Dennis Strickland wins inaugural Houston 9-Ball Bar-table Open

On December 6, Kim White, WPBA touring professional, promoted her second major pool event of the year, the inaugural Houston 9-Ball Bar-table Open.  Held at the Rose Country Club in North Houston, this event drew an outstanding field of 73 top regional players, which included Barry Strickland, Manuel Ayala, Rene Rendon, Bobby Pacheco, Gus Correa, Sam Manaoli, Lanny Herrin, Dennis Strickland, and Andy Jethwa.  Four women also competed in this event:  Deanna Henson, Heather Lloyd, Bonnie Plowman, and Michelle Yim.

The semifinal match pitted Dennis Strickland against Rene Rendon.  Dennis edged Rene, 7-5, and won the right to play Andy Jethwa in the finals.  Andy was focused, but Dennis relied on a consistent break, kicked out of tough leaves, and generally dominated the table.  He went on to win the true double-elimination championship by the scores of 7-1 and 7-4.

The top woman competitor was Heather Lloyd, who knocked off several strong players on her way to a respectable 9th Place finish.

The total payout for this event was nearly $7,000, with the top 16 players winning money.  Payouts included $3,100 for first place, $1,550 for second, $875 for third, and $550 for fourth.

The tournament concluded late Saturday night, with Kim White and club owners Minh and Bill Hammond expressing their gratitude to the players and spectators who had made this inaugural event such a success.