First Three Matches Complete at World Pool Masters

First Three Matches Complete at World Pool Masters

World Pool Masters / Las Vegas, NV
by InsidePOOL Staff
The PartyPoker.Net World Pool Masters, presented by Matchroom Sport and sponsored by Brunswick, Aramith, Iwan Simonis, and Predator Products, kicked off the afternoon of May 9 with its first three matches. This international event brings a top field of 16 players from around the world to vie for the first-place prize of $20,000 and is hosted by the Riviera Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, NV.
In the first match, defending champion Thomas “The Lean Machine” Engert was matched up with Rodney Morris, currently of Houston, TX. The score seesawed to 2-all before Morris made his move, breaking and running out two of the next three racks to surge ahead 5-2. A couple of odd misses by Engert gave Morris the hill, and then the German made a move toward a comeback, taking the next rack after an empty break by Morris. But it was too little, too late for Engert, for when he missed a routine 8 ball in the final rack, “Rocket” won 8-3.
Former world champ Alex Pagulayan squeaked past snooker champion Mark Gray in the second match. “The Lion” took the first three racks with ease but did not reckon on his opponent putting up a fight, for Gray took advantage of several missed shots by Pagulayan to take control and win the next five racks in a row to make it 5-3 in his favor. They traded the next several racks, and then a foul by Gray made the score 6-all. A missed 6-9 combo by Gray gave Pagulayan the hill, but when Pagulayan fouled in the subsequent rack, brushing the 7 ball en route to the 4, Gray made it a double-hill nail-biter. Attempting to kick out of a safety on the 2 ball in the last rack, Gray fouled, giving Pagulayan ball in hand and the match.
View the 2008 World Pool Masters image gallery (/gallery2/v/Pool+Tournaments/world-pool-master-2008/)
Italian champion Bruno Muratore didn’t get much time at the table in the third match of the afternoon. His opponent, Francisco “Django” Bustamante, took the first game with a 3-9 carom and raced toward the finish line from there. One missed 9 ball and one foul by Muratore, in addition to two break and runs by Bustamante, made the score 5-0. In the seventh rack, Muratore managed to put a game under his belt when Bustamante fouled on the 1 ball, leaving Muratore with ball in hand for the 1-9 combo. But that was as far as Muratore got—he came up empty on his next break and Bustamante ran out, and another foul in the final rack handed Bustamante the match 8-1.
Saturday’s afternoon matches will be Shane Van Boening versus Imran Majid, Ralf Souquet versus Ko Pin-yi, and Tony Drago versus Niels Feijen.
Tonight, instead of more World Pool Masters matches, the World Pool Masters Trickshot event will take place, featuring Mark Dimick, Alex Pagulayan, Daryl Peach, Stefano Pelinga, Ralf Souquet, and Bogdan Wolkowski. Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

2008 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters First Round Match-Ups Announced

2008 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters First Round Match-Ups Announced

Matchroom Sport can announce the draw for the 2008 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters which will be staged at The Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, USA, from Friday, 9 to Sunday, May 11.
With 16 of the finest players in the world competing, there are no easy rides with eight race-to-eight, winner-breaks first round matches.
Defending champion Thomas Engert (Germany, right) will open proceedings as he squares up against Rodney Morris, one of the three Americans in the field.
This is the first time in the competition’s 16-year history that it will be staged in the USA and the players will be competing for a $62,000 prize fund, with the winner receiving $20,000.
US Open winner Shane Van Boening faces experienced former Mosconi Cup player Imran Majid of England, while Corey Deuel is up against Euro Tour veteran Christian Reimering of Germany.
England’s current World Pool Champion Daryl Peach has a tricky looking opener against 2001 World Champion Mika Immonen (Finland), while countryman Mark Gray, the European No.1, faces a daunting prospect against the classy Alex Pagulayan.
Mosconi Cup team-mates Tony Drago (Malta) and Niels Feijen (Holland) will play each other in Round One, while there will be an intriguing encounter as five-times Masters champion Ralf Souquet (Germany), meets 18-year-old World Junior Champion Ko Pin-yi of Taiwan.
The final opening round match will see Filipino legend Francisco Bustamante meet Bruno Muratore of Italy.
I believe this is the highest quality field that we have had in the Masters and looking at the first round matches, it is impossible to pick eight winners.” said a spokesman for event promoters Matchroom Sport.
All the players will have to be at the very top of their games to progress and we are all looking forward to some exciting matches over three days of intense competition.
On the Friday evening the World Pool Trickshot Masters will be taking place at the same venue with six leading players entertaining the crowd with a variety of tricks and stunts.

