(l to r): Mike Lear, David Grossman, Randy Jordan & Mike Zingale (room owner)
Randy Jordan and David Grossman battled twice to claim the 2018 Florida State Open 10-Ball Championship title. Jordan won both battles, hot seat match and finals, to claim the event title. The $3,500-added event, held on the weekend of March 3-4, drew 55 entrants to Zingale’s Billiard Room & Sports Bar in Tallahassee, FL. A Second Chance event, which drew 31 entrants, was won by Steve Chaplin.
As the headline story played out, you couldn’t help but think, as it got close, that a lot of people in attendance at this year’s 10-Ball Championships were looking ahead to a potential match between Tommy Kennedy and Johnny Archer, who were the last two men standing in the US Open 9-Ball Championships, 26 years ago (1992). It was Kennedy’s first US Open, and he not only defeated Archer, he did it twice to claim that title. They’d played each other on the road numerous times before they got there, and countless times since, so the potential re-match at this event carried some history weight to it. As Jordan and Grossman advanced to their hot seat match, Kennedy and Archer were on the loss side; Kennedy, earlier, having been sent there by Jordan, and Archer having just been sent there by Grossman. They came within a match of meeting up in the quarterfinals.
Moving into the winners’ side semifinals, Jordan had given up only 11 racks in 39 games. He’d give up 10 in his next 24. He faced Tobias Hoiss in one winners’ side semifinal, as Grossman faced Archer in the other one. Jordan got into the hot seat match with a 7-5 win over Hoiss, while Grossman was sending Archer over 7-4. Jordan downed Grossman in their first matchup 7-5 and waited on his return.
Over on the loss side, Kennedy was chalking up wins on his way to a six-match, loss-side streak that would take him as far as the semifinals. He’d most recently downed Wayne Catledge 7-2 and in a double hill fight, defeated Nick Applebee. This set Kennedy up for a match against Hoiss. Archer drew Anthony Meglino, who’d won the season-opening stop on the AllOutPool Tour a week earlier, and in this event, working on the loss side, had shut out Kristian Dimitrov, and eliminated Francisco Diaz 7-4 to face Archer.
Kennedy did what he had to do to earn a match against Archer by defeating Hoiss 7-2. Archer, though, more than likely to the consternation of those anticipating an Archer/Kennedy match, fell to Meglino 7-4. In what was described as a quarterfinal, double hill “thriller” by tour representatives, Kennedy and Meglino battled it out for advancement to the semifinals. Kennedy won it, and took his shot at Grossman.
Grossman spoiled Kennedy’s bid for a re-match against Jordan, defeating him 7-5 in those semifinals to earn his own re-match. Jordan spoiled that re-match, getting out to an early 4-1 lead in the finals. A few back and forth games brought things to a 6-3 lead for Jordan, after which he took three in a row to claim the Florida State Open 10-Ball title.
Tour representatives thanked the Zingale family and staff for “an excellent job at (their) brand new location and great hospitality over the two-day event.” They also thanked sponsors Simonis, Aramith, Stroke-It-Wear, Crosby’s Billiards and Darts, and XL Press Co. Stop #4 on the Florida Pool Tour, scheduled for April 21-22, will be hosted by Capone’s in Spring Hill, FL. Players can enter online at http://www.floridapooltour.com.
With the event's previous two winners facing each other in the hot seat match – Tommy Kennedy (2014) and Mike Davis, Jr. (2015) – the 5th Annual Southeast Open 9-Ball Tournament, held on the weekend of August 27-28, looked as though it was going to crown its first repeat winner. Justin Hall spoiled the party, so to speak. Sent to the loss side by Davis in a winners' side semifinal, Justin returned to challenge and eventually defeat Davis in a tightly contested final match race to 12. The event, streamed live all weekend by Xtreme Pool Challenge, drew 95 entrants to Zingale's in Tallahassee, FL.
"I struggled pretty much every match," said Hall in a post-final interview. "I almost didn't get to the finals, period.
"I played better and better throughout the day (on Sunday)," he added, "but I'd miss a few balls for a game or two, and then run out."
Davis, who hasn't been playing as much as he'd like to over the past year, chalked his defeat up to his own mistakes. Hall's victory, though, didn't surprise him.
"I've played him a lot of times," said Davis, "and he's a real solid player.
" It was a real tough (final) match," Davis added. "He played well, but I folded under the pressure and choked a little at the end. Just recently, I haven't played as much, and that showed up there at the end."
Hall's weekend started strong, as he gave up only eight racks over his first four matches against Mo Fattah (2), James Sandaler (0) Jordan Bureau (4) and David Walters (2). David Jacobs gave him a run for his money in a winners' side quarterfinal match that went double hill before sending Hall into the winners' side semifinals against Davis. Davis, in the meantime, gave up 23 racks over his first four against Tony Danford (1), Billy Burke (7), Steve Foster (8) and Randy Jordan (7). Tobias Hoiss chalked up six more against him in the winners' side quarterfinals.
On the other half of the winners' side bracket, the 2014 winner, Tommy Kennedy was awarded an opening round bye, and then had a total of 16 racks chalked up against him (the same as Hall, with one less match) by David Grossman (7), Clint Nichols (2), Joseph Korsiak (4) and Mark Coats (3). This set Kennedy up to face Anthony Meglino in the other winners' side semifinal.
Davis sent Hall to the loss side 9-2, and in the hot seat match, faced Kennedy, who'd sent Meglino over 9-4. Davis got into the hot seat 9-6 and waited on Hall's return.
Hall moved over and picked up Mark Coats, who'd defeated Kyle Bova 9-4 and Randy Jordan 9-5 to reach him. Meglino drew Hoiss, who'd eliminated Richard Brompton and David Jacobs, both 9-2. Hall downed Coats 9-6 and in the quarterfinals, faced Meglino who'd shut Hoiss out.
Hall took the quarterfinals over Meglino 9-6. He then fought a tight, semifinal battle against Kennedy that came within a game of double hill before Hall advanced 9-7.
Hall and Davis fought back and forth through numerous ties in the early going of the race-to-12 finals. Davis got out in front a few times, but by game 20, they were dead even at 10 apiece. Hall won the next two to claim the 5th Annual Southeast Open 9-Ball title.
The Event started off with the One-Pocket division, all went as planned and 32 players started off at around 10:00am. After the 1st round concluded a lot of players decided to re-buy into the 2nd round and the field widened itself pretty good. We had some surprises, as lot of favorites went out in the 1st round. eg. Nick Van Den Berg got beaten by Imran Majid. We also had some brotherly battles as David Alcaide had to play his buddy Juan Carlos Expisito, then in the 2nd round he played Carlos Cabbelo and lost. Carlos went on to get into the final, there he met with strong playing Stephan Cohen, who beat Imran and Benjamin Baier in the process. Stephan continued his great form in the final and beat Carlos 3-0…
