by InsidePOOL Staff

Pro player Mike Davis took off the January 21 stop of the Tiger Classic Tour, double-dipping John Souders in the finals to take the title. The open event drew 32 players to Cue Phoria in Winter Park, FL.

Davis first encountered Souders in the winners’ side final four, where Souders delivered Davis to the one-loss side 7-3.

Davis first encountered Souders in the winners’ side final four, where Souders delivered Davis to the one-loss side 7-3. In the other bracket, Harry Nathan bested George Sanders 7-5 to move on to the hot seat match and face off with Souders, who took that match 7-4.

Nick Applebee eliminated Sanders in fifth place to advance to the quarterfinal match. Meeting him there was Davis, who had just ousted Julio Aquino in a fifth-place tie with Sanders. Davis dominated Applebee 7-2 and continued his trek through the west side.

In the semifinal match, Davis easily handled Nathan 7-4 to reach the double-elimination finals against Souders. Souders struggled to take the title, but Davis notched a narrow 7-5 win in the first set and then whitewashed Souders in the second to claim his victory.

Results:
1st Mike Davis $450
2nd John Souders $200
3rd Harry Nathan $100
4th Nick Applebee $80
5th George Sanders $60
Julio Aquino

by InsidePOOL Staff

Ben Castaneros and Raymond Lee met three times at the Tri-State Tour’s January 7-8 event, with Castaneros double-dipping Lee in the finals to take the title. The $2,000-added stop drew a field of 61 players to Gotham City Billiards in Brooklyn, NY, for the A- through D-player, 9-ball event.

Castaneros and Lee first matched up in the winners’ side final four, where Lee dealt Castaneros his first—and only—loss of the tournament 6-1. In the other bracket, Bryan Jeziorski sent Alex Osipov to the west side of the chart 7-5. Jeziorski put up a fight in the hot seat match, but Lee was able to notch a 7-4 win.

Ben Castaneros and Raymond Lee met three times at the Tri-State Tour’s January 7-8 event, with Castaneros double-dipping Lee in the finals to take the title. left to right: 3rd Place Bryan Jeziorski, 2nd Place Raymond Lee ; righ most 1st Place Ben Cataneros

From the left side of the bracket, Castaneros sprang back with a 7-4 victory over Mike Strassberg, while Osipov sent Ron Gabia home in a fifth-place tie with Strassberg after their match ended 7-2. Castaneros and Osipov collided in the quarterfinal match, which saw Castaneros best Osipov 6-4 to stay alive.

It was another victory for Castaneros in the semifinals, where he eliminated Jeziorski in third place 7-4. In the double-elimination final match, Castaneros dominated Lee 6-2 in the first set and 6-1 in the second to take first place.

Results:
1st Ben Castaneros $1,250
2nd Raymond Lee $870
3rd Bryan Jeziorski $590
4th Alex Osipov $420
5th Ron Gabia $270
Mike Strassberg
7th Ed Culhane $190
Andrzej Kaldan
9th Robert Plaut $140
Arturo Reyes
Luis Jimenez
Alan Chan

by InsidePOOL Staff

Scott Herbeck bounced back from earlier loss to take down John Gorsch Sr. twice in the finals of the October 8 stop of the Lucasi Hybrid Cues All-American Tour. Held at Cuemasters Billiards in Dubuque, IA, the $500-added 8-ball handicapped tourney on 7-foot Valley bar boxes drew 21 players.

On the A-side, Gorsch Sr. marched to the hot seat, including a 4-1 win over Ron Pluym in the winners’ side final four and a hot seat win over Al Birkett 4-3. Birkett had previously bested Mike Rohner 6-3.

On the west side, Herbeck recovered from a 6-1 loss to Pluym to eliminate David Duggan 6-4 and Rohner 6-2 to meet Pluym again. After ousting Pluym 6-4 and Birkett in the semifinals, Herbeck gained a shot at the undefeated Gorsch Sr. in the final match. The finals went two sets, with both sets ending on the hill 6-3 in favor of Herbeck, the winner.

Scott Herbeck bounced back from earlier loss to take down John Gorsch Sr. twice in the finals of the October 8 stop of the Lucasi Hybrid Cues All-American Tour.

Results:
1st Scott Herbeck $400
2nd John Gorsch Sr. $250
3rd Al Birkett $200
4th Ron Pluym $175

by InsidePOOL Staff

Josh Roberts went undefeated into the finals but was met head-on by a determined Randy Jordan, who bested him twice to take the Great Southern Billiard Tour title. Held the weekend of June 11-12, Classic Billiards in Conyers, GA, hosted the $1,500-added amateur handicapped event.

