Reno 8-Ball Update     

     When play finished for Saturday evening, the field had been reduced to 16 players without a loss and 32 players with o­ne loss, all of whom were guaranteed to receive a minimum of $100, as well as o­ne lucky player that would take home the $5,000 first prize. In the early round action o­n this final day of the U.S. Open Bar Table Championship, there were some excellent matches. Danny Medina sent Jeff Heath, the second-place finisher in the 9-ball division, home to Loyalton, CA, by a 5-2 score. Scott Tollefson of CO sent New Yorker Jason Kane the 2,500 miles home after a 5-3 victory. Jose Parica defeated Dave "The Wave" Hemmah with a 5-1 win.    

     In the no-loss bracket, there were several minor upsets in Sunday's early action. Stan Tourangeau of Canada knocked off Tinsley Johnson by a 5-1 margin. Young Canadian player Tyler Edey took his match 5-2 over Frankie Hernandez of New York in a set that featured a three-foul win as o­ne of the New Yorker's two wins. Tony Balzer gave o­ne of the favorites, Jesse Bowman, his first defeat 5-3, and Felix Lukenbill won a hill-hill match over Glenn Atwell, who was incorrectly reported as having recently moved to Vancouver, BC, in an earlier update. He actually moved across the Columbia River from Portland, OR, to Vancouver, WA.    

     At this point, we are down to 8 no-loss and 16 o­ne-loss competitors. Still undefeated are Stan Tourangeau, Mark Buchko, Tony Balzer, Tyler Edey, Nick Kruger, Chris McDonald, Felix Lukenbill, and T.R. Olson. The most notable players left with a loss are Scott Tollefson, Edwin Montal, Ike Runnels, Tinsley Johnson, Sandor Tot, Frankie Hernandez, Glenn Atwell, and Jesse Bowman. The tournament is expected to end late this evening. More reports to follow.