Tickets Session Times
Friday 1pm: $10 - general admission, $25 - VIP
Friday 7pm: $5 - general admission, $10 – VIP (Word Pool Trickshot Masters)

Saturday 1pm: $10 - general admission, $25 – VIP
Saturday 7pm: $10 - general admission, $25 – VIP

Sunday 1pm: $15 - general admission, $30 - VIP
Sunday 7pm: $20 - general admission, $40 - VIP

All tickets are available from: www.playbca.com (http://www.playbca.com)
The Players

1. Francisco Bustamante (Philippines), 2. Corey Deuel (USA), 3. Tony Drago (Malta), 4. Thomas Engert (Germany), 5. Niels Feijen (Holland), 6. Mark Gray (England), 7. Mika Immonen (Finland), 8. Ko Pin-yi (Chinese Taipei), 9. Imran Majid (England), 10. Rodney Morris (USA), 11. Bruno Muratore (Italy), 12. Alex Pagulayan (Philippines), 13. Daryl Peach (England), 14. Christian Reimering (Germany), 15. Ralf Souquet (Germany), 16. Shane Van Boening (USA)

The Draw

Rnd 1
Q-Finals
Semi-Finals
Final

1. T. Engert v R. Morris
9. W1 v W2

2. M. Gray v A. Pagulayan
13. W9 v W10

3. Bustamante v Muratore
10. W3 v W4

4. I. Majid v Van Boening
15. W13 v W14

5. R. Souquet v Ko Pin-yi
11. W5 v W6

6. T. Drago v N. Feijen
14. W11 v W12

7. C. Deuel v C. Reimering
12. W7 v W8

8. M Immonen v D. Peach

Ellerman Takes Reno 8-Ball Division, Pinegar Wins All-Around

Ellerman Takes Reno 8-Ball Division, Pinegar Wins All-Around
by Rick Davis
Mitch Ellerman took the title of champion of the U.S. Bar Table 8-ball division Sunday night, ending the week-long event that featured action in 10-ball, 9-ball, and 8-ball. The Sands Regency Hotel and Casino hosted the annual event, which ran from February 25-March 2.
The day began with ten players remaining in the 8-ball field: two on the winners’ side and eight on the one-loss side. Starting the day out Jose Parica bested Mitch Ellerman in the hot seat match and then waited to watch the one-loss side unfold. It was there that Gabe Owen and Johnathan Pinegar were about to clash. Owen began the day by eliminating Glenn Atwell then Adam Behnke, while Pinegar ousted Darrold Crain.
At this point everyone looked to Owen and Pinegar, as their match would determine the all-around champion. Through the event Shane Van Boening held the lead, but his early defeat in 8-ball made it impossible to take either of the top two spots. Pinegar, on the other hand, just won the 9-ball division days ago, while Owen had a fourth- and second-place finish to give him a 5-point lead on Pinegar. Once again, though, Pinegar surprised the crowd and knocked out Owen in the quarterfinal round to advance as well as to lock the all-around title.
Pinegar then came out strong in the semifinals with a 4-0 lead in the race to 5, but then Ellerman brought it back to double-hill then broke and ran to steal the match away from Pinegar. With the finals set to play, the true double-elimination format gave Ellerman an uphill battle against an opponent who just defeated him. In the first set Parica undercut his last ball at double-hill, giving the rack and set to Ellerman. In the second set Parica rattled a ball, once again at double-hill, giving Ellerman all the opportunity he needed to take the final set 5-4 and claim the 8-ball division title.
8-Ball Results:
1st Mitch Ellerman $6000
2nd Jose Parica $3650
3rd Johnathan Pinegar $2500
4th Gabe Owen $1650
5th Adam Behnke $1000
Darrold Crain
7th Cliff Joyner $750
Glenn Atwell
9th Geoffery Somer $525
Damian Alishan
Ike Runnels
Marshall Williams
Over All Results:
1st Johnathan Pinegar $2000
2nd Gabe Owen $1000
3rd Shane Van Boening $500