After moving past Mike Hatton in the winners’ side final four 10-8, Roberts went on to the hot seat match. There he faced Jordan, who had just sent Josh Johnson to the one-loss side 9-5, for the first time in the event. Roberts triumphed 10-8, sending Jordan to the west side to attempt a return to the finals.

Josh Roberts went undefeated into the finals but was met head-on by a determined Randy Jordan, who bested him twice to take the Great Southern Billiard Tour title.

On the left side, Patton was soon eliminated by Larry Price 10-7 and went home with fifth place. Tying with him was Jeff Jordan, who was ousted by Johnson 7-5. Johnson and Price advanced to the quarterfinal match, where the winner was Price 10-6.

Waiting for Price in the semifinals, Jordan was able to handle his opponent 9-5 to earn a rematch with Roberts in the double-elimination final match. Jordan won the first set double-hill to force a set, and though it was also a close contest, Jordan eked out a 9-8 victory to take the title.

Results:
1st Randy Jordan $700
2nd Josh Roberts $500
3rd Larry Price $330
4th Josh Johnson $225
5th Mike Patton $100
Jeff Jordan
7th Jesse Middlebrook $65
Mitch Yarborough

by Jose Burgos

Bruce Nagle double-dipped Josh Brothers at the October 3 installment of the Mezz Pro-Am Tour to become the champion. The $1,000-added event was hosted by Drexeline Billiards in Drexel Hill, PA, where a strong field came out to play.

Bruce Nagle double-dipped Josh Brothers at the October 3 installment of the Mezz Pro-Am Tour to become the champion.

Brothers led the top half of the bracket, scoring victories over Tony Long 7-5, Lou Patrikios 7-2, and Steve Shaw 7-6. He then dealt Nagle his only loss of the event 7-5 to reach the hot seat match. There his opponent was Matt Krah, who won over Michael Praseutsy 7-3, Bill Smith Jr. 7-2, and Shaun Dobson 7-4.

The hot seat match was all Brothers, who won the match easily to the tune of 7-1. Sent to the one-loss side, Krah was faced with Nagle, who had just eliminated Smith 7-3 and Tony Long 7-5. It was a close match, but Nagle edged out Krah 7-5 to reach the finals against Brothers.

In this grudge match, Nagle had to best Krah twice to take the title. The first set saw Nagle take the lead early on and cruise to an easy 7-4 victory. The second set was a repeat of the first, with Nagle again pulling away and handily winning the event 7-4.

Results:
1st Bruce Nagle $750
2nd Josh Brothers $400
3rd Matt Krah $150
4th Tony Long $100
5th Bill Smith Jr. $70
Shaun Dobson

by Samm Diep, PoolTipJar.com

On August 21-22, Table Steaks South (soon to be known as Billiards Ink) in Englewood, CO, hosted a $1,000-added bar table 8-ball tournament, the second in a series of big-money-added events this summer. The tournament was held in conjunction with a Team CSI exhibition featuring Earl Strickland and John Schmidt, led by team manager Mark Cantrill.

On August 21-22, Table Steaks South (soon to be known as Billiards Ink) in Englewood, CO, hosted a $1,000-added bar table 8-ball tournament, the second in a series of big-money-added events this summer.

It was an ACUI face-off. Silva, the 2004 ACUI champ, and Piazza, a two-time ACUI winner, put on an 8-ball clinic for the room full of spectators. The gentlemen exchanged racks until the score was tied 3-3. In the final game, Piazza broke the balls wide open and weaved through a sophisticated run-out to face Owen in the finals. “I got fourth last time and third this time, so I should get at least second next time,” jokingly said Silva.

With two savvy bar table 8-ball players in the finals, the crowd knew they were in for a treat. Very few errors were made in the first set. It was run-out after run-out. Then, in the final rack at 4-4, Owen made a critical error. He scratched on the break, allowing Piazza to run that rack and take the first set. The theme continued into the second set, except this time, Owen seemed to lose some focus. With only a race to 4, every little mistake counted. While up 3-2, Piazza finally gave up on his second ball break and blasted the rack wide open to run out.

Results:
1st Tony Piazza $1,060
2nd Gabe Owen $560
3rd Ruben Silva Jr. $240
4th Tommy Tokoph $190
5th Ron Lincoln $135
Sam Cordova
7th Bobby Begey $80
Steve Chan
9th Ed Barego $50
John Sanderfer
Richie Cunningham
Andy Pettinger

by Jose Burgos

A small but strong field came out to participate in the August 15 event of the Mezz Pro-Am Tour, and Mike Miller walked away the winner after defeating Manny Chau twice in the finals. The $1,000-added tournament was hosted by Main Line Billiards in Frazer, PA.

