Dennis and Scarborough Fare Well on KF Cue Tour

Dennis and Scarborough Fare Well on KF Cue Tour

KF Cue Tour / Orlando, FL

by Lea Andrews

The amateurs took control of both the amateur and open divisions of the January 30-31 KF Cue Tour Stop, with Dan Dennis topping Saturday’s amateur division, and Joe Scarborough taking control of Sunday’s open division, which drew big names like Mike Davis, Tommy Kennedy, and tour director Tony “The Sniper” Crosby. The $1,000-added amateur event brought 67 players to Corner Pocket in Orlando, FL, while the $1,000-added open event drew 44.

Though Scarborough went undefeated in the open division, he took a late loss to Dennis in the amateur division, putting Dennis in the hot seat match against Eddie Wheat, who’d gotten past Ernie Medina. Wheat couldn’t get past Dennis, though, and he moved west 7-5. On the one-loss side, Scarborough moved past Brian McBride to reach the quarterfinals against Medina, who’d arrived via Todd Anderson. Wanting another crack at Wheat, Medina put Scarborough in fourth, but the second time against Wheat wasn’t the charm, and Medina landed in third, pitting Wheat back up against Dennis. Wheat’s rematch in the single race-to-8 final match was looking good for him at the start as he jumped to a 4-0 and 5-1 lead, but Dennis came back strong and tied it up at five apiece. Wheat got in front again, reaching the hill first 7-5, but he couldn’t close out the win, leaving Dennis to finish off his first KF Cue Tour win with three straight racks 8-7.

On Sunday, it was Scarborough’s turn to shine. He made it to the winners’-side final four with a string of strong wins (including a 7-0 revenge match over Dennis), capping it off with a 7-2 victory over Josh Degler to reach the hot seat match against Glen Olson. Another shutout win put Scarborough in the hot seat and Olson on the west side looking for a rematch. On the left side of the bracket, Crosby, who’d earlier ousted Mike Davis 6-1, faced Degler, the man responsible for giving him his first loss 7-6. Earning his revenge 6-3, Crosby moved on to the quarterfinals against last stop’s winner Tommy Kennedy, who’d just put Butch Croft in fifth. Edging out Crosby 6-5, the 1992 US Open Champion moved on to the semifinals against Olson, taking care of him 6-2 to face Scarborough in the finals. In the single race-to-9 final match, Kennedy and Scarborough stayed close, trading games to tie it up at six games apiece. Kennedy took the next two to reach the hill first 8-6, but Scarborough rallied, tying it hill-hill. In the final rack, it looked like Kennedy was going to claim his second win in a row, his third this season, but he came up short on the 9 ball, and his bank attempt left the 9 hanging for Scarborough, who earned his first KF Cue Tour win 9-8.

Eddie Wheat and Dan Dennis

Amateur Results:

1st Dan Dennis $650
2nd Eddie Wheat $500
3rd Ernie Medina $390
4th Joe Scarborough $250
5th Todd Anderson $150
Brian McBride
7th Lincoln Seifert $90
Shawn Miller
9th Sean Leason $65
George Saunders
Jeff Mabry
Prescott Buckwold
13th James Adams $50
Tony Vicari
David Boyd
Brian Valentine

2nd Kennedy, Room Owner Tesh Patel, 1st Joe Scarborough

Open Results:

1st Joe Scarborough $650
2nd Tommy Kennedy $450
3rd Glen Olson $300
4th Tony Crosby $200
5th Butch Croft $130
Josh Degler
7th Carlos Torres $80
Mark Coats

Saunders and Kennedy Come Out on Top of KF Cue Tour

Saunders and Kennedy Come Out on Top of KF Cue Tour
KF Cue Tour / Spring Hill, FL

by Lea Andrews

Though they chose different routes to get there, George Saunders and Tommy Kennedy both ended up in the same place the weekend of January 9-10: the KF Cue Tour winner’s circle at Capone’s Billiards in Spring Hill, FL. While Saunders went undefeated to top the $1,000-added, 40-entrant amateur event on Saturday, Kennedy rebounded from an early loss to Mike Davis in Sunday’s $1,000-added open event to capture his second KF Cue Tour victory this season.

Saunders got past Josh Lewis to reach the hot seat match, where he faced Dan Dennis, who was coming off a win over Joe Scarborough. A hard-fought 7-6 win left Saunders the sole undefeated competitor, and Dennis moved to the left side to look for the rematch.

To get there, though, he’d have to get past Derek Greenwood, who’d been moving through the west side after taking a hit from Saunders, marking up strong wins over Louis Altes, Bill Dunsmore, Scarborough, and Lewis to reach the semifinals. The finals would be a rematch no matter what, but it was Dennis who earned it, and when he reached the single race-to-9 final match, he made a strong case for himself, pushing the score to 8-8. But it was Saunders who topped the safety battle in the final rack, pocketing the final 9 to notch his first-ever KF Cue Tour win.

