by Alison M. Fischer, NYCgrind.com

Daniel Dagotdot won the Predator Pro-Am Tour’s amateur division the weekend of September 17-18, while Oscar Bonilla closed a win in the open/pro division. The tour held its eleventh tour stop of the season at the Lindenhurst, NY, poolroom Mr. Cue Billiards on Long Island.

With a field of 56 players for both events, the $1,000-added tournament got underway early Saturday afternoon, and by Sunday evening, only two players remained in the winners’ bracket. Two of the area’s strongest young amateur players faced off in the hot seat match to see who would lock down a spot in the finals.

Long Island player Erin McManus, who had not competed all summer since the WPBA U.S. Open in June, faced off against Dagotdot in the hot seat match. McManus and Dagotdot had a close battle, which ended in Dagotdot’s favor 8-5.

Victor Nau, the Predator Tour’s current number-one-ranked player in the A+ class, fought through the one-loss side to take on McManus in the semifinals after he defeated Andrew Waggoner in the quarterfinals 10-5. McManus continued her strong play to win 9-7 and earn her spot in the finals for a rematch with Dagotdot. It was another close match between Dagotdot and McManus in the finals, but Dagotdot again prevailed, with the final score ending at 8-6.

In the one-day open/pro 10-ball event, Joey Korsiak earned the hot seat with a win over Justin Muller 8-5, Scott Murphy 8-4, and Tony Robles 8-6.

Oscar Bonilla fell into dead stroke after a first-round loss to Jorge Rodriguez 8-6 and went through the one-loss side to meet Tony Robles in the semifinals. With the score 5-4 in Bonilla’s favor, Robles came up dry on the break, and Bonilla calmly proceeded to run three racks and out for the right to play Korsiak for the championship. Bonilla was not to be denied as he soundly defeated Korsiak 11-7 in the finals to win the day.

Daniel Dagotdot won the Predator Pro-Am Tour’s amateur division the weekend of September 17-18, while Oscar Bonilla closed a win in the open/pro division.

Amateur Results:
1st Daniel Dagotdot $900
2nd Erin McManus $600
3rd Victor Nau $400
4th Andrew Waggoner $300
5th Luis Novas $200
Christian Smith
7th Dan Cintron $150
Marvin St. John
9th Gail Glazebrook $90
Mike Ettl
Thomas Wan
Jerry Tarantola – $90

Open/Pro Results:
1st Oscar Bonilla $500
2nd Joey Korsiak $300
3rd Tony Robles $180
4th Jorge Rodriguez $100

by InsidePOOL Staff

A field of 57 billiards players gathered at Houston’s Sports Bar in Houston, TX, the weekend of July 9-10 for the $1,200-added Lone Star 9-Ball Open/Amateur billiard event. Local champions Mike Alonzo, Andy Jethwa, Sylver Ochoa, Waco’s own Doug Young, and amateur division players J.J. Manley, Chuck Coignard, Steve Lindgren, Damion Manning, Steve Braswell and numerous others competed in the one-day amateur, two-day open, and ladies’ divisions.

In the open division, Eric Renteria, William “Yoko” Joe, Leroy “Bull” Hawkins, and Jason Pearce all lost their bid for the winners’ side final four, which yielded Jethwa versus Alonzo and Ochoa against Young. Both Jethwa and Young defeated their opponents by the score of 9-4. As ferocious as Young played to get there, Jethwa stole his thunder and stopped him cold 9-2. On the west side, Ochoa made quick work of Joe 7-1 and Pearce fell to Alonzo 7-2. Ochoa went on to eliminate Alonzo 7-5 and dealt Young some payback 7-6. In the true double-elimination format, Ochoa came on strong the first set 9-1. In overtime, it was a different story. Jethwa was determined not to let this one get away, and he didn’t. By a score of 7-4, he captured his third Lone Star title win.

A field of 57 billiards players gathered at Houston’s Sports Bar in Houston, TX, the weekend of July 9-10 for the $1,200-added Lone Star 9-Ball Open/Amateur billiard event.

The amateurs’ side final four pitted Steve Lindgren versus Steve Braswell and J.J. Manley against Darryl Amos, while the one-loss side matched Ron Robleski versus Robert Hitchcock and Mike Moody against Abel Lara. When the smoke cleared on the east side, it was Lindgren over Braswell 4-1 and Manley over Amos 4-3, which paired Lindgren and Manley for the hot seat. On the one-loss side, Lara advanced past Braswell, Amos, and Manley but was stopped short by Lindgren in the second set of the true double-elimination final.

