Parsippany, New Jersey- For the fourth straight year, Dragon Promotions will produce the 69th Annual Predator World 14.1 Championship. Comet Billiards will host this year's event playing on beautiful Brunswick Gold Crown tables and using Simonis Cloth, Master Chalk, and the Laser Rack. The event will start play on August 24, 2009 and end August 29. The greatest straight pool players from around the world will arrive on USA's east coast again to New Jersey, and attend this prestigious event to play for the coveted title of World Straight Pool Champion.
The World Straight Pool Championship is the oldest tournament still existing today. Invented by Jerome Keough and shortly after recognized as the official game of billiards , the first World 14.1 Championship was held in 1911 and won by Alfredo DeOro. In its history due to war and economics, the World 14.1 Championship had 29 tournaments that did not take place including a 15 year gap between 1990-2005 until Dragon Promotions revived the game and the World Tournament in 2006, which also marked the first time a non-American won the discipline in a World Championship. That distinction went to Germany's Thorsten Hohmann.
This year marks the 69th World Tournament for 14.1, and stars such as Thorsten Hohmann, John Schmidt, Ralf Souquet, Danny Harriman, Tony Robles, and Mika Immonen are just a few of the powerful list of world beaters who will come to play in the greatest straight pool tournament in the world. Players may also join qualifiers to get a chance to compete in the World Tournament with all the legendary greats. Qualifiers thus far will be held at Drexeline Billiards in PA, Amsterdam Billiards in NY, and Comet Billiards in NJ. To host a qualifier or play, contact worldstraightpoolchampionships@gmail.com
The format for the event will be the same as the past three years. 64 players divided into 8 groups of 8 players in a round robin format playing races to 100. The top 32 players will advance to a double elimination tournament races to 150. The top 16 players will then advance to a single elimination race to 200 points. Half of the field will earn prize money with the champion winning $11,500.
August 23, the night before the event kicks off, Comet Billiards will host a special sponsor / pro team match tournament for the patron sponsors of the event. Billiard aficionado Stu Mattana of NYC and long time billiard supporter Harold Siegel of NYC are two of this year's generous patrons of the Predator World 14.1 Championship. Their contributions are helping keeping the event going. Dragon Promotions encourages others to come on board to join as a sponsor and can be reached at worldstraightpoolchampionships@gmail.com or call 1-407-782-4978
"The World Straight Pool Championship has become a very important event for the players, fans, and billiard community. It is a very tough time in the economy now, but based on the outpouring support of players and fans we felt it was our responsibility to try to put on the event. We hope others in the billiard community feel the same and work towards keeping the World Straight Pool Championship alive" said Cindy Lee, CEO of Dragon Promotions.
The 2009 Predator World Straight Pool Championship is proudly sponsored by Predator Cues, Comet Billiards, Brunswick Billiards, Simonis Cloth, Ozone Billiards, Laser Rack, Master Chalk and patron sponsors Stu Mattana and Harold Siegel of Excelsior Graphics. For more information on player registration, sponsorship, or if you would like to submit a comment, please email worldstraightpoolchampionships@gmail.com or contact Dragon Promotions at 1-407-782-4978.
Predator Group, an international billiards industry leader, is focused on bringing constant innovation and game-improving equipment to billiards players worldwide. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, Predator Group's core brands include Predator Cues – high-end (professional level) cues with revolutionary technology to enhance performance, Poison Billiards – recreational cues with cutting-edge designs and Predator engineering for best-in-class playability, and Uni-Loc® – precision billiards equipment manufacturer. For more information regarding Predator Group's products, visit www.predatorgroup.com.
Dragon Promotions is one of the leading producers of billiard programming in the world today. Dragon produces over 40 events a year airing on networks in USA, Korea, and Europe such as ESPN, MBC ESPN, XTM, XPORTS, and Euro Sport. Events include The World 14.1 Championship, The Predator International 10-Ball Championship, King & Queen of Carom, Empress Cup, Pro Pool Schools, Women's Trickshot Challenge, World Junior 10-Ball Championships, Korea vs USA, Mezz Classic and many more. Dragon also manages some of the world's best players including Thorsten Hohmann, Shanelle Loraine, Rodney Morris, Charlie Williams, Jeanette Lee, Mika Immonen, Mike Davis, Yu Ram Cha and many more.
Visit www.dragonpromotions.com or www.dragonpromotions.co.kr
