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

by Skip Maloney

Mike Black took tour director Tommy Kennedy to the bitter double-hill end in the finals of the J. Pechauer Southeast 9-Ball Tour January 24-25. Black prevailed in the $1,000-added event that drew 26 entrants to Skeeter’s Billiards in Gulfport, MS.
 
Black and Kennedy were among the final four on the winners’ side of the open event on Saturday, but Kennedy went west on the heels of 9-5 victory by Bill Dunsmore. Black, in the meantime, bested Kevin Duffy 9-6 and then gained the hot seat with an identical 9-6 win over Dunsmore.

Kennedy and Duffy moved over to take on Jason Breland and Morty Davis, who would both end up in the tie for fifth place. Kennedy and Duffy squared off in the quarterfinals, in which Kennedy prevailed 9-4. Kennedy avenged his earlier defeat versus Dunsmore by besting him in the semifinals 9-4 and earning a shot against Black in the finals.

Black took an early 2-0 lead in the finals, and the two traded racks back and forth to 6-4. At that point, Black surged ahead, reaching the hill first. Kennedy responded with a four pack of his own to knot things at double-hill. Kennedy broke and was midway through the rack when he scratched shooting at the 5 ball. Black took over and finished it to capture the first-place prize.

In a $500-added amateur event that drew 30 players Sunday, Jason Moran took first place, defeating Kevin Duffy in the finals 7-5. Glen Kelly finished in third place, with Josh Charbonnet in fourth. David Walters and Stacy Toomer tied for fifth place.

Mike Black took tour director Tommy Kennedy to the bitter double-hill end in the finals of the J. Pechauer Southeast 9-Ball Tour January 24-25.

Open Results:
1st Mike Black $700
2nd Tommy Kennedy $420
3rd Bill Dunsmore $325
4th Kevin Duffy $225
5th Jason Breland $100
Morty Davis
7th Larry Charbonnet
Jeremy Kennedy
9th Greg Hagin
Rory Carpenter
Stacy Toomer
Glen Kelly

Amateur Results:
1st Jason Moran $505
2nd Kevin Duffy $325
3rd Glen Kelly $225
4th Josh Charbonnet $125
5th David Walters $70
Stacy Toomer

by InsidePOOL Staff

Bennie Conway Jr. and Jay Bird owned the Southeast J. Pechauer billiard event at Skeeters Billiards in Gulfport, MS.

The J. Pechauer Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour rolled through Gulfport, MS, the weekend of August 16-17. Skeeters Billiards hosted both the open 9-ball and the amateur/semi-pro events, won by Benny Conway Jr. and Jay Bird, respectively.

In the open division, tour director Tommy Kennedy fought to the hill with Jay Bird and won 7-6, dropping him into fourth place. From there he went on to the semifinals to challenge Conway, who had just been bested by Cliff Joyner in another double-hill match. Conway prevailed in the semifinals and went on to his rematch with Joyner. There he found success, winning the match by a tight 9-7 score.

Though he ended up in fourth place in the open division, Bird had little trouble taking top honors in the amateur event. He defeated Jim Sterling in the hot seat match 5-4, while David Walters bested Jason Moran in the quarterfinals. Walters then faced off against Sterling but fell short as Sterling advanced to the finals 4-2. In the final single race to 7, it was neck and neck, but Bird pulled off a double-hill win.

Open Results:
1st Benny Conway Jr.
2nd Cliff Joyner
3rd Tommy Kennedy
4th Jay Bird
5th Jason Moran
Joey Aguzin

Amateur Results:
1st Jay Bird
2nd Jim Sterling
3rd David Walters
4th Jason Moran