Jason Kirkwood Undefeated at Michigan Player’s Tour Plus Player’s Pulse Announcement

The Michigan Player's Tour stopped off at one of the tour's favorite places Chalky's Que Stick Café (in Holland, Michigan) on October 25th for a recently added season schedule mini-event stop.  The tournament came at the requests of many to hold yet another stop before the end of the year and Tour Director and Owner/Operator of Players Tour Production, Rita Karrip, made it happen.

The $30 entry fee brought in twenty entries and some tough names to compete.  But, it would be regional tough guy Jason Kirkwood that would run undefeated through the brackets – he was definitely in gear on the bar boxes.  All day long, Kirkwood maintained a monster break and did very little wrong.  Included in his run was an initial Bye, then victories over Tim Rogers 7-4, Matt Broton 7-0, and Jason Timm 7-0 (Timm is a local Holland, Michigan, player.  Although he entered the event not expecting much of himself due to his experience level, he gained knowledge and had the opportunity to play some tough competitors, one of which was Kirkwood - you'll get em next time Jason!).  Next up on Kirkwood's list of wins was Khamphay (Pye) Veopaseuth who succumbed to him 7-3, then ultimately Richie Richeson in what ended up being a one-set final 7-3 sealing the top spot for the day.

Other notable mentions go to Richie Richeson who ultimately ended in second with eight wins after the original Bye first round to get to the end.  He bested Veopaseuth in the semis 7-1 to have his shot at Kirkwood who was his only loss earlier in the event 7-3.

Third place went to another local Holland, Michigan, player - Khamphay (Pye) Veopaseuth.  He started with a Bye, then pushed through the charts over Bob Hendrix 7-6, Charles Wilson 7-4, and Houston Rodriguez 7-6, before Kirkwood sent him packing to the west side to meet up with Richeson.

The money chart rounded out with Houston Rodriguez placing fourth (wins over Neil Dryfhout 7-5, Salatier Padron 7-2, loss to Richeson 7-4, then he continued with Shawn Buchholz 7-4 before his loss to Richeson 7-2).  Shawn Buchholz and Jason Timm played fantastic as well – Buchholz lost his first round to Anthony Sok 7-3 so it was quite a trek on the one-loss side; and Timm got the one-two punch of Kirkwood/Richeson eventually to send him home – Timm and Richeson were caught on live streaming, so check it out (final 7-1).  For someone that calls himself a “C” level player, Timm proved to be quite a scrappy player on this day mixing it up with the big boys.

Next up for the tour, Anazeh Sands East-Billiard Room and Lounge in Grand Rapids, Michigan on November 21-23, 2008.  There will be a $30 entry mini on Friday at 7 p.m. and a $75 main event on Saturday at 12 p.m (play on Valley seven foot tables).  For more information, contact the room at (616) 285-1122, visit the tour website at www.freewebs.com/miplayerstour/index.htm, or email miplayerstour@aol.com. Also note that the December 2008 Season Finale has been changed, the new dates are December 19th-21st.

Lastly, Rita Karrip, Owner/Operator of Players Tour Production (the company that runs the Michigan Players Tour) is also making additional strides in promoting pool.  Karrip is planning an expo with tournaments and vendors in Michigan for the first half of 2010.  Keep your eyes peeled for information on how to sign up for the events and where it will be held. 

Another fun note, in addition to working on the MPT and the expo, Karrip has also been at work creating a billiards show called Players Pulse that will be aired live via the internet every Monday evening beginning November 17th from 9-10 pm EST.  The Players Pulse is all about billiards including interviews, debates on hot topics in billiards, tips to improve your game, product reviews and beyond!  The show will also air in the Grand Rapids area on community access television.  If you miss a show, you may request a copy be sent to you for a minimal fee to cover costs plus shipping and handling.  The show will be streaming live through the MPT's website.  Be sure to look for updates on all of these great ventures and on the website itself in the near future – the website will be changing shortly as well to its permanent name and will encompass free live streaming of each event, weekly billiards shows and more!