Owner Kevin Buckley, Tony Ignomirello, Daniel Dagotdot and Alan Chan
One week after coming out on top in an amateur division event on the Predator Tour, Daniel Dagotdot chalked up his second victory on the Tri-State Tour. In August, he won five on the loss-side, before meeting and defeating top tour veteran, Dan Cintron in the finals of a Tri-State stop in Edison, NJ. On Saturday, September 24, he went undefeated through a field of 49 entrants, on hand for the $1,500-added A/D handicapped event, hosted by Gotham City Billiards in Brooklyn, NY.
Dagotdot's trip was not without its drama, however. A newcomer to the tour, Bill Suden, took him to double hill in the third round, as did Gary Murgia, among the winners' side final four. In the battle for the hot seat, Dagotdot faced Alan Chan, who'd just sent Michael Aro west 6-5. Dagotdot got into the hot seat with an 8-6 victory, and though it would be Chan coming back, that, too, was not without its drama.
On the one-loss side, Tony Ignomirello, who'd moved west after the opening round of play, was in the midst of a nine-game winning streak that would eventually set him against Chan in the semifinals. With four behind him, he racked up an aggregate score of 13-2, giving up a single rack each to Ron Mason and Chris Peralta, to pick up Aro. Murgia drew Alex Gilvarg, who'd defeated Carl Yusuf Khan 7-5 and Pat DiBuono 7-2.
Gilvarg entered his match against Murgia with a 6-1 overall record, and made it 7-1 with a 7-5 victory. Ignomirello, in the meantime, dropped Aro 6-4. Ignomirello then ended Gilvarg's streak with a 9-6 win that set him up against Chan in the semifinals. Chan ended Ignomirello's streak with a 6-2 win to earn a second crack at Dagotdot.
That chance never happened. Weary from a long day of matches, Chan and Dagotdot agreed to split the winnings, and allow Dagotdot to chalk up the official victory.
Tour representatives thanked Kevin and Isabel Buckley, owners of Gotham City Billiards, for their generous support of the players, with excellent equipment, good food, and a warm friendly environment. Thanks were tendered, as well, to sponsors: Sterling-Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Ron Tarr Cues, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing and Human Kinetics.
