The Fast Eddie's Olhausen 9 Ball Tour 2005 sponsored by Schuler Legacy Cues held its second event of the year at the N. W. Military location in San Antonio on February 5-6th.
The event was truly special as the current U.S. Open champion, Gabe Owen, and two former U.S. Open champions, Jeremy Jones and Corey Deuel, were present. The crowd was anxious to shake their hands, get autographs, and watch them perform their magic. No one was disappointed as all three are fine gentlemen and great representatives of the sport. Also, many new faces have joined the Tour to add to the excitement with a total of 86 players in the open division.
Top picks were Corey Deuel, Gabe Owen, Jeremy Jones, Javier Franco, Sylver Ochoa, David Gutierrez, Robert Newkirk, Bobby Brown and James Davis Sr.
Finishing in the 13-16th placements were Charlie Brown, Marc Garza, Candy Ramos and Bill Fuller.
In the 9-12th positions were Bobby Brown, James Davis Jr., Tom Mooney and Michael Alonzo. All played very well.
Finishing 7-8th were Robert Newkirk of Weatherford and Rick Castillo of San Antonio. Both battled well and played great 9 ball.
James Davis Sr. and Russell Killgo rounded out the 5-6th slots with very consistent play.
Danny Almaraz of San Antonio took the scenic route on his way to the 4th place position. Danny is fun to watch, as he possesses an eager enthusiasm along with an infectious smile. After losing his first match to Marc Garza, he started his march with wins over Larry Gamez, Richie Somner, Adrian Lloyd, David Gutierrez, Phil Carter, Candy Ramos, Michael Alonzo, Robert Newkirk and James Davis Sr. Wow, what a day for Danny!
Gabe Owen, the current U. S. Open champion, finished third and, again, proved what a tough competitor he is. Gabe had victories over Manny Guerra, Tara McCracken and Bill Fuller. He, then, fell prey to James Davis Sr. and was forced to the left side. There, he handled Bobby Brown, Rick Castillo, Russell Killgo and Danny Almaraz. Then, he faced his good friend Corey Deuel and lost in a nail-biter, 7-6. A packed gallery really enjoyed his play.
Corey Deuel, 2001 U. S. Open champion from Columbus, Ohio, was a crowd favorite and left many jaws hanging open with his shot making. Corey triumphed over Buford Akers, Jeff Haskin, Daniel Coffman, Jeremy Jones, James Davis Jr. and James Davis Sr. to secure his berth in the finals of the winner's bracket.
Javier Franco of Houston was moving up the other bracket with victories over Daniel Perez, Larry Blackwell, Hassan Hosein, Mike Fay, Tom Mooney and Russell Killgo. This set the stage for the hot seat match with Corey.
Javier sprinted out early with a lead of 4-0, 5-1, 6-2, and 8-4 on Corey. Corey won four in a row to tie it at 8-8. A great safety battle ensued in the final game, with Corey leaving Javier hooked behind the 6 and 9 ball with the 5 ball at the other end of the table on the rail. Javier speared the 5 in on a jump shot and broke apart the 6-9 to run out and win the case game for the hot seat.
From there, Corey beat Gabe to again face Javier in the finals. With the finals a double race to 9, Javier put up a valiant fight leading early through both sets, but in the end, Corey proved too much with a final score of 9-4, 9-7.
Congratulations to Kenny Greer of Austin for winning the Second Chance tournament.
Thanks to Tommy Wells (Regional Mgr), Tracy, Christine and their staff for hosting a great event.
A big thanks to Olhausen Billiards and Schuler Legacy Cues for your generosity and support. Also, our humble thanks to Teodora's Mini-Tacos, The Custom Cue Connection, Mystick Cues, Cue Sales & Service, and the Connoisseur of Custom Cues. Tino, Ron, Jack, Bubba, Schone and Joe, you add prestige to the Tour.
Thanks to Sara, the raffle lady. Your smile makes us smile.
Finally, a special thanks to all players, spectators and supporters for making this the largest event in San Antonio yet. We look forward to seeing you all March 12-13 in Beaumont, TX.
Total Payouts:
1st Corey Deuel $3690
2nd Javier Franco $2540
3rd Gabe Owen $1750
4th Danny Almaraz $1100
5th/6th James Davis Sr., Russell Killgo $720
7th/8th Rick Castillo, Robert Newkirk $460
9th/12th James Davis Jr., Bobby Brown, Tom Mooney, Michael Alonzo $150
13th/16th Charlie Brown, Candy Ramos, Marc Garza, Bill Fuller $100
