Slowly, but surely, Kelly Farrar is working his way toward making 2024 his best recorded earnings year at the tables. Since he recorded his first payout in 2018, he’s made each successive year better than the last one, except for one of the ‘Covid’ years (2021), when he slipped backwards a little. He bounced back in ’22 and doubled the amount of money he earned at the tables in 2021, and then, last year, had his best year of all. With the money he earned this past weekend (June 15-16), going undefeated on the PremierBilliards.com’s Q City 9-Ball Tour, he is well above halfway to making ’24 his best year.
It was his third and likely not his last undefeated victory on the tour. The competitor that he defeated twice, hot seat match and finals, Jose Irizarry, came into the tournament looking for his first un-shared victory on the tour, having negotiated the split of a tour event with Hunter White in March of ’23 and as the undefeated occupant of the hot seat, became its ‘official’ winner. This past weekend’s $500-added event drew 37 entrants to Breaktime Billiards in Cary, NC.
With all due respect to members of the military who have earned the title, the tournament also played host to a couple of the tour’s ‘wounded warriors.’ Mark Bolton, an Englishman, currently residing in Greensboro, NC, returned to the tour after being sidelined by a stroke. He was the recipient of funds collected from a couple of benefit tournaments and has just begun playing again. He finished 3rd at this event. Dona Selman, who finished 3rd at an event at Janet Atwell’s room, Borderline Billiards, last year and was subsequently involved in a dangerous automobile accident, returned to the tables and finished in the tie for 5th place with Katie Bischoff.
Racing to 8 throughout, Farrar kept reducing the number of racks against him, as he opened with an 8-4 victory over Dustin Wiley, gave up three to both Jason Rogers and Reid Vance and drew Selman in one of the winners’ side semifinals; Selman, having defeated Mark Bolton, double hill, in her previous match. Irrizarry, in the meantime, had something of a racks-against numbers ‘scramble,’ as he gave up five in his opening match against Jeff Underwood, three to Chuck Maxwell and four to Barry Mashburn to pick up Katie Bischoff in the other winners’ side semifinal.
The gentleman (Farrar and Irizarry) defeated the ladies (Selman and Bischoff), both 8-2 and advanced to the hot seat match. Farrar grabbed the seat 8-3 over Irizarry and waited on his return.
On the loss side, Selman picked up Jason Rogers, who followed his loss to Farrar with four straight, recently eliminating Barry Mashburn 8-5 and Jordan Tuten 8-2. Bischoff drew Bolton, who’d followed his loss to Selman with victories over Dustin Wiley and Reid Vance, both 6-3.
Rogers eliminated Selman 8-3 and advanced to the quarterfinals. Bolton joined him after giving up just a single rack to Bischoff. Bolton and Rogers battled to a 6-6 tie, but Rogers was racing to 8 and it was Bolton who moved on to the semifinals.
Irizarry, apparently motivated to compete in the finals, gave up just a single rack to Bolton in those semifinals and got the chance. Both equally motivated, Farrar and Irizarry locked up in a double-hill fight that allowed Farrar to complete his undefeated run and claim his third Q City 9-Ball Title.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked Sara and Tony Figueroa and their Breaktime Billiards staff for their hospitality, along with title sponsor Premierbilliards.com, BarPoolTables.net (Randy Tate), Breaktime Billiards in Winston-Salem, NC, TKO Custom Cues and Realty One Group results (Kirk Overcash), Dirty South Grind Apparel (Angela Harlan-Parker), Federal Savings Bank (Alex Narod), CHC Underground (Chris Clary), Run Racks Worldwide Apparel (Wanderer Kelly) and AZBilliards.
The next stop on the PremierBilliards.com’s Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend, June 22-23, will be a $250-added event, hosted by Mickey Milligan’s in New Bern, NC.
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