Though he played more games and eventually, after winning five on the loss side of the double elimination bracket, met and defeated hot seat occupant, Clint Palaci, to claim the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) 9-Ball Tour’s season opener on the weekend of January 18-19, Clint Freeman did not end up with the highest game-winning percentage of the 106 entrants, who signed on to the $1,500-added tournament, hosted by Rusty’s Billiards in Arlington, TX. That interior-event ‘title’ went to Walter Huenerfuerst, who, though he finished in the tie for 13th place, won 57 of the 80 games he played over the weekend (71%).
Event winner Freeman, at 65% (85-46), wasn’t even in second place for the game-winning percentage ‘title,’ though he did end up in third place. Second place went to a competitor who was the odds-on favorite to win the tournament; seven-time participant and 2019 Vice Captain of the USA Mosconi Cup team, and winner of the 1998 US Open One Pocket and 2003 US Open 9-Ball titles, Jeremy Jones. Jones, though he finished in the tie for 9th place, won 64 of the 96 games he played (67%).
That strange little ‘factoid’ emanates from a disparity of games-played and racks-given-up that doesn’t always figure into the bottom line of winning or losing a given tournament. If you play 10 games of pool in a tournament, all races to 8, and win them all, you win the tournament. But if each of your eight games goes double hill (8-7), you’re going to finish the tournament with a 53% game-winning percentage. Huenerfuerst lost his opening match, faced seven opponents on the loss side, and gave up an average of just under three racks per match to his opponents to win the game-winning percentage battle. Jones, who moved to the loss side after the fourth round, faced a total of only six opponents and gave up just over five racks per match. Event winner Freeman played 11 matches, to include the double elimination final and gave up just over four games per match.
Freeman’s path to the winners’ circle went through Jeff Williams (8-5), Paul Villa (8-2), and Shane Hvamsted 8-3, before running into Donnie Gregory for the first time. Gregory sent him to the loss side 7-5. Gregory then advanced to a winners’ side semifinal matchup against Clint Palaci. Meanwhile, Tony Top, who’d recently battled to double hill versus Jeremy Jones and sent him to the loss side, advanced to the other winners’ side semifinal against Harold “Woody” Paine.
Top got into the hot seat match with an 8-6 victory over Paine. He was joined by Palaci, who’d defeated Gregory 7-2. Palaci gave up only a single rack to Top and grabbed the hot seat.
On the loss side, Freeman began his loss-side campaign with his hands full, so to speak, by drawing Jeremy Jones, who’d just won his first loss-side match 10-6 over Daniel Herring. Freeman put an end to an extraordinarily brief loss-side run by Jones with an 8-5 win. Freeman moved on to a double hill battle that he eventually won over JP Kinman, that set him (Freeman) up to face “Woody” Paine. Gregory picked up Jud Hunter, who’d recently eliminated Billy Guy and John Doughty, both 7-5.
Freeman advanced to the quarterfinals with an 8-4 win over Paine, earning himself a rematch against Gregory, who’d defeated Hunter 7-5. Freeman went at the quarterfinal rematch with a vengeance, and allowed Gregory only a single rack in his 8-1 victory. Freeman completed his loss-side run with an 8-2 victory over Top in the semifinals.
Hot seat occupant, Clint Palaci began the double elimination finals against Clint Freeeman with one ‘bead on the wire’ in a race to 8. The two Clints battled to double hill in the opening set, before Clint finished it, forcing a second set. Freeman took the second set 8-4 to claim the DFW 9-Ball Tour’s season opener and for about a month, sit at the top of the DFW’s standings.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Rusty’s Billiards for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Anchor Predator Cues, Business Sponsor Ft. Worth Billiards Superstore and Associate Business Sponsors Aramith Balls, Outsville Racks, Rasson Billiards and JB Cases. The next stop on the DFW 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for Feb. 22-23, will be hosted by Billiard Den in Richardson, TX.