Dan Dennis and George Saunders

On Sunday, as Kennedy was moving steadily through the elimination rounds to reach the finals, Justin Hall was making his way through the right side, posting a 7-5 win over Davis to reach the hot seat match against Louis Altes, who’d just shut out Wesley White. Against Hall, though, Altes had no such luck, moving to the other side 7-4.

On the one-loss side, Kennedy, who’d run through Elvis Rodriguez 6-3, Derek Greenwood 6-0, and Lewis 6-2, faced Davis once again, allowing him only one game in a race to 6 and planting Davis in fifth. After a 6-3 quarterfinal win over Richie Richeson, who’d just ousted White, it was semifinal time for Kennedy, who allowed Altes to reach the hill but took the final rack for himself.

In the single race-to-7 final match, Kennedy went ahead and let Hall reach the hill, too, but when Hall broke open the final rack and left all the balls on the table, Kennedy took over, making the 1 and the 2 to set up a 3-9 combination, which he nailed for his second win this season.

Kennedy and Rocky McElroy

Amateur Results:
1st George Saunders $550
2nd Dan Dennis $400
3rd Derek Greenwood $300
4th Josh Lewis $200
5th Joe Scarborough $100
Louie Smith
7th Bill Dunsmore $75
Bill Delisle
9th Coot Highsmith $50
Bill Stoll
Louis Altes
Wesley White $50

Open Results:
1st Tommy Kennedy $500
2nd Justin Hall $400
3rd Louis Altes $300
4th Richie Richeson $200
5th Wesley White $100
Mike Davis

Lightning Strikes Florida Billiards Tour

Yu Ram Cha Sizzles KF Cues Field

K F Cues 9-Ball Tour / Spring Hill, FL

by Lea Andrews

“The Little Lightning” Yu Ram Cha struck several fine competitors on her way to the finals of the $1,000-added open division of the KF Cues Tour stop, which drew 22 players to Capone’s in Spring Hill, FL on May 2.

Although tournament director Tony “The Sniper” Crosby got her in his sights and edged her out 7-6 in the second round, she continued on to the finals without a hiccup, taking down along the way Wayne Catledge 7-5, fellow WPBA player Tracie Hines 7-2, and Ronnie Wiseman 7-3, as well as exacting her revenge on Crosby with a 7-5 win. In the finals, she met up with tour points leader Julio Aquino, who had blown through Nicole Winters 7-0, room owner Rocky McElroy 7-3, Bill Delisle 7-2, and Crosby 7-2 to reach the finals unscathed. Both Cha and Aquino were in the finals a little earlier than expected, though—having defeated Han Berber 7-5 in the winner’s bracket, Donnie Mills was forced to forfeit the hot seat and semifinal matches because of a family emergency, putting him in third.

Showing the same killer instinct as she’d shown all day, southpaw Cha dominated the single race-to-9 final match, getting up and staying up until she was on the hill 8-3. With a tremendously powerful break at odds with her petite frame and delicate features, Cha sunk four balls in the final rack, opening the table up for the run that would earn her first place.

Sunday’s $600-added amateur event drew 47 entrants, and it was another Julio—Julio Del Pozo—who came out on top on the winners’ side, besting George Saunders 7-4 in the match for the hot seat and then again 9-4 in the single-race finals.

“The Little Lightning” Yu Ram Cha struck several fine competitors on her way to the finals of the $1,000-added open division of the KF Cues Tour stop, which drew 22 players to Capone’s in Spring Hill, FL on May 2.

Results:
1st Yu Ram Cha $635
2nd Julio Aquino $400
3rd Donnie Mills $300
4th Ronnie Wiseman $200
5th Han Berber $100
Tony Crosby

Williams Wins KF Cues Tampa Billiards Stop

Williams Wins KF Cues Tour Tampa Stop
KF Cues 9-Ball Tour / Tampa, FL

by Skip Maloney

Charlie Williams survived a comeback run in the finals by Richie Richeson to complete an undefeated day at the KF Cues 9-Ball Tour stop April 11. The open, $1,000-added portion of the event drew 23 entrants to Strokers II in Tampa, FL.

Williams started his last three steps to the winners’ circle from among the winners’ side final four, where he defeated Dan LaVoie 9-5. Richeson, in the meantime, was being sent west by Adam Wheeler in a hill-hill match that set Wheeler against Williams vying for the hot seat. It was Wheeler moving over to the semifinals after a 9-6 Williams win.

Ronnie Wiseman and Richard Broumpton were waiting for LaVoie and Richeson on the one-loss side. Wiseman survived a second hill-hill struggle in a win over LaVoie, as Richeson handled Broumpton 7-2. In the quarterfinal match that followed, Richeson was picking up speed and dropped Wiseman into fourth place 7-1.

