On June 9th 2005 Colorado's very own Melissa "The Viper" Little placed 17th out of a field of 198 competing in the 41st Men's Reno pro Open. Only the second time in history a woman finishes in the cash in this prestigious men's pro event. Men from all over the world including BCA Hall of Fame member Buddy Hall competed for the $12,000 grand prize.
Melissa won her first four matches (9-3,9-5,9-3, and 9-7) before running into Tony "T-rex" Chohan whom finished second in the tournament. Melissa also lost to touring pro Ronnie Wiseman whom finished in the top eight of the tournament. Melissa not only received a cash prize for highest finishing female but also cashed in the event. She also, finished better than other notable pro players like Buddy Hall and Jose Parica.
Next week Melissa is competing in the Florida Open a WPBA Classic tour event held at The Hard Rock Casino in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This event will be televised on ESPN and ESPN2 for future broadcast. For more information on Melissa or her next events log on to www.wpba.com.
Melissa started playing pool in 1993 and by 1998 and had won two Colorado State Championships and also won the 1999 WPBA Amateur National Championships. For the past five years she has played full time on the women's pro tour and has twelve top ten finishes on tour to add to her career. Melissa is currently ranked 18th in the world, 6th in the United States and has represented the United States in three World Championships.
Currently, Melissa is the house pro at The Wynkoop Brewing Company located at 1634 18th street in beautiful down town Denver. Along with competing, Melissa donates her time to Junior Pool Leagues, teaches for The Colorado Free University, and gives private and Corporate Lessons at the Wynkoop.
For more information on Melissa you may call her at 720-296-5395 or E-mail Melissa at www.melissa@melissalittle.com