As it turned out, both finalists in the 4th Annual Royce Bunnell Memorial Tournament, held over the long weekend of December 13-15, were looking to boost their 2019 resume; one, by chalking up only his second (recorded) victory of the year and the other, with a first (recorded) cash finish anywhere in over two years. Given the date, it was likely to be their last 2019 tour/event victory and/or cash finish. Shane McMinn, who went undefeated to claim the title, had won the DFW 9-Ball Tour’s season opener back in January. For runner-up Gary Abood, the Bunnell Memorial became his first (recorded) cash finish in any event since he finished 4th at the inaugural Scotty Townsend Memorial 9-Ball Tournament in March of 2017. The $2,000-added Bunnell Memorial, organized and sponsored by OB Cues, drew 68 entrants to the Billiard Den in Richardson, TX.
Shane McMinn’s path to the winners’ circle opened with a bye and three straight matches in which he allowed his opponent – in order, Greg Sandifer, Noel Villalobos and Isaac Wooten – only a single rack. McMinn advanced to down Ryan Robinson 7-3 and draw his first match against Abood in a winners’ side semifinal. Abood had arrived after chalking up one 7-2 victory over Alberto Nieto and three, 7-3 wins over Jason Judd, Billy Pinion and Corey Flud. Randy Staggs, in the meantime, squared off against Steve Raynes in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Staggs got into the hot seat match with a 7-4 win over Raynes. Abood chalked up twice as many racks against McMinn in the winners’ side semifinal than all of McMinn’s previous opponents combined, necessitating a 13th deciding rack. McMinn dropped the last 9-ball and moved on to the hot seat match. McMinn returned to form, allowing Staggs only a single rack as he claimed the hot seat.
On the loss side, Raynes picked up Gerardo Perez, who’d lost his opening match to TJ Davis and was in the midst of an eight-match, loss-side winning streak that would take him as far as the quarterfinals and had most recently included victories over Ryan Robinson 7-5 and, in a successful rematch, TJ Davis, 7-4. Abood drew Juan Parra, who was in the midst of a seven-match, loss-side winning streak that was about to end and had included recent victories over Jeff Sullivan 7-3 and Walter Huenerfuerst 7-2.
Abood and Perez advanced to the quarterfinals with identical 7-5 victories over Parra and Raynes, respectively. Abood then ended Perez’ loss-side winning streak 7-4 in those quarterfinals and earned a second shot against McMinn with a 7-4 victory over Staggs in the semifinals.
Unlike their double hill, winners’ side semifinal match, the finals saw McMinn return, once again, to the form that ultimately earned him the event title. He gave up two racks to Abood in the 7-2 finals, ending with an aggregate score of 35-15; a 70% winning percentage. To Abood’s credit, his runner-up finish came as the result of having won just over half of the racks that McMinn had lost.
McMinn and Abood figured prominently in two other events that were part of the 9-Ball Royce Bunnell Memorial. The weekend began with a 32-entrant, 8-Ball Mini Tournament, which was won by Gary Abood with OB Cues President Jesse Garcia as the event’s runner-up. There was also a Banks Ring (Chip style) Tournament, won by McMinn, with Jeff Sullivan finishing as runner-up and Chris “Woody” Smith in 3rd place.
David “Doc” Reyes, Customer Service Manager for OB Cues, who’s been the main promoter and ‘head of the spear’ in the organization of this annual memorial event, along with the President of OB Cues, Jesse Garcia and CEO Mark Griffin (both of whom competed) thanked Marci Rothberg and her Billiard Den staff for their hospitality, as well as sponsors (representatives), OB Cues, Fort Worth Billiards Superstore (Albert Trujillo), John Eagle Honda Dallas (JP Kinman, GM), Outville Racks (Chris Renfro), Granite Guyz and Dallas 8-Ball League. Reyes and Jennifer Hooten directed the event, while RackemTV sponsored the stream with commentary by Billy Guy and Marc Gonzalez as commentators.
(l to r): Tim Larson, Walter Huenerfuerst & Angelo Innes
On the heels of his best recorded earnings year, to date (2018), Tim Larson opened his 2019 campaign with an undefeated run on the DFW 9-Ball Tour on the weekend of May 18-19. According to records here at AZBilliards, it is Larson’s first win on a regional tour since he first started cashing in tournaments about 10 years ago. A regular at the 8-ball and 9-ball BarBox Championship events in Reno, NV (5th in 9-ball in 2014), Larson finished in the money three times on the 2018 DFW 9-Ball Tour; 4th once and 7th twice. The $1,500-added event drew 62 entrants to Rusty Billiards in Fort Worth, TX.
