Rector Makes Good First Impression in McDermott Midwest Tour

By Bill Rosenberger

Wichita, KS, native Steve Rector made the three-hour drive to Lee's Summit, MO, to compete in the McDermott Midwest Tour o­n October 30-31 after reading about the quality of the competition.  If Sunday was any indication of Rector's abilities, he's sure to place in the money at many more events.  

Rector's weekend victory captured him not just name recognition but respect from the players who finished underneath him.  He beat out tour regulars and frequent winners, including Gene Albrecht and Dave Matlock, along with 24 other high-quality players.

The weekend showdown at Side Pockets, which is a major supporter or the McDermott Midwest Tour, brought a number of exciting matches.  o­ne of the day's final contests pitted Mark Chernin against Matlock for the right to play for the hot seat.  Matlock quickly jumped out to an 8-0 lead, but he slowly watched it dwindle away.  Chernin scratched and clawed his way back into the match, getting it to the hill.  He broke and sank two balls, but the cue ball went flying off the table.  With ball in hand Matlock calmly ran out to finish the match 9-8. 

On Sunday morning, play resumed with Chernin playing Jordan Davis, a younger competitor o­n the tour.  Apparently, Chernin couldn't shake his heartbreaking loss to Matlock the night before, and Davis wiped him off the table 9-0.  Davis then bested Albrecht 9-3 to advance to the semifinals.

Over in the winners' bracket, Matlock faced Rector in a back-and-forth contest.  Matlock slowly built his lead and went o­n to win the match 9-6.  However, Rector would eventually get another chance at him.

Before he could get to the finals, though, Rector met Davis in the semifinals.  Davis had been playing well, and he put himself into a position to get to the main event.  But Rector shook off his loss to Matlock and easily won 9-3.

The final match was a double-elimination race to 9, forcing Rector to win two matches to claim the title.  Apparently, no o­ne told him that sweeping both sets is rare, even in regional tours.  After breezing to a 9-2, first-round win, he again controlled the table and completed the sweep 9-4. 

Tournament director Harvey Hibner was pleased to see another talented turnout.  "Our tour's popularity is growing, and players are more willing to drive to compete for top prizes," he said. 

Results:

1st Steve Rector $875

2nd Dave Matlock $630

3rd Jordan Davis $415

4th Gene Albrecht $200

5th Mark Chernin, David Hinonin $75