The $200-added ladies division drew 10 players and included Bastrop’s Kim Pierce and locals Robyn Petrosino, Tiffany Boysen, and Angela Martinez. East side action in the ladies’ event saw Petrosino defeat Pierce 7-2 and Angela Martinez best Natalie Smith. It was Martinez over Petrosino for the hot seat, while Pierce fought her way back with wins over Diana Cardona 5-2, Natalie Smith 5-2, and finally Petrosino 5-1 to meet Martinez. The first set went to Pierce 7-5. The second set was tied at 4-4 when Martinez missed the 4 ball in the side, costing her the set.

Open Results:
1st Andy Jethwa $530
2nd Sylver Ochoa $330
3rd Doug Young $200
4th Mike Alonzo $100
5th William Joe $70
Jason Pearce

Amateur Results:
1st Steve Lindgren $250
2nd Abel Lara $165
3rd J.J. Manley $100
4th Steve Braswell $50

Ladies’ Results:
1st Kim Pierce $200
2nd Angela Martinez $120
3rd Robyn Petrosino $80

by Jerry Tarantola, NYCgrind.com

The Predator 9-Ball Tour’s April 16-17 stop was hosted by Mr. Cue Billiards in Lindenhurst, NY, where 46 top amateur players from around the area came out to play in the 9-ball event, along with a number of top open and pro players for the one-day 10-ball event Sunday. Mike Hertz won his first tour title in the amateur division, while Zion Zvi took home the open title.

The Predator 9-Ball Tour’s April 16-17 stop was hosted by Mr. Cue Billiards in Lindenhurst, NY, where 46 top amateur players from around the area came out to play in the 9-ball event.

Veteran tournament player and grinder Diana “Snooky” Rojas brought her A-game to the table throughout the two-day event, defeating Andy Schorr 8-4, Jim Jennings 7-3, Mike Ettl 7-5, and Sandie Patarino 7-5 before being defeated by Hertz 7-3. Rojas then made a statement by defeating current BCAPL women’s open 8-ball champion Gail Glazebrook in dominant fashion 7-3, which Rojas followed up with a gritty 7-5 win over Raphael Dabreo. She was poised to snap off her first Predator Tour event, but Hertz proved that he has the ability to bounce back after a tough loss.

After getting edged out by Jack Smith in the hot seat match, Hertz shut out Rojas 7-0 for a dominant win in the semifinal, followed up by a hill-hill rematch with Smith in the finals. By the time the final ball was pocketed, Hertz earned his first Predator 9-ball Tour win in impressive fashion.

The open/pro 10-ball event that runs alongside the amateurs featured several big sticks. Top Long Island player Oscar Bonilla started off with two gritty hill-hill 8-7 wins over Justin Muller and “Flaco” Tony Rodriguez, before catching an impressive gear to defeat Joey Korsiak 8-1. In the hot seat match, Bonilla’s opponent was breakout player Zion Zvi, who is starting to come into his own. Zion came out of the gate with dominant back-to-back wins over Bob Mammarella 8-0 and Ed Culhane 8-2.

Zvi then edged out Tony Robles 8-7 before an impressive hot seat match win over Bonilla 8-3. Bonilla returned for another meeting with Zvi in the finals after a hill-hill 8-7 win over Korsiak in the semifinals. In the finals it was all Zvi as he defeated Bonilla 9-6 for his first win this season.

Amateur Results:
1st Mike Hertz $800
2nd Jack Smith $600
3rd Diana Rojas $400
4th Raphael DaBreo $300
5th Gail Glazebrook $200
Shawn Sookhai
7th Ron Mason $125
Eric Grasman
9th Sandie Patarino $75
Charles Young
Lionel Rivera
Robert Gipp

Open Results:
1st Zion Zvi $700
2nd Oscar Bonilla $400
3rd Joey Korsiak $215
4th Tony Robles $100

by InsidePOOL Staff

Paul Song went undefeated at the March 19 stop on the Tiger Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour to take first place, besting Mark Shimmelman in the final match, while Tommy Najar took the amateur division over Jason Stemen the following day. The events drew 50 entries and offered a total of $1,000 added and was hosted by Mr. Cues in Atlanta, GA.

Song was unchallenged as he went through the bracket, meeting Shimmelman for the first time in the hot seat match. After dispatching Shimmelman 9-2, he awaited a final opponent, while Shimmelman went to the one-loss side.