A small but strong field came out to participate in the August 15 event of the Mezz Pro-Am Tour

Making his move on the one-loss side, Miller scored wins over Charlie Marshall 7-6, Jay Brotherton7-3, Derek Schwager 7-2, Mike Sigel 7-6, Brucato 7-6, and Krah 7-5. He met Robles in the semifinals and was so determined, he didn’t allow Robles one single rack before winning their match 7-0. In the finals Miller had to best Chau twice to win the event. The players gave the match their all. The first set went hill-hill, with Miller eking out a 7-6 victory. In the second set, Miller allowed one rack less to Chau and won 7-5 to take the title.

Results:
1st Mike Miller $935
2nd Manny Chau $475
3rd Toney Robles $250
4th Matt Krah $150
5th Chip Klein $75
Nick Brucato

by Jose Burgos

Josh Brothers took down the Mezz Pro-Am Tour’s May 2 stop, double-dipping Matt Krah in the finals. The $1,000-added event was hosted by Atlantic City Billiard Club in Egg Harbor, NJ, and drew a field of 31.

Lou Patrikios led the top half of the bracket with wins over Jose Burgos 7-3, Randy Mackin 7-3, “Forty” 7-5, and John Alicea 7-5. Leading the bottom half of the bracket was Krah, who scored victories over Bill Gallagher 7-3, Bob Burt 7-4, Derek Schwager 7-4, and Joe Wright 7-6. Krah and Patrikios collided in the hot seat match, which went hill-hill, but in the end it was Krah who came away with the 7-6 win.

After a hill-hill loss to Eddie Abraham, Brothers worked his way through the west side of the chart, eliminating Denise Reeve 7-0, Ed Medina 7-0, Wali Muhammad 7-2, “Forty” 7-6, Wright 7-1, and Joey Testa 7-2. He then met Patrikios in the semifinals, and after a lopsided match, Brothes ousted him 7-2.

Josh Brothers took down the Mezz Pro-Am Tour’s May 2 stop, double-dipping Matt Krah in the finals.

Results:
1st Josh Brothers $935
2nd Matt Krah $400
3rd Lou Patrikios $330
4th Joey Testa $150
5th John Alicea $75
Joe Wright
7th Derek Schwager $80
“Forty”

by InsidePOOL Staff

James Baraks bested Dustin Wilgus twice in the final set to take the Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour by storm February 27. Held in Decatur, IL, this $500-added event featured a 52-player field in a double-elimination 9-ball format on 8-foot tables.

Wilgus took the undefeated route to the hot seat, including an A-side semifinal win over Sergio Perez 8-6 and the A-side finals win over Mike Dunklin 8-6. Dunklin won his A-side semifinal match over Chris Austin 8-7 prior to his loss to Wilgus, and Dunklin then awaited his opponent in the B-side finals.

In the B-side round of eight, Baraks and Rick Halls eliminated Chris Winschief 8-4 and Ike Runnels 8-6, respectively, at seventh place. The B-side quarterfinals featured Baraks and Halls continuing by ousting Perez 8-5 and Austin 8-7, respectively, at fifth place. In the B-side semifinals, Baraks edged Halls at fourth place by an 8-7 margin. Baraks maintained his momentum in the B-side finals by defeating Dunklin 8-5. Versus the undefeated Wilgus in the finals, Baraks displayed conviction in winning two sets for the title, 8-2 and 8-6.

James Baraks bested Dustin Wilgus twice in the final set to take the Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour by storm February 27.

by InsidePOOL Staff

Trey Jankowski took down the February 13 stop of the Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour, double-dipping Shawn Collie in the final set. Hosted by Q’s Sports Bar & Girl in Port Charlotte, FL, this $500-added “Pre-Valentine’s Day Massacre” showcased 14 players from both coasts of Florida in a double-elimination handicapped, 8-ball format on 7-foot Valley bar boxes.

The quarterfinal winners’ side found Jankowski of Key West defeating North Port’s Ken Coulter 4-2. In the same bracket Shawn “Pokie” Collie of Port Charlotte upset Tim Baron 4-2. On the one-loss side master player Steve Knoll got upended by Baron 4-1. Coulter plodded by Rick Madaffer 4-2.

Trey Jankowski took down the February 13 stop of the Lucasi Hybrid All-American Tour, double-dipping Shawn Collie in the final set.