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Kennedy Shoots to the Top of Gainesville Open By Tori Hilty, InsidePOOL staff Gainesville, FL, was the destination of stop five of the J. Pechauer SouthEast Open 9-Ball tour, unfolding at Jewel's Billiards on June 5-6, 2004. Many top regional and pro players were among the field of 26, forcing every player to give their best in order not to be eliminated. Coming out on top at the Gainesville Open was Tommy "The Gun" Kennedy after firing through the tournament undefeated.
The tournament pays out to the top six spots and gives $50 to the highest lady finisher if she is not already in the money. This shows the tour's appreciation for its female players. Additional money was given on this stop to a local non-profit charity in Gainesville. Jewel's Billiards is a room new to North Central Florida. The host room has Brunswick and Diamond tables, with the finals played on the latter. There is also a full bar. Senior player Dave Ross sent Mike Donavon to the one-loss side, and it was there he defeated four players to only meet Ross once again before he could move onto the quarters. Donovan took the win, relegating Ross to fifth and moving on to meet Dave Grossman to determine who would take fourth. Grossman had no qualms about putting Donavon's winning streak to an abrupt end in the quarters. Grossman awaited the outcome of the hot seat match to see if he would have a chance to avenge the defeat dealt by Young after the up-and-coming player sent him to the one-loss side earlier in the tournament. It looked like Grossman would get his chance. Young and Kennedy squared off in the winners' final match. Kennedy continued to be undefeated and grabbed the hot seat with a 9-6 decision over Young. The semis were heated and the play was intense, with each player keeping their eye on that spot in the finals. The spectators wondered who would clinch the win, and Young gave the answer when he defeated Grossman 9-7. Young traveled to the finals to face off once again against Kennedy. Tommy "The Gun" Kennedy showed just why he was christened so and completed the tournament undefeated by winning with an 11-4 decision. Results: 1st Tommy Kennedy $700 2nd Doug Young $500 3rd Dave Grossman $350 4th Mike Donavon $205 5th Dave Ross, Doug Arcadi $120 Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.
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