Richardson won the double-hill semifinal match against Wheeler in the semifinals that that may have taken a little more out of him than he expected. When the finals started, shortly after 11 p.m., Williams stepped up to the table and took an immediate 6-0 lead. Richeson finally broke through with a single game, and the two traded racks until Williams reached the hill at 9-3.

At that point, capitalizing on a series of Williams’ mistakes, Richeson strung together a gutsy run of four racks that brought him within two at 9-7. But Williams settled down, and when Richeson missed a shot mid-game, Williams cleared the table and took home the first-place prize.

The $700-added amateur event kicked off with 26 players, and repeat performer Bobby Moore, who had won the last event in Orlando, proved again to be the man to beat on the day. He made his way to the hot seat match with wins over Valerie Dukich 7-1, room owner Jose Del Rio 7-4, and Albert Howe 7-5 before taking a loss to Jesse Langston. Langston had made his way to the hot seat with wins over Taz Naravane 7-0, Jimmy Bird 7-6, and tour points leader Mark Wathen 7-3.

Jarred Schlauch made his way through the west side with wins over Mike Delawder 5-2, Jimmy Bird 5-3, Albert Howe 5-2, and Mark Wathen 5-4 until reaching Moore, who took this match 5-4 to earn his rematch with Langston.

The final match was a cagey affair with both players trading racks. Langston reached the hill first with an 8-5 lead, but several missed opportunities saw Moore claw his way back and tie the match 8-8. Langston missed a tricky 8 ball in the last rack, and Moore took the match and his second event in a row.

Charlie Williams survived a comeback run in the finals by Richie Richeson to complete an undefeated day at the KF Cues 9-Ball Tour stop April 11.

Open Results:
1st Charlie Williams $650
2nd Richie Richeson $450
3rd Adam Wheeler $300
4th Ronnie Wiseman $200
5th Dan LaVoie $100
Richard Broumpton
7th Yu Ram Cha
Jason Bowen
9th Julio Aquino
James Roberts
Tony Crosby
Bill Dunsmore

Amateur Results:
1st Bobby Moore $460
2nd Jesse Langston $300
3rd Jarred Schlauch $225
4th Mark Wathen $130
5th Albert Howe $70
Jose Del Rio

KF Cues Win for Williams

KF Cues 9-Ball Tour / Longwood, FL

by Skip Maloney

The KF Cues 9-Ball Tour stopped at Fast Break in Longwood, FL, the weekend of March 28-29. The $1,000-added event, which drew 57 entrants, included 7 women, 2 juniors, and a host of top players, including Corey Deuel, Ronnie Wiseman, Neil Fujiwara, and Jason Richko. When the dust of the open portion of the event settled, however, at around 4:30 a.m. Sunday morning, it was Charlie Williams concluding an undefeated trip through the field with a victory over 74-year-old Dave Ross, who’d battled through the one-loss side to meet him.

Williams had a fairly easy trip down through the opening rounds of play to emerge among the winners’ side final four, where he defeated Richard Murray 7-3 to move into the hot seat match. James Roberts, in the meantime, sent Julio Aquino west 7-5 to meet him. Williams dominated the hot seat match that followed, defeating Roberts 7-1.

Ross, in the meantime, from among the event’s final 12, took out tour director Tony Crosby in a hill-hill match and defeated Josh Lewis 6-3 for the right to meet Aquino. Justin Hall got by Travis Moore 6-1 and Jesse Bradley 6-4 to square off against Murray. It was Ross and Murray advancing to the quarterfinals; Ross with a 6-3 win over Aquino and Murray with a commanding 6-1 victory over Hall. Ross continued his march to the 3 a.m. finals with two straight double-hill wins. He defeated Murray first in the quarterfinals and then, after falling behind to allow Roberts to reach the hill first in the semifinals, he fought back to tie and then win it.

Though the 74-year-old Ross had struggled mightily to reach the finals against Williams, where Williams took and maintained control of the open event’s final match. He won it 7-3 to capture the first-place prize.

Prizes were awarded to Yu Ram Cha as the event’s top female, who, though defeated by Williams in the early going of the tournament, advanced to meet and defeat Fujiwara before dropping into the tie for ninth place. Eleven-year-old Bryce Lepak, whose parents own the Fast Break facility in Longwood, received recognition (and $20) as the event’s best junior.

Sunday morning, it was Charlie Williams concluding an undefeated trip through the field with a victory over 74-year-old Dave Ross, who’d battled through the one-loss side to meet him.

Results:
1st Charlie Williams $1,000
2nd Dave Ross $500
3rd James Roberts $400
4th Richard Murray $300
5th Julio Aquino $200
Justin Hall
7th Josh Lewis $150
Jesse Bradley
9th Yu Ram Cha $80
Tony Crosby
Travis Moore
Wayne Cartledge