Paul Song went undefeated at the March 19 stop on the Tiger Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour to take first place, besting Mark Shimmelman in the final match, while Tommy Najar took the amateur division over Jason Stemen the following day.

Jeff Crawford was making his move, coming through the west side and eliminating Clay Medlock 7-2 in the quarterfinals. He went on to meet Shimmelman in the semifinal match but came up short 7-3. Having earned a rematch with Song, Shimmelman faced him in the finals, but the end result was the same, as Song triumphed 11-3 to take the title.

In the amateur division, Najar cut through the field to the hot seat match, where he faced off against Jason Stemen for the first time. He was able to stave off Stemen 7-4 to remain undefeated, while Stemen went to the left side of the bracket.

KC Joiner and Jeff Crawford went up against each other in the quarterfinal match, with Joiner coming out the 5-3 victor to advance to the semifinals against Stemen. Joiner’s day was done, as he fell to Stemen 5-3. Stemen went on to his rematch against Najar, and it was an epic hill-hill battle, but in the end Najar won 9-8.

Open Results:
1st Paul Song $510
2nd Mark Shimmelman $300
3rd Jeff Crawfod $200
4th Clay Medlock $100
5th Dave Mattax $50
Tommy Najar

Amateur Results:
1st Tommy Najar $425
2nd Jason Stemen $250
3rd KC Joiner $150
4th Jeff Crawford $100

KING OF PRUSSIA, PA (February 26, 2011): Allen Hopkins, promoter of the annual Super Billiards Expo, has announced that he will be adding a total of $35,000 to its three professional events at this year’s Super Billiards Expo, to be held March 10-13 at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA.

Allen Hopkins, promoter of the annual Super Billiards Expo, has announced that he will be adding a total of $35,000 to its three professional events at this year’s Super Billiards Expo, to be held March 10-13 at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA.

The majority—$25,000—will be added to the Diamond Open 10-Ball Professional Players Championship. This 64-player tournament is open to men and women and is a ranking event for the Billiard Congress of America points list. The winner will receive $20,000, as well as a trophy and free entry into the following year’s event.

An additional $5,000 will be added to the prize purse for the WPA World Artistic Pool Championships, which is a much-anticipated event by both the participants and the fans. This event will feature some of the most talented and entertaining international players in artistic pool.

Also, $5,000 will be added to the prize pool of the Professor Q-Ball Promotions Invitational Three-Cushion Champion of Champions event. Sponsored by Gabriels Billiards, Simonis cloth, and Longoni, this event will showcase the top players in the world today.

Participation in the events is the highest it has ever been. Entry fees for juniors are now a thing of the past. The junior players’ age classifications have changed this year to 17 and under or 12 and under. Hopkins has also added an amateur division: Super Seniors. This event is available to all senior players 65 and over.

The Super Billiards Expo will be available in 3D this year. Comcast video will be at the Valley Forge Convention Center filming the World Artistic Pool Championships and other areas of the multi-pronged event.

“This is the first time ever that Comcast is televising pool, and they’re doing it in three-dee,” Hopkins said. “It could be the future of trick shots. They will also be taking film of exhibitors and the other tournaments.”

Hopkins also decided to cut down on the booth space to give players more room to play. “I want to keep it more available for the players.”

The free live stream will be available at Inside POOL Magazine and Inside Pool Streaming Channel at Ustream.

About the Super Billiards Expo:
Celebrating its nineteenth year in 2011, Allen Hopkins’ Super Billiards Expo is the largest consumer-oriented billiards show in existence, bringing together the finest manufacturers, retailers, and custom cue makers in the world. This unique show unites customers, fans, and professional and amateur players annually at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and is sponsored by Iwan Simonis Inc., Diamond Billiard Products Inc., Mueller Recreational Products, and Run-Out Sportswear. InsidePOOL Magazine is the official magazine of the Super Billiards Expo.

by InsidePOOL Staff

The Billiard Congress of Wisconsin’s State Championships wrapped up June 26, crowning numerous victors in their respective divisions. The event was hosted by Ho Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells in Baraboo, WI.

The $2,500-added amateur 9-ball championships attracted 37 players, with Varun Raheja taking first place. In the winners’ side final four, Tyler Styer defeated Raheja 6-4 and went on to the hot seat match to face John Barton, who had just bested Jason Jick 7-6. Styer triumphed in the hot seat match 6-5, and Barton was sent west. In the semifinals he faced off against Raheja, who eked by with a 6-5 win to earn a rematch with Styer. In the double-elimination final match, Raheja double-dipped Styer, winning the sets 6-4 and 6-5 to earn $1,600 for first place.

