The ‘stars’ come out to play in Georgia on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour
Randy Jordan
The final six competitors at the Sept. 26-27 stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour included the Jordan brothers (Randy and Jeff) and Josh Roberts, all looking to get back on some semblance of a winning track after a long, ominously quiet spring, summer and (now) autumn. Gone at the point (among others) were BJ Ussery, Betty Sessions and the tour’s most prolific winner over the past year, Landon Hollingsworth.
Josh Roberts had been the busiest of the final six in 2020, having cashed in seven events, including the Music City Classic’s Open Division (4th), three events at the Derby City Classic (9-Ball Banks; 14th, One Pocket; 25th, 9-Ball; 11th) and a runner-up finish (to James Aranas) in the 2020 Scotty Townsend Memorial 9-Ball Tournament in March in Louisiana. The Jordan brothers came to the tables on the heels of a long drought for them. Randy Jordan had chalked up his last win at the 2018 Florida State Open 10-Ball Championship, while brother Jeff was looking at a three-year layoff since winning a stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball and Sunshine State Pro Am Tours in the final months of 2017.
This mutual ‘drought’ for the finalists contributed to the decision to start a double elimination final at 7 a.m. on Sunday, September 27 and conclude it at 8:45 a.m. The combatants were Randy Jordan and Josh Roberts. Roberts was in the hot seat and Randy Jordan was coming off a five-match, loss-side winning streak that his brother Jeff had sent him on after a winners’ side quarterfinal match. Jordan won both sets of the final to claim the title over Roberts. The $800-added event drew 50 entrants to another new venue for the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour – Tara Billiards in Jonesboro, GA.
After sending his brother to the loss side, Jeff Jordan ran into Josh Roberts in a winners’ side semifinal. Toby Bell, in the meantime, squared off against Eric Roberts in the other one. With Eric Roberts racing to 9, Toby Bell got into the hot seat match with a 6-6 win over him. Josh Roberts joined him, once he’d sent Jeff Jordan to the loss side 12-3 (Jordan racing to 9). Josh Roberts did not give up a rack in his 12-0 hot seat victory.
Randy Jordan opened his loss-side trip to the finals with two straight double hill wins; over Derek Fountain (10-7) and junior competitor Joey Tate (10-6) to draw Eric Roberts. Randy’s brother, Jeff, picked up Marcio Smith, who’d eliminated Reggie Thomas and Mike Byars, both 7-3, to reach him.
Randy downed Eric Roberts 10-5. Smith spoiled any thoughts of a brotherly quarterfinal with a 7-7 win over Jeff (racing to 9). Randy Jordan completed his march to the final by winning nearly 70% of the games he played over the next two matches. He defeated Marcio Smith 10-4 in the quarterfinal and Toby Bell 10-5 in the semifinal to earn his shot against Roberts in the hot seat.
It was 7 o’clock in the morning and tour director Herman Parker fully expected the two finalists to opt out of a potential two-set final and agree to a split. It didn’t happen. They embarked on the final two matches. With momentum on his side, Randy Jordan took the opening set 10-5 (Roberts racing to 12). The second set proved to be a little trickier, as they fought to double hill, just ahead of 9 a.m. Jordan finished it at 10-11 to claim the event title.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked Nathan McBurnett and his Tara Billiards staff for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards, Tickler Pool Ball Washing Machine, Skyline Construction, Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division and Dirty South Grind Apparel Co. The Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour will add another new venue to its growing list as it visits VFW Post #9811 in Kings Mountain, NC this coming weekend (Oct. 3-4) for a $500-added event.