San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour 2005 Makes Stop in Kao-hsiung

Three Days of Action LIVE o­n STAR Sports

The southern Taiwanese city of Kao-hsiung plays host to Asia’s o­nly premier 9-ball tour as the San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour takes place at the Kao-hsiung Business Exhibition Center from April 29 to May 1.  Pool action from the bustling harbor city will be aired LIVE to more than 50 countries in Asia o­n STAR Sports at 1700 hrs o­n April 29, 1500 hrs o­n April 30 and 1700 hrs o­n May 1 (Kao-hsiung time).

Hometown bets Chao Fong Pang, Yang Ching Shun and Wu Chia Ching lead an impressive cast of Asian pool players who will try to earn enough qualifying points towards the World Pool Championships in July.  The Tour is the o­nly ranking tour in Asia for players to qualify to the World Pool Championships. The top ten finishers at the end of this year’s Tour will automatically enter the World Pool Championships.

Now in its third year, the San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour is offering a total prize money purse of $50,000 USD up for grabs at this weekend’s Kao-hsiung leg and o­n the final stop in Manila (June 3-5). The main draw includes 32 top Asian players from 11 countries.

Unheralded Gandy Valle of the Philippines topped this year’s first leg in Singapore while countryman and last year’s overall Tour winner Efren Reyes won the second leg in Jakarta, Indonesia.  Valle and Reyes each won the $10,000 USD top prize.

Last year saw the 50-year-old Reyes rule three of the Tour’s five legs. The player known as the “Magician” took home the leg titles in Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, and Taipei. 2002 Busan Asian Games 9-Ball singles gold medallist Yang topped the Hong Kong leg, while Lee Vann Corteza of the Philippines triumphed in Manila.

At this third leg of 2005, host Chinese Taipei is represented by Jakarta leg runner-up Yang, former World Pool champion Chao, 2005 Singapore leg second-placer Wu Chia-Ching, Kuo Po-Cheng, Chu Hung-Ming, Chang Pei-Wei, Wang Hung-Hsiang, and Chen Ying-Chieh.

The Honorable Mayor of Kao-hsiung City, Chen Chi Mai, will present a special souvenir symbolized by Kao-hsiung City to Efren Reyes during the press conference. Aside from hosting this leg, the Kao-hsiung City Government will also host the World Pool Championship this year leading up to the 2009 World Games.

For more information o­n the Tour, please check out www.asian9-balltour.com. For the latest schedules and program information o­n ESPN STAR Sports, catch us o­n the net at www.espnstar.com.

The San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour is sanctioned by the Asian Pocket Billiard Union and organized by ESPN STAR Sports’ Event Management Group (EMG) in association with the Kao-hsiung City Government and the Chinese Taipei Billiards Association. San Miguel Beer is the title sponsor for the Tour.

Iwan Simonis and Aramith supply the official tablecloth and official balls, respectively. Brunswick Metro is the official pool table, Grand Hi-Lai Hotel Kao-hsiung is the official hotel and the Kao-hsiung Business & Exhibition Center is the official venue. STAR Sports is the official broadcaster. The 2005 Tour will go to Singapore, Jakarta, Kao-hsiung, and Manila. Besides the total prize money of $200,000 USD, the top 10 players o­n the Tour Order of Merit every year will directly qualify into the World Pool Championships.

Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news o­n the San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour.