by InsidePOOL Staff

Vincent Morris scored an unblemished victory over Mel McCullen in the finals of the Tri-State Tour’s February 4 event, going through the field without a loss to claim first place. The $1,000-added tournament drew 41 C-D players to Gotham City Billiards in Brooklyn, NY.

Vincent Morris scored an unblemished victory over Mel McCullen in the finals of the Tri-State Tour’s February 4 event, going through the field without a loss to claim first place. left to right: 2nd Place - Mel McCullen Mackin; 1st Place - Vincent Morris , 3rd Place - Dennis Kennedy

McCullen and Morris matched up first in the winners’ side final four, where Morris dealt him his first loss 6-3. In the other winners’ side match, Dennis Kennedy eked out a hill-hill, 6-5 win over David Danchak. In the hot seat match, it was Morris who took the match over Kennedy 6-4.

Once on the west side of the chart, Danchak quickly fell to Randy Mackin 6-3, tying for fifth place with Meshak Daniel, who was ousted by McCullen 7-3. However, Mackin soon followed after McCullen eliminated him in fourth place 7-4 in the quarterfinals.

McCullen kept the stream alive in the semifinal match against Kennedy, trumping him 6-3 to earn another chance at Morris. In the finals, though, Morris was the dominant force as he swept ahead to claim the match 6-3.

Results:
1st Vincent Morris $635
2nd Mel McCullen $420
3rd Dennis Kennedy $260
4th Randy Mackin $150
5th David Danchak $100
Meshak Daniel
7th Steve Wade $75
Tyronnie Harlee

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

Bill Duggan managed an undefeated run through the field at the January 14 stop of the Lucasi Hybrid Cues All-American Tour, eking out a 5-4 hill-hill thriller in the finals over Eric Moore. The stop was hosted by Inland Reef in Virginia Beach, VA, where the $1,000-added 9-ball scratch tournament on 7-foot Valley bar boxes drew 26 players.

On the A-side, Duggan bested Bill Mason 5-3, while Moore defeated Dave Perry. Duggan then took the hot seat with a 5-1 effort over Moore.

(L-R) Joey Glover (3rd), Bill Duggan (1st) and Eric Moore (2nd)

On the B-side, both Joe Hughes and Vern Steinke were relegated to seventh place by Ray Reyna 5-2 and Joey Glover 5-2, respectively. Reyna and Mason were eliminated in the next round by Dave Perry 5-4 and Glover 5-4, respectively. Glover then ousted Perry at fourth place by a score of 5-4, but Glover settled at third place in the next round with a loss to Moore in the B-side finals. The tournament finals almost went two sets, but Duggan hung on to victory by a 5-4 margin over Moore in the first set for the title.

Results:
1st Bill Duggan $400
2nd Eric Moore $300
3rd Joey Glover $175
4th Dave Perry $75
5th Bill Mason $50
Ray Reyna
7th Joe Hughes $40
Vern Steinke

by InsidePOOL Staff

Joe Palone enjoyed an undefeated run through the field at the Tri-State Tour’s January 28 stop to take the title over Randy Mackin in the finals. The $750-added stop attracted 41 A-D players to Port Richmond Billiards in Staten Island, NY.

Palone and Mackin first met in the hot seat match after wins over Rhio Anne Flores 7-2 and Tony Ignomirello 6-3, respectively. The winners’ side final match went double-hill, with Palone eking out a 7-6 victory and sending Mackin to the left side of the bracket.

left to right: 2nd Place - Randy Mackin; 1st Place - Joe Palone , 3rd Place - Rick Shellhouse

Flores foundered on the one-loss side and was sent home in fifth place by Rajesh Vannala 7-4. Tying with her was Ignomirello, who was eliminated by Rick Shellhouse in a lopsided 6-1 match. Shellhouse went on to play Vannala in the quarterfinal match, narrowly winning 8-6.

Eager to earn revenge over Palone in the finals, Mackin soundly defeated Shellhouse in the semis 6-2. In his second meeting with Palone, though, Mackin found it difficult to keep up, and Palone soon skated to the winner’s circle 7-3.

Results:
1st Joe Palone $650
2nd Randy Mackin $440
3rd Rick Shellhouse $270
4th Rajesh Vannala $160
5th Rhio Anne Flores $105
Tony Ignomirello
7th Gary Murgia $80
Ben Castaneros

by InsidePOOL Staff

Alex Olinger skated through the Great Southern Billiard Tour’s first stop of the new year, surviving a double-hill final onslaught by Sam Monday to take the title. The $1,500-added stop hosted 46 amateurs players who came out to The Club House Bar and Billiards the weekend of January 7-8.

Olinger went undefeated to best Brad Black in the winners’ side final four 10-2 and reach the hot seat. Meeting him there was Monday, who had just bested Billy Thorpe double-hill 10-8. It was another hill-hill affair for Monday, but this time he was sent to the one-loss side 10-9 as Olinger awaited a finals opponent.

On the left side of the chart, D. J. Holloway easily handled Collin Hall 9-1, while Larry Kressel narrowly notched a 10-7 win over Chris Bruner. Holloway continued on to eliminate Thorpe at fifth place 9-4, while Black tied with Thorpe after Kressel ousted him 10-4. In the following quarterfinal match, it was all Kressel, as he took the match 10-4, sending Holloway home in fourth place.

Alex Olinger skated through the Great Southern Billiard Tour’s first stop of the new year, surviving a double-hill final onslaught by Sam Monday to take the title.

Kressel’s come-uppance came in the next round via Monday, who won their semifinal match 10-6. His rematch with Olinger, though, found Monday in the exact same spot as before, as Olinger eked out another hill-hill victory.

Results:
1st Alex Olinger $1,000
2nd Sam Monday $500
3rd Larry Kressel $300
4th D. J. Holloway $200
5th Billy Thorpe $140
Brad Black
7th Collin Hall $100
Chris Bruner

by InsidePOOL Staff

Good friends Dan Cintron and Rick Shellhouse succumbed to the late night and opted to split first place at the December 10 stop of the Tri-State Tour. The $500-added event was hosted by Castle Billiards in East Rutherford, NJ, and drew a field of 41 A-D players.

Cintron and Shellhouse ended up facing each other in the hot seat match after winning their respective matches over Scott Bannon 7-5 and George Osipovitch 6-3 in the winners’ side final four. Cintron claimed the hot seat with a strong 10-7 victory, and Shellhouse went west.

Ed Culhane soon eliminated Bannon in fifth place 7-3, as Osipovitch ousted Greg Constanza in the same place after their hill-hill match ended 6-5. Culhane then went on to face down Osipovitch in the quarterfinal match 7-5 to advance to the semifinals.

Good friends Dan Cintron and Rick Shellhouse succumbed to the late night and opted to split first place at the December 10 stop of the Tri-State Tour.

Results:
1st Dan Cintron $500
Rick Shellhouse
3rd Ed Culhane $250
4th George Osipovitch $150
5th Scott Bannon $100
Greg Costanza
7th Kyle Bubet $75
Mike Zimny

by InsidePOOL Staff

It was an unchallenged trip to the winner’s circle for Brian White at the December 3-4 stop of the Great Southern Billiard Tour, where he bested a field of 73 players to take first place. The $1,500-added amateur 9-ball event was hosted by The Shore Thing in Myrtle Beach, SC.

White faced down Wendell Thompkins in the winners’ side final four 10-8 to advance to the hot seat match, while Scott Roberts bested Jason “J Bird” Brown 9-9 to do the same. It was White who claimed the hot seat after an easy 10-4 victory over Roberts.

Brown’s wings were soon clipped on the one-loss side by Greg Dix, who won their match 10-9. Tying with Brown in fifth place was Thompkins, who was eliminated by Jared McGee 10-8. McGee then went on to oust Dix 10-8 in the quarterfinal match.

Clearly on a roll, McGee then advanced to the semifinals, where he sent Roberts home 10-6 to earn a chance at the main prize against White. But White had other ideas, and he only allowed McGee to take one rack before he won the final match 10-1.

It was an unchallenged trip to the winner’s circle for Brian White at the December 3-4 stop of the Great Southern Billiard Tour, where he bested a field of 73 players to take first place.

Results:
1st Brian White $1,000
2nd Jared McGee $600
3rd Scott Roberts $450
4th Greg Dix $300
5th Wendell Thompkins $200
Jason Brown
7th Dylan Letchworth $120
Mike Slaughter
9th Richard West $60
B.J. Hucks
Chris Ruesseger
Daniel Rutledge

by Suzanne Smith

Liz Cole topped off a stupendous year with a season-ending victory at the Northwest Women’s Pool Association’s November 19-20 stop, taking the title over Kimberly Kirk. The tour’s finale was held at The Parlor in Bellevue, WA, and drew 20 ladies.

Unfortunately, because of snow, a few of the tour’s top players were not in attendance. On the winners’ side, Cole squared off against Michelle Hughes, while Shelby Locati battled against recently crowned 2011 U.S. Amateur champion Suzanne Smith. Cole and Smith won their matches 7-4 and 7-2, respectively. Cole then bested Smith 7-4 to secure her sixth final appearance of the season.

