Edwin Montal is the 2005 Bar Box 9-Ball Champion.
Montal emerged from a field of 124 players at the Sands Regency in Reno, Nevadad to take the hot-seat with a hill-hill win over Bernardo Chavez. Chavez then went to the one-loss side to face the surprise of the tournament, Shane Vanboening from Sioux City, Iowa. Vanboening had just eliminated Corey Deuel 9-7, but fell short in the semi-finals against Chavez.
With the event being a true double elimination event, Chavez would have to beat Montal twice in the finals. The first set went Chavez's way by the score of 9-7, but Montal came back and won the second set 9-6 for the championship.
Montal earned $6000 for first place, while Chavez settled for $3000. Vanboening and Deuel filled out the top three places, while Steve Smith and David Matlock finished tied for 5th.
The 8-ball division got underway on Saturday morning with 169 players competing. That field will be narrowed down to 64 players by the end of play on Saturday.
File photo courtesy of Diana Hoppe - Pool Pics By Hoppe
