The January 26-28 weekend featured the $5,000 added 3rd Annual Bud Light Amateur Winter Shootout with 102 men and 29 women in separate divisions, hosted by owner Jon VanRoekel at Lassiter's Billiards in Clinton, IA. The American CueSports Alliance-produced event featured a double-elimination 8-ball format on bar boxes, and Jesse Bowman (E. Moline, Illinois) ran undefeated to the men's finals. In the hot-seat match, Bowman – rated a “7” on a regional handicap system used - clipped Gil Hernandez (Chicago, IL), rated a “6”, 7-5. Earlier in the A-bracket semi-finals, Bowman had knocked off Scott Cohen [6] (Schaumburg, IL), 7-2, while Hernandez out pointed ACS national masters champion Josh Johnson (Bettendorf, IA) [7], 6-4. In the B-side quarterfinals, Johnson put his A-side loss to rest by eliminating Jamey Bowman [6] (E. Moline, IL) 7-5, and Scott Cohen recovered to oust Ron Pluym (Dubuque, IA) [6] 6-3. Johnson continued on in the B-side semis as he dismantled Cohen 7-2. In the B-side finals, Johnson barely avenged his earlier loss to Hernandez by a slim 7-5 margin to gain a shot at the title against Jesse Bowman. The tourney finals saw Johnson jump out of the gate first to take the opening set over Bowman 4-7, but Jesse was up to the task at hand, and Bowman reversed the results in the deciding set, 7-4, for the crown.
In the women's division, Dubuque, Iowa's Jenny Roling [5] claimed the hot seat by dominating diminutive Ming Chau (Chicago, IL) [6] 5-1 in the A-side finals. In the previous A-side semis, Roling had turned back Barb Hamilton (Moline, IL) [5] 5-3, while Chau upended Wendy Ady (Inver Grove Heights, MN) [5] 6-1. The B-side quarterfinals showcased Angela Voorhees (Rockford, IL) [5] ousting Barb Hamilton 5-4, while Simone Huskey (Silvis, IL) [5] eliminated Wendy Ady 5-1. Angela Voorhees claimed another hill-hill win in the B-side semifinals over Huskey 5-4 to get a shot at Chau. Unfortunately for Voorhees, Ming Chau was just getting warmed up, and Ming defeated Angela 6-2 to get another shot at Roling in the tourney finals. The tourney finals went to two sets, and Ming Chau prevailed in both over Jenny Roling 6-3, 6-2 to claim the title.
By virtue of Jesse Bowman and Jenny Roling being the highest-finishing ACS members in their respective divisions, each 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.
February 3 will feature McDermott All American Tour stop #19 at Leisure Time Billiards in Sterling, IL (for onsite entry details contact Jim LaFavre at 815-625-8279). Information, entry details and schedules for the 2006/2007 McDermott All American Tour are available at www.americancuesports.org. The ACS is a non-profit, national organization dedicated to heightening the interest and awareness of cue sports through the support and sanctioning of organized competition throughout the United States and North America.