Larson had to get by Walter Huenerfuerst twice in this one. Like Larson, Huenerfuerst was looking to chalk up his first major regional win, and as it turned out, his runner-up finish was his best showing, to date, in any tournament, dating back to his participation in events on the Omega Tour. It proved to be Huenerfuerst’s first cash win since 2016.
They met first in the hot seat match. Larson worked his way through four opponents, allowing each of them an average of two racks per match, to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal against John Carlo Tuazon. Huenerfuerst, in the meantime, had a somewhat tougher route through his first four opponents, allowing each of them an average of five racks per match; to include his survival of a double hill match against TJ Davis in the third round. Huenerfuerst arrived at a winners’ side semifinal against Peter Villatorro.
Larson downed Tuazon 9-2, as Huenerfuerst sent Villatoro to the loss side 8-3. Larson claimed the hot seat 9-6 over Huenerfuerst and waited on his return.
On the loss side, Villatoro drew Donnie Gregory, who’d defeated TJ Davis 7-6 (Davis racing to 8) and Paul Guernsey, double hill (7-7) to reach him. Tuazon picked up Angelo Innes, who after a defeat at the hands of Davis, had gotten by Paul Villanueva 8-3 and Hector Guerrero 8-5.
It was Donnie Gregory advancing to the quarterfinals after a 7-5 victory over Villatoro. He was joined by Innes, who eliminated Tuazon 8-2. Innes was able to advance one more step, downing Gregory 8-3 in those quarterfinals, before having his loss-side streak stopped at four by Huenerfuerst, double hill, in the semifinals.
Larson completed his undefeated run with a second victory, 9-3, over Huenerfuerst in the finals.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Rusty Billiards for their hospitality, as well as sponsor Predator Cues. The next stop on the DFW 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for June 22-23, will be hosted by Click’s Billiards in Arlington, TX.
On the weekend of March 19-20, the Omega Billiards Tour was hosted by Clicks Billiards in Arlington, Texas. The staff and owners treated the players well with great service and an amazing atmosphere, and we very much appreciate each and every one of them!
We were able to extend the field to 87 players for this third stop of the 2016 season. And it was tough to predict who would come out on top with all the great talent in the field!
Always a top contender and previous Omega Billiards Tour Champion, Tony Sulsar, had a great tournament coming in 3rd with many tight races. Phillip Palmer had another great finish as well through a lot of tough competitors and placed an impressive 4th. Nick Evans, all the way from St. Louis and not even 20 years old yet, had wins over Ricky Ferguson 7-1, Emily Sumrall 7-2, Phillip Autieri 7-4, Greg Sandifer 7-3, Douglas Pitts hill-hill, and Forest Boyd 7-4 before finding himself in the hotseat. CJ Wiley had a bye and then wins over Joey Salazar 9-3, Walter Huenerfuerst 9-1, Donnie Gregory 9-4, Anthony Shea 9-0 and Phillip Palmer 9-4 before meeting up with Nick in the hotseat. CJ would win the hotseat match decisively 9-2.
Nick was sent to the one-loss side and took care of Tony Sulsar 7-5 to get another chance against CJ Wiley in the finals. The first match of the finals was close the whole time and Nick edged out a win 7-7, which forced a second set in this true double elimination finals. And the second set was close again and this time it went hill-hill! CJ broke and ran beautifully the last game to win the whole tournament! BIG congratulations to CJ for snapping off this tough Omega event and to Nick Evans for placing an impressive 2nd!
5th/6th places were filled by newcomer Forest Boyd and Douglas Pitts, and 7th/8th finishers were Denny Sneed and newcomer Robbie Cleland who had a fantastic first event!
Congrats to ALL the players and fans for a great event!
A HUGE thank you goes out to our sponsors Omega Billiards Supply, Predator Cues, BCAPL/CSI, and OB Cues. We would also like to give a big thanks to our additional sponsors, Irving Ink and Thread, AZBilliards.com, Pool School, and BilliardsPress.com.
This year OB Cues is our Ranking sponsor and will be donating three OB Cues to the top ranked 3 players at the end of the year! BCAPL/CSI has joined again and will be giving away 5 BCAPL free entry fees the 2017 BCAPL Nationals.
Tournament Director Melinda Bailey would like to thank the Clicks Billiards owners and staff for their awesome hospitality all weekend! She would also like to thank her fabulous team: Heather Farr and Jeffrey Georges.