The open 9-ball division saw 36 players vying for their shares of the $4,000-added prize purse, and it was Jeff Carter who took home $2,300 for first place. Like Raheja in the amateur division, Carter was defeated in the winners’ side final four and came back to double-dip his finals opponent. Carter was sent west by Jesse Engal 7-3, while Gene Albrecht defeated Tony Hilla 7-3. In the hot seat match, Albrecht came out the winner 7-3. After Carter eliminated Hilla in fourth place 7-5, he went on to the semifinal match against Engal, whom he ousted 7-5. In the finals against Albrecht, Carter won both sets with double-hill margins 7-6.

There were 108 players in the $1,500-added singles 8-ball barbox championship event, with Jack Wu taking first place. Wu went undefeated through the event, defeating Jeff Potts in the winners’ side final four 5-4 to reach the hot seat match against Matt Berg, who had just bested Shane Minihan 5-4. Another hill-hill match saw Wu take the king seat 5-4. Ryan Behnke took on Potts in the quarterfinal match and eliminated him 5-4, and he kept his momentum going by ousting Berg 5-4 in the semifinals. But he was stopped in the finals by Wu, who won the single-set finals 5-3.

The open one-pocket division boasted a $2,500-added purse and drew 23 players, with Beau Runningen taking the undefeated route to the winner’s circle. Runningen bested Jeff Carter 3-2 to reach the hot seat match against Ike Runnels, who had just whitewashed Tony Hilla 3-0. In the king seat match, Runningen eked out a 3-2 victory, while Runnels went west. Sylver Ochoa was working his way through the one-loss side and met up with Mike Perron Jr. in the quarterfinals, eliminating him 3-1. Ochoa also defeated Runnels 3-2 to reach the final match against Runningen. It was a close battle, but Runningen slid by with a 3-2 victory.

The Billiard Congress of Wisconsin’s State Championships wrapped up June 26, crowning numerous victors in their respective divisions.

9-Ball Open Results:
1st Jeff Carter $2,300
2nd Gene Albrecht $1,275
3rd Jesse Engal $875
4th Tony Hilla $575
5th Manuel Chau $300
Ramesha Gokhul
7th Sylver Ochoa $150
Billy Lasee
9th Beau Runningen $75
Jason Barnhall
Jon Giles
Randy Lamar

8-Ball Barbox Results:
1st Jack Wu $1,251
2nd Ryan Behnke $625
3rd Matt Berg $417
4th Jeff Potts $295
5th Ray Skinadore $208
Shane Minihan
7th Chad Cunningham $125
Chad Behnke
9th Jared Anderson $90
David Wilbelhouse
Reggie Runnels
John Pfeffer

One-Pocket Results:
1st Beau Runningen $1,296
2nd Sylver Ochoa $720
3rd Ike Runnels $504
4th Mike Perron Jr. $360
5th Jeff Carter $216
Tony Hilla
7th Billy Lasee $144
Bill Fowler

by Dave Dupuis

François Normand and Ernie Wong took the premier spots on the first edition of the MMX AllerRetour Challenge in the elite and amateur divisions, respectively. The tournament was held June 12-13 at Dooly’s Pool Hall in Longueuil, Quebec, Canada. During the tour’s 30 weeks of pool, fans were lucky enough to see, both onsite and online, two categories of play every week in a duel of 9-ball.

For the tour’s grand finale, 32 of the top players in the standings (16 amateurs and 16 elites) were invited. The amount of $4,500 CAD was awarded throughout the tournament, and the Delta-13 racks were also given as trophies to the champions.

Saturday’s qualifying session was a round robin for players who were ranked fifth to sixteenth in the standings, and later the first round of single elimination finals took place. Only four players from each category were invited to play the next day.

In the amateur division, Ernie Wong of Montreal, the best player in the season’s standings, easily defeated Francis Farley 9-1 in the finals. On the road, Wong bested Martin Lévesque 7-6 and Eric Fleury 7-4 to earn his place. Farley, on the other hand, eliminated Abraham Benoliel 7-2 and Eric Gaudreault 7-4 to participate in the final match-up.

