San Francisco, CA - The Pechauer Tour stopped at Family Billiards the weekend of September 24th-25th; and it was Glenn Atwell who left his heart in San Francisco all broken and battered after giving his opponent Billy Palmer ball-in-hand on the nine in the hill-hill final match!
Palmer and Atwell were the final two in a field of more than 50 who came out to compete at Family, one of the favorite stops on the tour. Family Billiards is renowned for its tight pockets and tough tables, which everyone loves to hate! Four brave women also through their hats in the ring, but it were the boys who managed to hold their ground in match after match. It seemed that if there was a theme in this event, it would have to be that the men who advanced the furthest claimed to be playing the least! Tinsley Johnson said he'd only played two tournaments in the past two months since he's been working so much, and in fact he competed in the tournament during the day, and then headed straight for work. He ran out of gas on Sunday after being up for 40-some odd hours, but expressed satisfaction with his 4th place finish! Billy Palmer has also been working hard which has kept him out of the poolroom, and it was rumored he may have played hooky from work to attend the tour stop.
We hadn't seen Arturo Rivera much since the beginning of the year, but it was as though he had never skipped a beat! Rivera mowed through one competitor after another, practically shocking Tinsley Johnson with a 9-2 whomping. After leaving Johnson in 4th place it looked as though he planned to do the same to Glenn Atwell, but Rivera let a solid lead slip away missing a very makeable 9-ball to allow Atwell to the hill where he wasted no time taking advantage of the opportunity by snapping the 9-ball on the break. Atwell advanced to the finals against Billy Palmer in the single race to 13 format. Atwell took a commanding 8-4 lead when Palmer let the floodgates loose running to a 10-8 lead! Atwell fought his way to the hill which put the heat on Palmer, who handled himself like a prize fighter under the pressure. Palmer battled his way to catch up with Atwell on the hill but a goofy spectator kept sharking both the players in the tense match. Atwell found himself struggling with a straight on 8-ball needing to get back to the other end for the 9-ball. When he opted to pull shape on the short side of the 9-ball he got a little too much muster on the cue ball and ended up drawing it straight back into the corner pocket. Ugh! How aggravating!
On The Wire would like to thank Delbert Wong, owner of Family Billiards for being a wonderful host, the players always have an incredible time at his room. Next time we hope to see Sullivan Zhang or Bee Davison, our players with the most heart, up near those final matches! Anthony, Larry, and Michelle, the crew over at Family went above and beyond taking care of the tournament staff and players! We look forward to returning next year! If you are looking for something to do in the meantime, get signed up for Family Billiards' Glen White Memorial One Pocket tournament scheduled for October 8th and 9th, as well as the tour's season finale at Hard Times Billiards in Sacramento, Ca the weekend of October 22nd - 23rd.
Final results and payouts:
1st Billy Palmer $1350
2nd Glenn Atwell $875
3rd Arturo Rivera $630
4th Tinsley Johnson $445
