by Lea Andrews

Paul Mullins is no stranger to the Great Southern Billiard Tour, but he found himself in uncharted territory when he reached the finals, and he staked his claim when he sunk the final 9 ball. “The Cheetah” sprinted through the strong field of 52 that gathered at Speakeazy Billiards in Sanford, NC, on May 1-2 for the $1,500-added event.

Mullins edged out fellow B player Glen Smith to reach the hot seat match against AA-ranked Jeff Abernathy, who’d breezed by Mike Hagood 11-2. A strong 7-6 victory earned Mullins the ticket to the finals, while Abernathy moved over to the other side of the bracket to try for a rematch.

On the one-loss side, another of Mullins’ victims was already on his own quest for a rematch. A-ranked Glenn Russell, who’d fallen to Mullins 7-5, ousted B-ranked Steve Jenkins 9-3 and A-ranked Brad Shearer 9-7 to meet up with Hagood. Meanwhile, B-ranked Shawn Ray took care of A players Larry Faulk 7-2 and Greg Taylor 7-7 to face Smith, whom he put in fifth 7-6 to reach the quarterfinal match. There he faced Russell, who’d had a smooth 9-3 win over Hagood. A 9-6 victory over Ray put Russell one step closer to a rematch with Mullins, but Abernathy had other ideas, and holding Russell to six games, Abernathy claimed the rematch for himself.

Both Mullins and Abernathy were in the finals of the Great Southern Billiard Tour for the first time, and they fought back and forth for the victory that had so far eluded them. But Mullins, overcoming a tendency toward late-tournament timidity, snatched the win in one set 7-9.

Paul Mullins is no stranger to the Great Southern Billiard Tour, but he found himself in uncharted territory when he reached the finals, and he staked his claim when he sunk the final 9 ball.

by Lea Andrews

Though Ron Park tried twice, he couldn’t take down Brian White, who went undefeated to top the March 13-14 stop of the Great Southern Billiard Tour. White and Park were among the field of 43 that arrived at Kylie’s Sports Bar and Grill in Cornelius, NC, for the $1,500-added event.

AA-ranked White took care of A-ranked Matt Reed, who was racing to 9, 11-6 to face Park for the first time in the hot seat match. Park, who’d just blown through B-ranked JR Poste 9-2, moved over to the semifinals after notching just one game against White.

On the one-loss side, Mark Patterson got past fellow B-player Doug Bartlett 7-5 to face Jeff Peele, who’d ousted Bartlett’s brother Tim 9-3. But Peele, who owns the room named after his five-year old daughter, Kylie, with his wife, Amy, managed just three games himself against Patterson, landing in seventh. Meanwhile, last stop’s winner Josh Newman took care of B-ranked Paul Mullins 9-4 to meet up with Marty Free, who’d shut out B-ranked Robert Ash.

Newman’s bid for two in a row ended there, though, and he finished in seventh 7-5. Free moved on to Poste, who held him to four games to advance to the quarterfinals against Reed, who’d put Patterson in fifth 9-3. But against Poste, Patterson came up two games shy of his goal of nine games, and Poste advanced to the semifinals against Park. Their match-up went a little better for Poste this time around, but still not well enough. Park earned the rematch with White hill-hill 9-6.

Though Ron Park tried twice, he couldn’t take down Brian White, who went undefeated to top the March 13-14 stop of the Great Southern Billiard Tour. Pictured left to right is Brian White, Daulton, and Ron Park.

Results:
1st Brian White $1,000
2nd Ron Park $500
3rd JR Poste $300
4th Matt Reed $200
5th Mark Patterson $125
Marty Free
7th Jeff Peele $55
Josh Newman

by Lea Andrews

After a weekend of play that ran over into the early hours of Monday, Tim Orange remained undefeated, taking care of John Maikke twice on the way to his first-place finish on the Great Southern Billiards Tour. The $1,500-added A/B amateur event drew a field of 52 to The Pool Room in Duluth, GA, February 20-21.

