Charlie “Hillbilly” Bryant got by Sparky Ferrell twice; once, among the winners' side final eight and again, in the finals to finish undefeated at the Rose Country 9-Ball Bar Table Open III on the weekend of July 18-19. The $2,000-added event drew 89 entrants to the Rose Country Club in Houston, TX
After sending Ferrell west 9-3, Bryant got into the hot seat by first, defeating Dennis Strickland 9-5. Bobby Pacheco, in the meantime, was sending Gary Abood west 9-2. In an epic two-plus hour struggle, Bryant and Pacheco battled back and forth to hill-hill before Bryant prevailed to gain the hot seat.
On the one-loss side, Ferrell immediately got caught up in a hill-struggle versus Ishmael Ramirez, but advanced to take on Cliff Joyner, defeating him 7-5 for the right to meet Abood. Manuel Ayala, in the meantime, got by three-time Fast Eddie's Olhausen 9-Ball tour winner David Gutierrez 7-2 and Barry Emerson in a hill-hill match to meet Strickland.
Ferrell advanced to the quarterfinals with a 7-2 win over Abood as Ayala got caught up in his second straight hill-hill battle. This time, though, versus Strickland, Ayala ended up on the wrong end of the decisive game, dropping into the tie for fifth, as Strickland moved against Ferrell. Ferrell then moved into the semifinals versus Pacheco with a 7-3 win over Strickland. Ferrell got his chance to avenge his earlier defeat by Bryant with a 7-3 win over Pacheco.
In the true double elimination final that followed, Bryant wasted no time establishing a lead, which he stretched to seven racks before Ferrell responded. Ferrell came back with four racks, but Bryant reached the hill and finished it at 9-4.
