Rodney Morris, Rocky McElroy and Corey Deuel
"The Rocket," otherwise known as Rodney Morris, has been chalking up his frequent flyer miles, not to mention pool shooting titles, all over the country this year. He's won three stops on the Mezz West Tour, along with the Chinook Winds (Oregon) Open 10-Ball Championships, and the 8th Wyoming Masters 10-Ball. He was third behind Dennis Orcollo and Mike Dechaine at the US Open 8-Ball Championships in Vegas, and third in the Jay Swanson Memorial Tournament out in Bellflower, CA. He's also pocketed his share of prize money in East Coast events, like Turning Stone XXIII (7th), the 4th Annual Steinway Classic (7th), the American 14:1 Championships in Virginia (9th), the Super Billiards Expo Players Championship and US Open 9-Ball Championships (13th in both).
In the weekend prior to Thanksgiving (November 21-22), he joined familiar opponents like Johnny Archer, Josh Roberts, Donny Mills, and Mike Davis in the $2,500-added, 1st Annual Super 32 10-Ball Championships, held under the auspices of the Florida Pool Tour and hosted by Capone's in Spring Hill, FL. He battled Corey Deuel twice and finished undefeated to claim the title.
He and Deuel met first in the hot seat. Deuel had sent Roberts to the loss side, double hill, as Morris was downing Florida Pool Tour director Tony Crosby 9-1 in the winners' side semifinals. In their first of two, Morris defeated Deuel 9-4, and sat in the hot seat, awaiting his return, which, based on the loss-side field still left in the hunt, wasn't exactly a sure thing.
Still left, as Roberts and Crosby moved over, were Archer and Davis. Archer had eliminated Stony Stone 9-4 and Felix Luna 9-5 to reach Roberts. Davis had gotten by Anthony Meglino 9-5 and just did outlast Donny Mills, double hill, to pick up Crosby. Crosby and Roberts went right back to work; Crosby downing Davis 9-1 and Roberts ending Archer's weekend 9-5.
Roberts defeated Crosby 9-5 in the quarterfinals, and then had his short, two-match, loss-side run ended in the semifinals by Deuel 9-6. In a single race to 11, Morris defeated Deuel a second time, 11-4, to claim the title.
The Florida Pool Tour thanked Rocky McElroy and the staff at Capone’s for hosting this inaugural event and for providing some great service, great food, and great times. Capone’s, said tour representatives, has been a staple room for many pro and regional tours in Florida for years, and has raised a stable of professional players including Morris and Deuel. They suggested that if you're in the Spring Hill area, you should visit Capone's and support the room. Special thanks went out to Jimi and Janene Phillips, and the Central Florida BCA Leagues & USAPL for sponsoring this event. Tour representatives thanked Xtreme Pool Challenge, Gary Patrick and his staff, for their time and effort in producing an outstanding streaming experience; five tables in HD quality, free of charge.
The next event on the Florida Pool Tour, scheduled for January 16-17, 2016 at ZIngale's Billiards and Sports Bar in Tallahassee, FL will be the $5,000-added Florida State Open 10-Ball Championship. Visit www.floridapooltour.com for more information and 'Like' Florida Pool Tour on Facebook for updates.