A big thank you also goes out to Michael Hoang, main sponsor of the Tour and owner of Omega Billiards Supply in Hurst, TX. Michael and Omega Billiards Supply are well known for the huge booths at many large tournaments across the country.
The next stop will be held April 30-May 1 at JR Pockets in Denton, Texas. $1,500 added and limited to the first 80 PAID players (already full). We will have ten stops total again in 2016. Pool is alive and thriving in Texas!
On the weekend of August 3rd-4th, Amos Bush not only won the Omega Billiards Tour's 5th stop of 2013 at Clicks Billiards in Arlington, TX, he did after losing his very first match! Winning 12 straight matches in a row, including a double dip in the finals, Amos captured the first place prize and moved himself squarely into the top 5 Rankings!
Amos lost his very first match to the always formidable Jesse Hernandez 7-4. But that didn’t stop him – he went on a rampage and defeated Jim Colling 8-5, Anthony Shea 8-0, Willie Speed 8-4 and Jeff Georges 8-3 to make it to Sunday. On Sunday he defeated Shannon Modesitt 8-4 then Corey Flud 8-0. He then ran into a determined Tony Sulsar (winner of the last two stops), and that match went hill-hill with Amos coming out on top 8-7. Then Amos had a rematch with Jesse and won 8-4, and also toppled over the always-tough Crispian Ng (newly BCAPL Nationals 9-Ball Champ) 8-5 and then Mike Voelkering 8-5 to earn a spot in the finals.
Mike Voelkering had another fantastic tournament placing 3rd. He made it into the hotseat match with only one opponent getting over 3 games against him. In the hotseat match, a heartbreaker carom on the 9 barely hung in the pocket for an almost hill-hill match. He fought hard against Amos in the semi-final but Amos was shooting good all weekend, also, and Amos won 8-5. Congrat’s to Mike for placing 3rd!
Undefeated till the finals was a determined Jack Lynch (known as “Jersey Jack”). He had an excellent tournament and defeated a lot of good players to get to the finals! He had wins over Tony Matthew 7-1, Danny Williams 7-6, Dylan Weinheimer 7-5, Corey FLud 7-3, Walter Huenerfuerst 7-2 and Mike Voelkering 7-5 where he then waited for Amos to make his way for the final match-up.
In the finals, Amos caught a gear and won the first set 8-1. In the second set, Jersey was able to capture 4 games, but again Amos prevailed and won the second set 8-4. Amos earned $560 plus a beautiful Lucasi cue for First Place and Jersey earned $450 for Second. Mike earned $300 for 3rd place (payouts do not reflect the Player Auction).
A BIG shout out to newcomer Walter Huenerfuerst for placing 5th in his first Omega Billiards Tour event and also to Robert Sifuentes who might now be considered the “Giant Killer” as he got past several high-ranked players to place an impressive 7th place – his highest finish yet!
The Predator Player Points Tracker is for sure tested now with only one more stop left for the season to see who wins the coveted Predator prizes at Season Finale! Tony Sulsar remains in 1st place, with Crispian Ng in 2nd and Mike Voelkering moving up to 3rd. The top 3 ranked players earn Predator Prizes at the end of the year and everyone is anxious and ready to place higher and higher in the stops to move up on the list! CSI / BCAPL are giving free entries to the 2014 BCAPL Nationals for players ranked 4th-8th at the end of the year, also. Thank you to our additional sponsors, OB Cues, Irving Ink and Thread, Lucasi Cues, Players Cues, AZBilliards.com, and BilliardsPress.com.
Tour Directors Melinda Bailey and Brian Anderson would like to thank Click’s Billiards and their awesome staff for their great hospitality all weekend! A big thank you also goes out to Michael Hoang, who is the main sponsor of the Tour and owner of Omega Billiards Supply in Hurst, TX. Michael and Omega Billiards supply are well known for the huge booths at many of the large tournaments across the country. The last stop on the Omega Billiards Tour is scheduled for October 5-6 at Speed’s Billiards in Arlington, TX. All of the six events for 2013 on the Omega Billiard Tour's inaugural season have been filled to their 64-player capacity, with a 60+ waiting list! Pool is alive and thriving in Texas!!
Thank you to all the players, fans, sponsors and pool rooms!!!
