The twenty-third stop of the 2006/2007 McDermott All American Tour (produced by the American CueSports Alliance – ACS) was hosted by owner Jon VanRoekel and featured a $500 added purse at Lassiters Billiards in Clinton, Iowa, on Saturday, February 24, and – despite horrid weather – the event attracted thirty-nine players. The event included a double-elimination 8-ball format on bar boxes, and Mike Rohner (Dubuque, IA) ran undefeated to the finals. In the hot-seat match, Rohner – rated “4” on a regional handicap system – handled Mike Herrera [4] (Sterling, IL) 4-1. Earlier in the A-bracket semi-finals, Rohner had out pointed Shane Johnson [5] (Moline, IL) 4-3, while Herrera [4] knocked off Jesse Bowman [6] (E. Moline, IL) 4-1. In the B-side quarterfinals, Keith Helfrich [5] (Sterling, IL) ousted Jesse Bowman 5-3, and Shane Johnson knocked out Jeff Clark (Clinton, IA) 5-3. Helfrich then ousted Shane Johnson 5-1 in the B-side semis, and continued his hot streak eclipsing Mike Herrera 5-0 in the B-side finals. Keith Helfrich had to defeat Mike Rohner two sets for the title, and he succeeded by the count of 5-3 and 5-1!
By virtue of 1st-place Keith Helfrich being the highest-finishing ACS member, he qualified for a free singles entry into the 2007 ACS Nationals in Las Vegas – courtesy of the ACS. The ACS wishes to thank sponsors McDermott Handcrafted Cues, Silver Cup Chalk, Billiard Wholesalers and Pro Series Cases for their support in donating “Value-In-Kind” product for this and all stops on the McDermott All American Tour. Sponsorship opportunities are still available by contacting the ACS.
