Two years ago, at the Super Billiards Expo, Jason Brown downed Corey Deuel in the One Pocket tournament of that annual event. A month later, he joined Danny Smith, Mika Immonen, and Deuel in the tie for 9th at the Buffalo Billiards Pro One Pocket event. Last year, his best in recorded earnings since first appearing in the AZ database in 2004, he cashed in the One Pocket (20th), 9-Ball (17th) and 9-Ball Banks (28th) events at Derby City, as well as the 9-Ball (13th) and One Pocket (5th) events of the annual Don Coates Memorial in Raleigh, NC. In other words, "Jaybird," as he's known, has some history at the Pro level, particularly playing One Pocket.
Brown brought that resume with him to Spartanburg, SC on the weekend of June 24-25, at a stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball tour. It was the $1,000-added 1st Annual South Carolina State 9-Ball Bar Box Championships, which drew 38 entrants to Cue Time Billiards in Spartanburg, and though Brown would relinquish the hot seat to Brian White, he came back from the semifinals to defeat White and claim that inaugural title.
The final three matches on the winners' side were all decided by 9-7 scores. Brown defeated 16-year-old (soon to be 17-year-old) Hunter White to get into the hot seat match. He was met by Brian White (no relation to Hunter), who'd defeated Tim Heath. White then claimed the hot seat over Brown in what proved to be his last win.
On the loss side, Hunter White picked up Brian Bagwell, who, following a defeat at the hands of Matt Bulfin, was in the midst of a six-match, loss-side winning streak that would take him as far as the semifinals against Brown. He'd recently survived a double hill fight against J.T. Ringgold, and eliminated Zack Baker 7-5. Heath drew Mike Bumgarner, who had also survived a double hill match, versus Mackie Lowery, and also defeated an opponent in the 7th/8th place matches, Corey Morphew, by a score of 7-5.
Bagwell chalked up another double hill win, defeating Hunter White, as Bumgarner was busy eliminating Heath 7-3. Bagwell chalked up his sixth, and last loss-side win with a 7-4 victory over Bumgarner in the quarterfinals. He was then defeated, same score, by Brown in the semifinals. It was a single race to 11 for the first SC State 9-Ball Bar Box title, and Brown sealed the deal 11-5.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Cue Time Billiards, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards and Professor Q Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues' Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for July 1-2, will be hosted by Randolph's Billiards in Hickory, NC.
(l to r): Mike Voelkering, Jay Murillo, David Gutierrez
Seventeen years ago, David Gutierrez chalked up a win at the 27th Annual Texas Open. It was his first appearance in the payout lists of the AZBilliards database, which, with two exceptions, has included cash winnings for him every year since then. The exceptions were 2006 and last year. He won the Texas Open a second time in 2005, and cashed in that event on a number of other occasions. A regular and regular winner on the Fast Eddie's Tour in Texas, and the Lone Star Billiards Tour, he's appeared and cashed in major events like the Derby City Classic, The US Open 9-Ball Championships and The US Bar Table Championships. His best year, according to our records was 2004, in which he won a stop on the Fast Eddie's and Top Dawg Billiards Tour's One Pocket division, along with cash appearances in (among others) two Carolina Opens, a stop on the Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour, and the Music City Classic.
On the weekend of June 24-25, after a year of absence from any of our payout lists (which means, basically, that if he won any tournaments, we didn't hear about them), he returned to the Texas stage and chalked up a win on the sixth stop of the Omega Billiards Tour. Gutierrez went undefeated through a field of 85 in the $1,700-added event, that was hosted by Click's Billiards in Arlington, TX.
Five matches that included two shutouts brought Gutierrez to a winners' side semifinal against Amos Bush, the first opponent he faced who was, at the time of the match, ranked among the Omega Tour's top 20 players (#17). Mike Voelkering (#9), in the meantime, met up with Ray Amarro. Gutierrez downed Bush 9-5, and was met in the hot seat match by Voelkering, who'd defeated Amarro 7-4. Gutierrez claimed his first (known) hot seat since 2015 with a 9-1 victory, and waited on Voelkering's return from the semifinals.
On the loss side, Bush picked up Jay Murillo, who, after being defeated by Aram Hasan in the third round, was on an eight-match, loss-side winning streak, that included a victory over the tour's #1-ranked player, Rick Stanley, and would take him as far as the semifinals. He'd recently defeated TJ Davis 6-4 and George Merchan 6-2 to reach Bush. Amarro drew Robbie Cleland, who'd been one of Gutierrez' shutout victims in one of the winners' side quarterfinals and on the loss side, defeated Doug Winnett 7-3 and Greg Sandifer 7-6 (Sandifer racing to 8).
Murillo downed Bush 6-4, and in the quarterfinals, ran into Cleland, who'd eliminated Amarro 7-2. With Cleland racing to 7, Murillo chalked up his last win 6-6 over Cleland, before running into Voelkering, who ended Murillo's loss-side streak 7-1. Voelkering put up a bit more of a fight in the finals than he had in the hot seat match, but Gutierrez prevailed 9-4 to claim the event title.
Tour director Melinda Bailey thanked the ownership at staff at Click's for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Michael Hoang of OMEGA Billiards Supply, FargoRate.com, and OB Cues. The next stop on the Omega Billiards Tour, scheduled for July 15-16, will be a $1,700-added event, hosted by Open Table in Azle, TX.