AA-ranked Orange rode a strong 11-2 win over B-ranked Bob Lea to face Maikke in the hot seat match. A-ranked Maikke had just sent B-ranked Paul Mullins west 9-5, but he couldn’t mark up the games against Orange, and he moved over to the semifinals 11-4.

On the one-loss side, one of Orange’s earlier victims, AA-ranked Mike Laney, was making a run for a rematch, ousting fellow AA player Billy Young 11-6 to face recent winner Robert South, who’d breezed past B-ranked Felipe Flores 9-2. Another 11-6 victory pitted Laney against Mullins, who landed in fifth after managing to mark up just five games. Meanwhile, B-ranked Richard Andrews was making his way through B-ranked Jeremy Sane 7-2 to meet up with B-ranked Jason Caldwell, who’d won 7-6 over A-ranked Jason Steman. Edging out Caldwell 7-6, Andrews moved on to Lea, but made it no further. Lea put him in fifth 7-3 to advance to the quarterfinals against Laney, whom he held to 8 games in the weighted race to face Maikke in the semifinals. The finals would be a rematch for either man, but Maikke earned the right by a decisive 9-2 score.

The alternate-break, true double-elimination final match didn’t even begin until after two a.m., so fatigue was an issue from the very start. The two traded off games for the first racks, and though Orange managed to open up his lead a little bit, Maikke didn’t let go, reaching his hill of 8 games first after Orange scratched on a tough shot on the 6 ball with the bridge. In what could have been the rack that would push the second set, Maikke got a chance at the table after Orange missed the 3 ball in the side, but Maikke’s shot missed its mark, as well, allowing Orange to finish it off and make it hill-hill 10-8. It was Orange’s turn to break in the final rack, and though he pocketed a ball, he was left without a shot on the 1 ball, and he chose to push. With the cue ball nearly frozen to the foot cushion, Maikke accepted, attempting a long cross-bank, and when it went wide, it left Orange wide open for a run to the winning 5-9 combination.

After a weekend of play that ran over into the early hours of Monday, Tim Orange remained undefeated, taking care of John Maikke twice on the way to his first-place finish on the Great Southern Billiards Tour.

Results:
1st Tim Orange $1,000
2nd John Maikke $500
3rd Bob Lea $300
4th Mike Laney $200
5th Richard Andrews $125
Paul Mullins
7th Jason Caldwell $75
Robert South
9th Jeremy Sane $50
Jason Steman
Billy Young
Felipe Flores

by Lea Andrews

While head coach Sean Payton was leading the New Orleans Saints to their first Super Bowl victory at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, another Payton—Roy—was finishing up an undefeated weekend at Zoo City Saloon in Asheboro, NC. He did so at the expense of the field of 30 who gathered February 6-7 for the $1,500-added Great Southern Billiards Tour event.

B-ranked Payton got past fellow B-player Jeff Baumgarner 7-2 to reach the hot seat match against A-ranked Tony Morrison, who’d gotten by A-ranked Kevin Boggs 9-7. In the weighted race for the hot seat, though Payton notched one less game, he scored the win 7-8.

On the one-loss side, B-ranked Charles “Cotton” Trivett eased by B-ranked Robert Ash 7-3 to meet up with Paul Mullins, who’d ousted fellow A-player Sidney Champion 9-7. After taking care of Mullins 7-4, Trivett moved on to Baumgarner. Meanwhile, B-ranked James Blackburn held B-ranked Joe Edmonds to three games to face Mike Basha, who’d held fellow B-player Tony Williams to four games. Edging out Basha 7-6, Blackburn advanced to Boggs, but landed in fifth after managing just two games. In the quarterfinals, Boggs met Baumgarner, who’d put Trivett in fifth 7-5, and though Boggs managed to reach his hill of 8 games, Baumgarner marked up the final rack, earning his spot in the semifinals 7-8. There he found himself in another tight hill-hill match with an A-player, which, fortunately for Baumgarner, yielded the same result—he put Morrison in third 7-8 to get his rematch with Payton in the finals.

