Dennis Orcollo
It's always impossible to know whether the addition of certain absent players in a major pool tournament might have affected the outcome. This speculative question came up after the US Open 9-Ball Championships last October when Efren Reyes, Alex Pagalayun, Francisco Bustamante and Dennis Orcollo did not compete. "What might have happened if" is the way the question goes, and it's applicable to the results of the 2014 Jay Swanson "Swanee" Memorial 9-Ball Tournament, as well.
On the weekend of February 15-16, Dennis Orcollo successfully defended his 2013 "Swanee" Memorial title, wending his way through a full field of 192 entrants, who'd signed on for the $4,000-added event, hosted by Hard Times Billiards in Bellflower, CA. Missing from this year's roster were Orcollo's 2013 finals opponent, Jayson Shaw (who was competing in the Empire State Championships on the opposite coast), along with third-place finisher, Rodney Morris, sixth place finisher Shane Van Boening, Bustamante, Pagalayun, Darren Appleton and Warren Kiamco, to name just a few.
Would they have made a difference? You'd have to assume they would have, one way or another, although whether the final result would have been different is a matter of idle speculation. Orcollo worked his way through seven opponents, including Carlo Biado (twice) and Hunter Lombardo, before running into Mika Immonen (not on hand for the 2013 event) in the hot seat match and then coming back to defeat him in the finals; something that could well have happened had the missing players been competing.
Orcollo's first matchup against Biado came in the fourth round, and it started Biado on a seven-match, loss-side journey that would end with Orcollo in the semfinals. On the winners' side, Orcollo advanced to meet and defeat Miza Estrada, and earned himself a spot in one of the winners' side semifinals, against Lombardo. Immonen, in the meantime, squared off against Oscar Dominguez, in the other semifinal. Orcollo sent Lombardo to the losers' bracket 7-2, and in his first of two against him, met Immonen, who'd sent Dominguez over 7-4. Immonen and Orcollo battled to double hill before Immonen prevailed to sit in the hot seat.
It was Lombardo, coming off his winners' side semifinal match, who ran into Biado, who'd most recently defeated Mitch Ellerman 7-4 and Santos Sambajon, Jr. 7-3. Dominguez drew John Morra, who'd been sent to the loss side by Biado. Morra shut out Tang Hoa and spoiled a father/son match by giving up only a single rack to Oscar Dominguez' father, Ernesto. Son Oscar ended Morra's bid 7-5, as Biado was busy eliminating Lombardo 7-1.
In the quarterfinal match, Biado downed the younger Dominguez 7-4, which gave Biado a second chance against Orcollo. To no avail, as it turned out. Orcollo took him down a second time 7-5 to earn his own rematch against Immonen. Orcollo went on to claim his second straight "Swanee" Memorial title with an 11-5 victory over Immonen in the finals.
Tour Directors David Hemmah and Marie Lim thanked the ownership and staff at Hard Times Billiards for their hospitality, along with sponsors Kamui Tips, POVPool.com, Fast-N-Loose graphic design, and Pool-a-holics Apparel.