In the elite event, the scenario was different because four players came from two round robin qualifications on Saturday. Eric Theroux lost 9-5 against François Normand and Martin Lalonde eliminated Tino Barbieri. While many predicted a victory by Lalonde, Normand’s game effectively allowed him to take the lead 10-8 in the race-to-11 games. Lalonde, who is known for his desire to win, did not let go and forced a hill-hill battle. To the great surprise of Normand, Lalonde scratched on the break, giving the advantage to his opponent. Despite the importance of the break in a championship game, Normand capitalized on the error and the match—without Lalonde returning to the table—to win the 2010 Elite title.

A live broadcast of the final matches on the Internet was made possible through the collaboration of Guy Simard (BillardQuebec.com). To view the videos visit the official website of the event Allerretour.ca.

François Normand and Ernie Wong took the premier spots on the first edition of the MMX AllerRetour Challenge in the elite and amateur divisions, respectively.

Amateur Results:
1st Ernie Wong $550
2nd Francis Farley $300
3rd Éric Fleury $125
Éric Gaudreault
5th Martin Lévesque $50
Éric Horth
Abraham Benoliel
Denis Duteau

by Jerry Tarantola, NYCgrind.com

Thomas Wan and Tony Robles won their respective divisions on the Ozone Billiards Predator Tour’s June 5-6 stop, taking first place in the amateur and open/pro events, respectively. The tour’s ninth stop of the season was hosted by Master Billiards in Queens, NY, where 66 of the strongest players in the tri-state area came out to compete at the $1,000-added event to show they have the grit to fight through the tough field.

Dinko Busanich showed a lot of heart in the amateur division, going through several gritty matches as he fought through the winners’ bracket to earn a spot in the finals. Busanich went through Carl Yusef Khan 7-3, Mike Panzarella 7-6, Jerry Tarantola 7-6, Daniel Dagotdot 7-5, Thomas Wan 7-4, and Mike Hertz 7-5 to reach the finals.

On the one-loss side, there were a lot of warriors battling for the chance to come from behind to make a statement. While there were stand-out performances by Raphael DaBreo, John Hacsi, Dave Shlemperis, Arturo Reyes, Lionel Rivera, Michael Hertz, and Daniel Dagotdot, only one player reached the finals unscathed. Long-time tour player Wan was impressive by defeating Mike Wong 7-3, Rivera 7-5, Stewart Warnock 7-6, Rivera again 7-5, Shlemperis, and Hertz 7-4 to get a shot at Busanich in the finals. There Wan was dominant by putting up a solid 9-5 score to capture his first Ozone Billiards Predator Tour win.

Early on in the open/pro 10-ball event, Master Billiards house pro George “Ginky” Sansouci made a big statement by playing nearly flawless pool in a dominant 8-2 victory over reigning U.S. Open champion Mika “Iceman” Immonen. Immonen won his next match 8-6 against a game Arturo Reyes before getting bumped out of the event by Marc “Spain” Vidal.

On the lower half of the bracket Tony “The Silent Assassin” Robles was silently taking down his competition, going through Ron Mason, Zion Zvi, Marc Vidal, and then an impressive 8-4 win over Jeremy Sossei to reach the hot seat. Sossei bounced back from the loss to Robles by defeating visiting player Marco Tschudi of Switzerland 8-3 to set up a rematch with Robles. Tschudi was turning heads with his fast-paced game with wins over Mike Miller 8-4, Zvi 8-5, Sansouci 8-3, and Vidal 8-6 before Sossei eliminated him. In the finals, the Ozone Billiards Predator Tour founder and battle-tested veteran Robles defeated Sossei 8-4 for his second win of the season.

The tour’s ninth stop of the season was hosted by Master Billiards in Queens, NY, where 66 of the strongest players in the tri-state area came out to compete at the $1,000-added event to show they have the grit to fight through the tough field.

Robles and Sossei

by InsidePOOL Staff

The brand-new McDermott Gambler Pro Tour kicked off its inaugural event the weekend of May 15-16 at Hammer Heads Billiards in Holiday, FL. The event saw Trevor Braymore, Stephanie Mitchell, and Mike Davis take home titles in their respective divisions.

The handicapped amateur 9-ball division saw 26 players show up to vie for the $1,480 purse. Braymore made his way through the winners’ side with wins over Allen Auman 9-5, Mike Staubes 7-6, and Van Phan 9-8 to put him in the hot seat match. The bottom bracket saw Mitchell move to the hot seat match with wins over Angel Riviera 5-3, Gary Blatt 5-1, James Roberts 9-7, and Michell Monk 5-3. A double-hill affair saw Braymore escape Mitchell to claim the hot seat. Now on the west side, Mitchell faced down Jerry Troisi 6-5 to earn a rematch with Braymore. Their second match again went hill-hill, with the same results, as Braymore claimed the match 9-8.