Pinegar Takes Reno 9-Ball Division while 8-Ball Nears Top 10

Pinegar Takes Reno 9-Ball Division while 8-Ball Nears Top 10
by Rick Davis
Johnathan “Hennessee” Pinegar took the 9-ball division of the U.S. Bar Table Championships by storm when he went undefeated to claim the division. The event, which is the second of three events, ran from February 26-29 in the middle of the week-long action held at the Sands Regency Hotel and Casino in Reno, NV.
In the finals Pinegar opened with a 4-0 lead against former U.S. Open champ Gabe Owen, but then Owen caught up to tie the score at 6-all then 7-all. From there Owen claimed the last two racks to force a final set. One again Pinegar opened with a 4-0 lead only to see Owen counter by tying the set at 6-all again. While Pinegar was desperately trying to avoid the same fate from the first set, fate was about to step in as Owen scratched on his next break, giving Pinegar just the momentum he needed to take the next three racks and claim the set 9-6.
Saturday brought in the bulk of the 8-ball action as the field was chopped down to the top ten, who will return on the event’s final day of play on Sunday. While play will run through 1 a.m. local time, some of the players have emerged from the fog. On the winners’ side Mitch Ellerman defeated Owen and Cliff Joyner defeated Tyler Edey early in the evening. Coming out on top of that same round, Adam Behnke, Jose Parica, and Pinegar are also alive and well on the winners’ side. On the one-loss side it’s still anyone’s game as the day of play still has yet to produce its survivors.
Along with the players who are still kicking, several shockers were seen as the event progressed. The biggest was Player of the Year Shane Van Boening, who won the 10-ball event early in the week but then took a fourth-round loss to Behnke then was eliminated in his next match by Tinsley Johnson, who bested Rodolfo Luat two rounds earlier. Steve Moore followed Van Boening’s example as he was defeated by Parica then eliminated by Larry Wilson in the following round.
Finally, of importance to the players is the all-around scoring, which will award extra prize money to the top three finishers. Van Boening was in the lead early with the 10-ball division win, but Pinegar and Owen each are likely to surpass him with their top 9-ball finishes and unknown 8-ball finishes. In any case, the final day of play will offer extra excitement as the new overall winner is announced.
Stay tuned to InsidePOOLmag.com for updates on the U.S. Bar Table Championships, as well as updates and coverage on all the regional events and tours.

Reno 9-Ball Reaches Finals; 8-Ball Begins

Reno 9-Ball Reaches Finals; 8-Ball Begins

by Rick Davis
The finals of the 9-ball division for the U.S. Bar Table Championships are set and will feature Jonathan Pinegar against Gabe Owen at 8 p.m. local time. For the 111-player field, this second of three events has offered much excitement for the week-long event that filled the Sands Regency Hotel and Casino.
On the winners’ side Pinegar had a great run that started by defeating Filipinos Jose Parica and Rodolfo Luat. Pinegar then slipped through a few more matches before besting Steve Moore then John Morra to reach the hot seat match. In all, Pinegar took seven matches to reach the finals. Morra also had a strong run, although he did not face any of the top pros, giving him a somewhat smoother run. Other highlights included Moore sending Cliff Joyner to the one-loss side in the event’s first round, then a clash of pros in a corner of the chart saw Shane Van Boening, the winner of the 10-ball division, send Scott Frost west while Larry Wilson sent Owen over at the same time. Following that match Wilson shocked everyone by defeating Van Boening, who was the sure favorite until that point.
On the one-loss side both Van Boening and Owen made a quick run to the top eight laying waste to the other competitors, while nearby Moore and Luat each took command of their quarter of the chart to make the top eight. Since the winners’ side was already set, the one-loss kept grinding through, and Owen eliminated Van Boening while Luat ousted Moore but then fell to Oscar Dominguez. A quick jump later and Owen knocked out Dominguez in the quarterfinals then eliminated Morra in the semifinals to get a shot at the title.
While the evening rounds give the final 9-ball players a break, the third and final division of 8-ball got underway with over 140 players. This final division will break in the evening for the spotlight 9-ball finals then resume over the weekend to end the trio of events. Early action has Owen, Van Boening, Luat, Moore in the top caste of players still on the winners’ side.
Stay tuned to InsidePOOLmag.com for updates throughout the weekend on this exciting event.

Next Page »