7-Time Player of the Year and defending champion, Johnny "The Scorpion" Archer knows he will be facing some stiff competition if he is going to defend the title he won last January in the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. The 2nd edition of the tournament, which will again be held at Players Pool Hall in Yauco, Puerto Rico, will be played on January 27, 28, 29.
In last's year's edition, Archer went up against the winner of a 16-man Puerto Rican tournament (won by Alan Rolon) and cruised to a 9-3 and 9-5 win in the finals. This year, however, the promoter of the event Fernando L. Calvo, decided to expand the event and bring in more international players, making it perhaps the biggest and most competitive non-tour event in the history of the island. That's where Corey Deuel, Tony Robles, Gabe Owen and Robb Saez come in.
Almost half of the 32 player field is made up of international players from the US, South America and the Caribbean Islands. The rest is composed of the ever improving field of Puerto Rican players. Among them, former National Champions Alan Rolon, Jason Cruz, Edgardo Ramirez, German Hernandez and Juan "Papin" Rodriguez. Another player who could pose a problem to the international players is Rafi Kilgore, who is coming of a 4th place finish in the BCA Amateur 8-Ball Championships.
Tour veteran Tony Robles is particularly enthusiastic about the opportunity to win a title in his hometown. Robles, hasn't been to Puerto Rico in about 10 years, but is still connected to his Puerto Rican heritage and would love to take home this crown. Added Robles: "I'm very excited to go down to Puerto Rico and see a lot of my old friends down there. I hope I can put on a good performance and that there will be a lot of fans there to cheer us on".
Town mayor Abel Nazario, who is the mayor sponsor for the event, is very pleased and proud to have his city host a big-time tournament like this one. The Mayor also added: "The city of Yauco is a growing tourism destination and I hope we can keep making big tournaments like this one to attract even more tourist to our town."
On the other hand, Calvo and his PR Pool team are very excited about the group of players they put together for this tournament. Said Calvo: "We are very pleased with the pro players that are coming because not only are they among the best players in the world, but they are also true class acts."
For more info, contact Fernando L. Calvo, 1-787-856-2090 from 6 pm ET .