In the true double-elimination final match, Payton could afford to get behind or even lose the first set, but he hadn’t lost a set all weekend, and he wasn’t about to start. After jumping out to a two-game lead, Payton stayed in front, and when Baumgarner missed his chance to tie it up by scratching on the 5 ball at 6-5, Payton took ball in hand and the final rack to earn his win 7-5.

While head coach Sean Payton was leading the New Orleans Saints to their first Super Bowl victory at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, another Payton—Roy—was finishing up an undefeated weekend at Zoo City Saloon in Asheboro, NC.

by Lea Andrews

While the $1,000-added Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour’s season opener turned out to be a bittersweet finale for the patrons of the host location, Shooters Bar & Grill in Greensboro, NC, which closed its doors November 1, it was also another undefeated victory under Mike Davis’ belt. Davis was among the talented field of 15 who descended on the poolroom for its last hurrah on October 31-November 1.

Davis met up with Scott Lewis on the winners’ side final four, getting through him 7-2 to face Eddie Little, who’d had his own 7-2 win over Arnold Hamlet. Little managed just three games against Davis in the hot seat match, though, and moved west.

On the left side of the bracket, Jeff Abernathy backed up a 7-3 win over Delton Howard with a shut-out win over Jerry Hilton to face Hamlet, while B.J. Ussery breezed by Adam Stanton 7-2 to edge out Paul Mullins 7-6 and face Lewis. Both Hamlet and Lewis earned their spots in the quarterfinals with 7-5 wins, and it was Hamlet who advanced over Lewis to the semifinals 7-4. Earning his revenge over Little by taking the final rack in their hill-hill battle, Hamlet moved on to the single race-to-11 finals.

Game one of the final set went to Davis, but game two went to Hamlet after Davis hung up the 9 ball. The score knotted again at 3 and at 4, but Davis got up 6-4 and 7-5, and a break and run put him up 8-5. Hamlet came out on top of a safety battle in the next to make it 8-6, but when he didn’t make anything on the break in the next rack, Davis made it 9-6, then 10-6 following a safety-riddled game. After Hamlet overcut the 9 ball in the next game and Davis missed a bank, Hamlet played safe, but Davis made the long, thin cut to earn first place 11-6.

While the $1,000-added Jacoby Custom Cues Carolina Tour’s season opener turned out to be a bittersweet finale for the patrons of the host location, Shooters Bar & Grill in Greensboro, NC, which closed its doors November 1, it was also another undefeated victory under Davis’ belt.

In the early bird tournament on Friday night, Kris “Chavez” Bowers earned first place and $100 for his narrow 7-6 victory in the finals over Kevin Boggs, who took home $25. The ladies’ tournament on Saturday came down to a mother-and-daughter finals, with Adrianna Cody getting by her mother, Trish Cody, 7-2, while the juniors’ division win went to Zach Leonard. In the second chance tournament on Saturday, Scott Lewis earned $100 for his 7-2 win in over Carey Nealey, who earned $60. Delton Howard earned $115 for coming out on top of eight other entrants in the break contest, while the break and run jackpot, which started out at $500 but went unattained at this stop, will grow for the next stop. The final big winner of the weekend was Johnny Miller, whose winning raffle ticket sent him home toting a Jacoby cue worth $600.

Results:
1st Mike Davis $1,000
2nd Arnold Hamlet $500
3rd Eddie Little $175
4th Scott Lewis $75

by Joshua Johnson, Inside POOL Staff

The Great Southern Billiard Tour is hosting the latest of its amateur events this weekend at World Cup Billiards in Greenville, SC, where a field of 38 players has arrived to compete for the $1,000 first-place prize. What this field of players lacks in numbers it makes up for in quality, however, as some of the top amateur players from the southern region have shown up.

