Kang Wins in Dramatic Fashion

By Bill Rosenberger and Carissa Biggs

Regional tours all across the nation sported large and talented fields the weekend of October 23-24, and the J. Pechauer West Coast Tour was no different.  Amar Kang bested a field of 58 at Family Billiards in San Francisco to earn the first-place finish.

The $2,000-added event included room owner Delbert Wong, who finished a respectable ninth place, and a family affair in some very close matches.  Kang and cousin Tony Chohan met twice over the weekend in two dramatic matches.

The two first squared off o­n Saturday in the fourth round, and Chohan took a commanding lead.  Kang showed great resiliency and came back to put the match o­n the hill.  In the deciding game, Chohan had the upper hand, running the table most of the game.  After he pocketed the 8 ball, he went over to shake his cousin's hand, figuring Kang would concede him the short and easy 9 ball shot.  And just like family, Kang made him shoot it.  Chohan took the shot, but the 9 caught and rattled the tight pocket.  A few seconds later, in what seemed like an eternity for both players, the 9 dropped, giving Chohan the 9-8 victory.

After the dramatic win, Chohan continued playing well all the way to the hot seat, where he met Ismael "Morro" Paez.  Down 6-3, Chohan took three straight racks to tie it at 6-all.  Both players had multiple chances over the next three games, but it was Paez who took advantage most, winning 9-6.

While Chohan was winning in the winners' bracket, Kang was doing his part in the o­ne-loss side.  After Chohan's hot seat defeat, the rematch was set in the semifinals.  In the cruelest fashion, Kang wiped his cousin off the table, scoring a 9-0 shutout. 

In the race-to-13 finals, Paez and Kang traded games back and forth until it was 10-10.  With over 150 o­nlookers, the match intensified.  Tied at 11, Paez broke, leaving himself a 2-9 combination for the 12-11 lead.  Kang looked to take the next game to put the match o­n the hill, but missed the 6 ball.  Though Paez didn't have much to shoot at, he chose to play aggressively.  After a miss o­n a tough bank, Kang was in position and put the match o­n the hill.  Kang's momentum carried over, and he took the match 13-12. 

Results:
1st Amar Kang $1500
2nd Morro Paez $1000
3rd Tony Chohan $750
4th Jonny Warren $500
5th Oscar Dominguez, Chris MacDonald $300
7th Lance Salazar, George Michaels $140
9th Ed Ames, Delbert Wong, Ernesto Dominguez, Wei Ni $75