On the west side, Kirk defeated Jessica Orth 7-5, while Deby Welfringer bested Clodagh Lancaster 7-5. Kirk then eliminated Locati in fifth place 7-6, and Welfringer sent Hughes home in the same slot 7-3. In the quarterfinals, Kirk ousted Welfringer 7-2 and, continuing her superb play, eliminated Smith in third place 7-4 to secure her spot in the finals against Cole.

Straight out of the gate, Kirk stroked the ball well to take a 3-0 lead, but a couple of untimely errors by Kirk then allowed Cole to tie up the match. The match seesawed to 6-6, at which a hung 8 ball by Kirk allowed Cole to take an 8-6 lead. Kirk then scratched on the break for the first time of the set in the next rack, and Cole methodically ran out the rack to secure the title.

Liz Cole topped off a stupendous year with a season-ending victory at the Northwest Women’s Pool Association’s November 19-20 stop, taking the title over Kimberly Kirk.

Five ladies returned Sunday for a $100-added second chance tournament. Alisha Rogers won the most games in the round robin competition to claim top prize, while only one game separated second and third places.

Main Event Results:
1st Liz Cole $345
2nd Kimberly Kirk $240
3rd Suzanne Smith $145
4th Deby Welfringer $105
5th Shelby Locati $70
Michelle Hughes
7th Jessica Orth $50
Clodagh Lancaster

Second Chance Results:
1st Alisha Rogers $45
2nd Tamre Rogers $35
3rd Andy Ruth $30
4th Sara Mulleniex $25
5th Talya Makus $15

by InsidePOOL Staff

It was an epic battle between two Southern super powers at the August 13-14 stop of the Great Southern Billiard Tour when B.J. Ussery and Sam Monday went head to head in the finals, with Ussery taking the win 11-8. The $1,500-added, 9-ball event was held at Brown’s Billiards in Raleigh, NC, where a field of 58 amateurs came out to play.

Monday and Ussery first collided in the winners’ side final, after Monday had sent Norris Brady to the one-loss side 11-6 and Ussery had routed Mike Fuller 11-1. Monday and Ussery struggled to hill-hill before Ussery claimed the final game and the hot seat 11-10.

It was an epic battle between two Southern super powers at the August 13-14 stop of the Great Southern Billiard Tour when Ussery and Monday went head to head in the finals, with Ussery taking the win 11-8.

Mike Fuller and George Crawford, meanwhile, were making their move on the west side of the chart. Fuller eliminated Tommy Cook at fifth place 11-4, while Crawford ended Brady’s event in the same spot with a 9-8 win. In the quarterfinal match, Crawford was the one to advance by virtue of a 9-10 victory over Fuller in the handicapped match.

Monday awaited Crawford in the semifinals, and it was a hill-hill battle, with Monday eking out an 11-8 score to try for revenge in the finals against Ussery. But Ussery was determined to take home the title, and he did so by besting Monday 11-8.

Results:
1st B.J. Ussery $1,000
2nd Sam Monday $650
3rd George Crawford $450
4th Mike Fuller $275
5th Tommy Cook $145
Norris Brady
7th Ian Holt $95
Dylan Letchworth

by InsidePOOL Staff

It was a narrow escape for Danny Mastermaker as he came close to being double-dipped by Tommy Cook in the finals of the Great Southern Billiard Tour’s August 6-7 event, but he prevailed. Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA, played host to the $1,500-added handicapped amateur event, which drew a field of 53 players.

It was a narrow escape for Danny Mastermaker as he came close to being double-dipped by Tommy Cook in the finals of the Great Southern Billiard Tour’s August 6-7 event, but he prevailed.

Mastermaker remained unchallenged until he reached the finals, besting Thomas Dorsey in the winners’ side final four 9-5 to reach the hot seat match. His opponent there, JR Poste, had just delivered Tommy Cook to the one-loss side 7-2. The hot seat match was a lopsided one, with Mastermaker triumphing 9-2.

Cook rebounded once on the one-loss side, eliminating Alex Olinger at fifth place 7-7, while Charlie Taylor tied with Olinger after a 7-2 loss to Dorsey. Dorsey and Cook advanced to meet each other in the quarterfinal match, and it was Cook who came away with the 7-5 win.

Poste was next on Cook’s hit list, and Cook won the semifinal match 7-5, sending Poste home in third place. In the true double-elimination finals, Cook surpassed Mastermaker 7-7 in the first set, evening the playing field. But Mastermaker regrouped in the second set and took the title 9-5.

Results:
1st Danny Mastermaker $1,000
2nd Tommy Cook $620
3rd JR Poste $450
4th Thomas Dorsey $250
5th Charlie Taylor $150
Alex Olinger
7th DJ Holloway $95
Trent Talbert