Landon Shuffett is just one of the great players playing this weekend at World Cup Billiards.

Some of the favorites are former winner Landon Shuffett, Josh Roberts, Sidney Champion, Brian Turner, Ray Benish, and Danny Turner, as well as tour regulars Paul Mullins, Mike Basha, Joshua Johnson, Mike Templeton, and the Tovar brothers—Luis, Antonio, and Jose.

View the Great Southern Billiard Tour World Cup Billiard tournament brackets

View the live stream

Players began play at approximately 3:00 p.m. Saturday and will play down to the final 12 places, who will return on Sunday. Players will be competing in the GSBT’s popular AA/A/B handicap format. AA’s go to 11, A’s go to 9, and B’s go to 7 games.

By Joshua Johnson, Inside POOL

What started off with 42 players on Sunday ended with Josh Newman fending off a hard charging Josh Roberts to secure victory in Rock Hill, SC. Newman defeated Roberts 7-5 in the second set of the true double elimination format after losing the first set on the hill at 11-6. A 16 year old prodigy from Bessemer City, NC played great all weekend and was a deserved winner.

Roberts played great to get to the finals, winning 7 matches in a row, but could not muster enough energy to defeat Newman a second time. Newman defeated Jeff Abernathy 11-6 to win the hot seat match. Abernathy moved to the left side of the bracket, where he squared off against a straight shooting Roberts.

What started off with 42 players on Sunday ended with Josh Newman fending off a hard charging Josh Roberts to secure victory in Rock Hill, SC.

Roberts dispatched Dusty Norris 11-1 in the semifinals of the 1-loss bracket, but did not have as easy a time against Jeff. Both players displayed great shot making skills in the set, as well as some intelligent safety play. In the end, an unforced scratch at hill-hill by Abernathy on the 9-ball sent Roberts through to the finals. In addition to the main event held here at Breakers Sports Bar and Grill, a second chance tournament was held. Peter Iskander took top honors in that event, defeating Paul Mullins in the single elimination, race to 7 tournament.

View the Great Southern Billiard Tournament Brackets for Rockhill, SC

The Great Southern Billiard Tour would like to thank the owner of the Breakers Sports Bar, Jeff Peele, for hosting the event as well as its sponsors: Nick Varner Cues and Cases, Tiger Products, Delta-13 Rack, Masters Chalk, Inside POOL, AZ Billiards, Professor Q-BALL, Stroke Magazine and Billiards Digest. The Great Southern Billiard Tour will be at Chalk It Up Billiards in LaGrange, GA for its next amateur event. It will be played on 7 foot Diamond bar tables.

After eight hours of matches, play has come to a close with sixteen players of the original 42 moving on to Sunday matches. Along the way, some of the stronger shooters have encountered some troubles, but are still battling on the left side of the brackets. Brian White, one of the AA classed players needing to go to 11 games, lost his first match to B player Mike Basha.

Both Josh Roberts and Norris Brady lost their third round matches to Lay Thammavong and Steve Cox. Other players still progressing through the winner’s side are Josh Newman, Jeff Abernathy, Paul Mullins, Zeek Gomez, Wade Mascia, and Dusty Norris. Joining Roberts, White and Brady on the 1-loss side are Clay Branham, Rory Dover, Dale Phillips, Chris Steele, and Robert Ash.

After eight hours of matches, play has come to a close with sixteen players of the original 42 moving on to Sunday matches.

With the restructured format of the amateur events on the GSBT, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will walk away with the $1000 first prize. Sunday play begins at 1:00pm EST with both winners and 1-loss bracket matches. Also Sunday, there will be a second chance tournament for those players who did not cash in the main event starting at 4:00pm EST.