The ladies’ event drew a field of five. Amateur division runner-up Mitchell suffered a first-round loss to Nikki Rasmussen 7-1 but rebounded, making her way to the finals to meet the undefeated Michell Monk. It was another hill-hill final match, this time with Mitchell coming out the winner 7-6.

The brand-new McDermott Gambler Pro Tour kicked off its inaugural event the weekend of May 15-16 at Hammer Heads Billiards in Holiday, FL.

On the one loss side Adam Wheeler made his way back to the finals after his second-round loss to Aquino 7-6. It was a single race to 9, and Davis took an early lead 3-1. However, Wheeler countered to win six racks in a row, making it 6-3 in his favor. Davis fought back, and soon the score seesawed to 8 apiece. In the final rack, Davis played a safety on the 6 ball, allowing Wheeler enough to see a bank. Wheeler attempted the shot but hung it in the pocket, and Davis closed out the rack with a bank on the 7 ball to get shape and finish the match, becoming the first Sharkbite Classic Open 9-Ball champion.

Mitchell (L) and Monk (R)

Stephanie Mitchell (L) and Trevor Braymoore (R)

Open Results:
1st Mike Davis $500
2nd Adam Wheeler $350
3rd Mike Staubes $225
4th Julio Aquion $150
5th Bobby Livrago $100
Jerry Triosi

by Lea Andrews

Tommy Kennedy juggled both tournament director and player duties at the March 6-7 installment of the Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour, getting past last stop’s winner John “Mr. 403” Schmidt to top the open division, while Jason Moran topped Sunday’s amateur division. The $1,000-added open event drew 29 players to Skeeters Billiards in Gulfport, MS, while the $500-added amateur event drew 25.

Kennedy edged out Cliff Joyner 9-8 to meet Schmidt for the first time in the hot seat match. Schmidt, who was coming off a 9-4 win over Johnny Armstrong, notched up another one against Kennedy, who went west to fight for a rematch. On the left side of the bracket, Jay Bird took care of Jason Moran and Neil Alexander before coming up on Joyner, whom he held to seven games to reach the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Greg Hagin notched wins over Josh Charbonnet and Luc Detierne to face Armstrong. Allowing Armstrong just three games, Hagin advanced to the quarterfinals, but the four games he marked up there against Bird put him in fourth.

In the semifinals, Kennedy was ready for his rematch with Schmidt, and he dropped Bird into third 9-6 to earn his chance at revenge. In the single race-to 11 final match, the two veterans stayed close, trading games until Kennedy reached the hill 10-9. Schmidt was on his way to tying it up, but an unlikely miss on the 6 ball brought Kennedy back to the table, and he took care of what was left to earn his victory 11-9. Other open event winners were Neil Alexander, who earned $50 as the highest-finishing senior; Jessica Penick, who pocketed $25 as highest-placing lady; and Johnny Armstrong, who took home an extra $25 as the top junior.

On Sunday, Moran’s 5-2 win over Jim Sterling put him into the hot seat match against Tracy Guernsey, who’d shut out Luc Detierne. Against Moran, though, he managed just one game, and he moved over to the semifinals. On the other side of the bracket, Steve Kuhnau, who’d suffered an earlier loss to Sterling, was making his way through the field, getting past Steve Neil Alexander and Mike Trawick for another crack at Sterling. Meanwhile, Ken Black pushed his way past Brandon Goudreau and James Faison to reach Detierne, whom he put in fifth 4-1 to reach the quarterfinals. There he faced Kuhnau, who’d exacted his revenge on Sterling 4-3. Another 4-3 victory put Kuhnau up against Guernsey in the semifinals, and a 5-3 win put him into the single race-to-7 final match, but that was where his run ended. Moran took control early and kept it, finishing up his undefeated event 7-2.

Kennedy juggled both tournament director and player duties at the March 6-7 installment of the Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour

Open Results:
1st Tommy Kennedy $700
2nd John Schmidt $475
3rd Jay Bird $350
4th Greg Hagin $250
5th Johnny Armstrong $150
Cliff Joyner

Amateur Results:
1st Jason Moran $470
2nd Steve Kuhnau $300
3rd Tracy Guernsey $200
4th Ken Black $100
5th Luke Detierne $45
Jim Sterling