Scott Largen
Keith Young and Scott Largen came into this past weekend’s (July 13-14) stop on the PremierBilliards.com’s Q City 9-Ball Tour looking for their first (recorded) victory in a regional tour event and in a way, they both found it. They met twice, hot seat and double-elimination final. Largen won the former and Young took the opening set of the true double-elimination final before they entered into negotiations for a split of the top two cash prizes. Largen was determined to be the ‘official’ winner. The event drew 45 entrants to the Borderline Brunswick Arena in Bristol, TN.
Largen has been recording cash payouts (to us here at AZ) regionally and at independent events longer; eight years to Young’s six. He’s also ahead in the total winnings department and in attainment of the highest position on our AZBilliards Money Leaderboard, which has put him currently at #354 in what has been, to date, his best recorded earnings year.
Two of Young’s first four matches went double hill. He opened with a 6-6 win over Tri Hinton (Hinton racing to 8), and a shutout over Justine Kihnley before running into Hayleigh Marion (racing to 4), who put up a double-hill fight that did eventually advance Young to his second, double-hill match and victory versus Scott Howard in their winners’ side quarterfinal. Young faced Eric Roberts in one of the winners’ side semifinals.
Largen played at or above his ‘weight’ level through his first four matches, downing Zach Wilson 6-6 (Wilson racing to 8), Donnie Streeter 6-4 in a straight-up race to 6, Brandon Kidwell 6-3 (Kidwell racing to 8) and in his winners’ side quarterfinal, defeated Daniel Adams (racing to 7) 6-3. He drew Andy Ashburn in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Roberts and Young played more games in their winners’ side semifinal than any match in the event to the point of their meeting (14). Roberts was responsible for 8 of them, but Young was racing to 6 and won, advancing to the hot seat match. Largen, in the meantime, survived his second double-hill match, sending Ashburn to the loss side 6-3 (Ashburn racing to 4). Largen and Young, both racing to 6, came within a game of double hill, but Largen edged out in front to claim the hot seat 6-4.
Ashburn moved over to the loss side and ran right into his second straight loss. He drew Scott Howard, who followed his winners’ side quarterfinal loss to Young by advancing as the result of a forfeit by Gavin Hatley and a 7-6 win over Brandon Kidwell (Kidwell racing to 8). Roberts picked up Ron Frank, who’d lost his second-round match to Howard and was working on a four-match, loss-side winning streak that had recently eliminated Mike Robertson and Daniel Adams, both 8-1.
Roberts and Frank played a somewhat spirited match that surpassed the Roberts/Young match in the number of games played (16). Roberts won 10 of them to Frank’s 6 (racing to 8) and advanced to the quarterfinals. Howard joined him after downing Ashburn 7-1.
Howard and Roberts battled to double hill in those quarterfinals, before Howard’s handicap (racing to 7) allowed him to defeat Roberts (racing to 10) 7-9. That same handicap worked against Howard in the semifinals. He and Young both chalked up six racks, but it was all Young needed and one less than Howard needed. The semifinal launched negotiations for the split of the top two prizes, with Largen as the ‘official’ winner and both of them recording their highest finish in a recorded, regional tour event.
Tour director Herman Parker thanked Janet Atwell and her Borderline Brunswick Arena 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. Information about the next stop on the tour will be posted on the tour’s Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/TheQCity9BallTour
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