wyoming Open adding $400 to the pot to ease the pain.
The Andy Cloth Wyoming Open has something for everyone.
Past champions of the event include some stellar names :
"Besides running a smooth, well organized event, EJ has really turned the Wyoming Open into something special. The enthusiastic way the pro players are treated, as well as all the guests of the town of Saratoga. It's an excellent model for other cities to follow", says Charlie Williams, pro player and fellow billiards promoter.
The event is majorly supported by the town's own businesses which include : Hotel Wolf, Duke's Bar & Grill, Riviera Lodge, Pik Ranch, Carbon County, Bella's Bistro, and Shively Hardware.
For more info or to play in the Wyoming Open contact wyomingopen@gmail.com or call 307-329-8924
Wally’s Manager Larry, Amy Chen, Jessica Barmes and Wally’s staff Erikka Halbert and Letha
When the former APA Amateur Champion, Amy Chen, got underway on Saturday, July 13 at a stop on the Flamingo Tour, it looked as though it was going to be a short day for her. She faced Jeannie Seaver and failed to score a single rack. She came back on the loss side to win three in a row, and then, after a redraw, won three more to claim the event title. The $250-added event drew 27 entrants to Wally's Pool Hall in Lakeland, FL.
The Flamingo Tour uses a double elimination format until there are four left on each side of the bracket. In the last of the double elimination matches on the winners' side, Vanessa Seaver defeated Darlene Petrovit 7-1, Cassidy Mulligan downed Sue Roberts 7-2, while Robin Boggs and Jeannie Seaver (Vanessa's sister) sent Samantha Kikuchi and Crystal McCormick west, double hill.
On the loss side, Chen, after an initial bye, had gone on to defeat Cassandra Harmon and Shanelle Loraine, by a combined score of 10-1 (Harmon, winning the single rack). This set Chen up for a match against Kikuchi. Petrovit picked up Lawless, Roberts drew Jessica Barnes, and McCormick faced Chris Fields. Lawless and Chen survived double hill matches against Petrovit, and Kikuchi (who was appearing on the Flamingo Tour for the first time). McCormick downed Fields 5-3, and Barnes eliminated Roberts 5-2.
With a redraw at this point, the quarterfinal matches were set; Vanessa Seaver played against Lawless, Chen took on Mulligan, Jeannie Seaver faced McCormick, and Barnes squared off against Boggs. Chen and Lawless went double hill, before prevailing over Mulligan and Vanessa Seaver, while Jeannie Seaver defeated McCormick 7-4 and Barnes ended Boggs' day 7-3.
Chen won her third straight double hill match (this time, against Lawless) and earned her spot in the finals. She was joined by Barnes, who'd survived a double hill match against Jeannie Seaver.
Chen's return to form reached its peak in the finals, when she didn't give up a single rack against Barnes.
"When she (Chen) got into the quarterfinals, she really got into gear," said tour director Mimi McAndrews. "In the finals, Jessica was missing shots, and Amy was just in that gear."
McAndrews thanked the ownership and staff at Wally's (owner, Jim and manager, Larry), as well as staffers, Letha Needham and Erikka Halbert, who was also the recipient of a $50 prize for being the highest finisher from the host location, which entered some women into the tournament that had never played on the tour before. McAndrews also thanked sponsors Martz Cues, Boynton Billiards, and Z9 Billiard Cloth.
Marietta, Georgia – Dragon Promotions in conjunction with Marietta Billiard Club will be producing the 3rd Annual Johnny Archer Classic on October 12th-14th, 2012. The event formally known as the Gem City Classic, is continuing on this year and expanding to become a larger professional tournament. For years, the event was unofficially referred to as Johnny Archer’s tournament, so now the title has become official.
“Johnny is one of the greatest legends in the sport. Having done everything imaginable in pool including World Champion titles and Hall of Fame, we felt it was fitting that he have a tournament named after him”, said Cindy Lee, CEO of Dragon Promotions who is producing the event and which also manages Archer.
“I’m really excited about this year’s event! We are getting Dragon Promotions involved to make it bigger and more professional, and hope that one day it will become one of the top tour stops on the pro circuit”, said Johnny Archer, pro legend and owner of Marietta Billiard Club. “I do feel a little shy about it being named after me, but I know most of the guys called it ‘Johnny’s Tournament’ anyways, so it wasn’t a big leap. I really do hope the players and industry support my event.”
World Champion Mika Immonen of Finland commented, “It’s a great honor for Johnny, and very well deserved. He has been a great champion for so long. In Finland, they made an event called the Ice Man Open for recognition of my achievements. And we are a small country in pool. So for me I was overwhelmed with just a fraction of what Johnny must feel.”
“As a teenage young player I used to watch Johnny play alot. I was 15 years old when I watched him win his first World Championship in Taiwan. It’s incredible that 20 years later I’m working on producing an event in his honor”, said Charlie Williams, fellow pro player and Dragon Promotions co-producer of the event.
“Johnny has been the greatest American player since the millenium started, which is as early as my pool career. And I know even well before that. He’s been a player we all look up to. I’m really happy for him and it’s an honor to be playing in it with him”, said Brandon Shuff, one of the USA’s new top young talents.
Marietta Billiard Club was opened in June 2007 and is a 20,000 square foot facility with 35 tables in a relaxed, friendly environment. The indoor recreations include several dart boards, foosball tables, pool leagues, pool tournaments, Texas Hold’em poker leagues and tournaments and more! It also has a private party room, The Scorpion Room , two full bars, live bands, and a house billiard pro Shawn Putnam. MBC also is a local favorite sports bar with full-service bar and restaurant-style food served by a fun-loving staff! Fans will enjoy ice-cold beverages while watching their favorite sports team play on one of MBC’s huge LCD flat screens! Please visit www.themariettabilliardclub.com/
To play in the Johnny Archer Classic Email johnnyarcherclassic@gmail.com or call 1-678 324-6693 for info
The Marietta Billiard Club Suite 210 1355 Roswell Road Marietta, GA 30062 .
Dragon Promotions is one of the leading producers of billiard programming in the world today. In a span of over 11 years, Dragon Promotions has produced over 100 international events airing on networks in USA, Korea, and Europe such as ESPN, ABS-CBN, ESPN Star Asia, MBC ESPN, XTM, XPORTS, and Euro Sport. Events include The World Tournament of 14.1, The Predator International 10-Ball Championship, King & Queen of Carom, Empress Cup, Pro Pool Schools, DP Pro Classic, Women’s Trickshot Challenge, World Junior 10-Ball Championships, The World Mixed Doubles and many more. Dragon also manages some of the world’s best players including Johnny Archer, Allison Fisher, Mika Immonen, Shanelle Loraine, Rodney Morris, Charlie Williams, Mike Davis, and Erica Park. Watch their decade long anniversary video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZrvwijI8fg visit www.dragonpromotions.com