The Great Southern Billiard Tour would like to thank the owner of the Breakers Sports Bar, Jeff Peele, for hosting the event as well as its sponsors: Nick Varner Cues and Cases, Tiger Products, Delta-13 Rack, Masters Chalk, Inside POOL, AZ Billiards, Professor Q-BALL, Stroke Magazine and Billiards Digest. This event is being streamed live at the following link:

Watch LIVE Streaming Video Now

View the Great Southern Billiard Tournament Brackets for Rockhill, SC

The Great Southern Billiard Tour is at the halfway point in Greenville, SC.

The Great Southern Billiard Tour’s $1500 added Amateur event at World Cup Billiards in Greenville, SC has finished play for the night with 24 players returning Sunday to play for the $1000 first place prize.  Pre-tournament favorites Brian “Hump” Bagwell, Mike Basha, and Mark Parlier have advanced through the winners bracket unscathed so far, and look to continue their winning ways come Sunday.

Brian Bagwell began his day by defeating one of the other top picks in the draw, Scott Lewis, 8-5.  He could not let his guard down however, as his next match was against local Steve Cox.  He dispatched Cox 8-3 then sent youngster Josh Newman to the left side by a score of 8-6.  Newman had gotten to that point by defeating Jim Jennings 8-7, and Matt Mancini 8-7.  Bagwell is set to play Kenny Wilson tomorrow at 3:00pm EST.  Mike Basha has made easy work of his matches to this point, not allowing an opponent to win more than 3 games.  He has beaten Ed Killough (8-0), Justin Price (8-3), and Antonio Tovar (8-3) to earn a match with Chris Zayas tomorrow.  Mark Parlier will also be playing Marty White tomorrow at 3:00pm after giving Paul Mullins (8-4), Gary Neal (8-6), and Jeff Haton (8-1) a ticket to the 1-loss bracket.  The other winners bracket match has Rory Dover matching up against Steve Holman.

Tournament play stopped for the night with 16 players returning on the 1-loss side of the brackets. Matches begin tomorrow at 1:00 in the afternoon and have Scott Lewis pitted against Jim Jennings, Josh Johnson playing Casey Looper, and Matt Mancini vs. Steve Cox.  Other matches are Gary Neal vs. Brent Skidmore, Kevin Ferrell vs. Justin Price, Derrick Horne vs. Scott Thorne, Danny Turner vs. Jason Hollifield and Paul Mullins vs. Scotty Thomas. 

View the Great Southern Billiard Tour World Cup Billiards tournament brackets

The Great Southern Billiard Tour runs open and amateur events and has had the pleasure of hosting tournaments in great pool halls all over the southeastern United States, and World Cup Billiards has been no exception.  It boasts 20 9 ft. tables, 2 billiard tables, a good menu and plenty of spectator room.  The staff here is great and really completes what is already a great experience.  Along with the host room, the GSBT would also like to thank its sponsors; Nick Varner Cues & Cases, Delta-13 Racks, Masters Chalk, Tiger Products, Billiards Digest, AZ Billiards, Professor Q-Ball, and Inside POOL Magazine.

by InsidePOOL Staff
Jeff Abernathy won his second regional tour event of the month when he swept the J. Pechauer Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour’s November 24 stop. Hosted by Morey’s Billiards in Charlotte, NC, this event brought in 45 competitors vying for the $500-added prize money.
Cruising undefeated to the finals, Abernathy made short work of Rob Krull 4-2 in the hot seat match, sending Krull to the one-loss side. In the semifinals he faced Jim Jennings, fresh off a 3-1 victory over Maryland hotshot Mike Davis. Krull surpassed Jennings 3-2 to earn a rematch with Abernathy, but he again fell short as Abernathy overcame him 4-3 for the title.

Results:

1st
Jeff Abernathy

2nd
Rob Krull

3rd
Jim Jennings

4th
Mike Davis

5-6th
Tommy Kennedy

Brian Davis

7-8th
Jeff Bumgarner

Jack Bock

9-12th
Ray Floyd

Allen Green

Steve Horne

Paul Mullins