Corey is back! After conquering a tough field in last months tournament, Deuel has put to rest any arguments that he isn't at his best. Winning his second tournament in a row, Corey is making a huge charge for the season's point lead. Currently he finds himself in second position behind Mike Davis. Mike, after this event, clings to a 5 point lead.
“The Prince of Pool” put on some serious displays of shot making and safety play. His overall table management was representative of his world class status. The first half of the tournament, Corey went straight through his opponents like a hot knife through butter; demolishing all comers including Earl Strickland 7-2 and Mike Davis 8-3. Not until North Carolina's Mike Fuller stopped him dead in his tracks.
Mike Fuller showed a really impressive game this weekend. Playing in his first Seminole Pro Tour event, Fuller had no shortage of opportunities to prove himself against the tour's established players. The Roxborough native had strong wins against Han Berber 7-4, John Ditoro 7-2, and Stevie Moore 8-4. Next on his hit-list was none other than Corey Deuel. Fuller really showed some nerve in this match. Corey seemed to struggle on the break, and Mike really punished him for it. Bringing his big break into play, Fuller would overcome Deuel in a hill-hill thriller.
Next up for Fuller was the hot-seat match against Manny Chau. Both players played tight all the way down to the end. However, after Chau missed a tough blind back-cut on the 7 into the side pocket, Mike took a critical lead at 7-6. Mike Fuller would win the next game as well and capture the hot seat.
On the loser's side, Manny would have to square off against Corey. Corey, who'd just steamrolled Keith Bennett 8-1 and Ronnie Wiseman 8-3, was looking like the prohibitive favorite. Chau however showed why he was in the final three. Manny refused to let Corey out of his sights. Displaying his top notch shot making ability, Manny took Corey to his second hill-hill match of the tournament. After a dry break by Chau, Corey came with a long cut on the 1 ball, only to end up nearly frozen on the 2. Corey proceeded to nail the game winning safety. Manny's failed attempt yielded a dead 2-10 combination which Corey pocketed, and with it secured his spot in the finals.
This rematch between Deuel and Fuller would not go as planned for the North Carolina native. Although the match was close towards the beginning, the tides turned when Mike Fuller made an unexpected error, allowing Corey to take the lead 5-4. After that, Corey turned on the jets. The crowd clapped in approval of Corey's creative shot-making. John DiToro described Corey by saying “He's in punch!” Corey seemed to make two balls on the break every time, and simply ran out. Perfect pattern play coupled with some special “come with-it” shots propelled Corey to the hill. “How are these balls rolling!” exclaimed Deuel at the latter stages of the match. He would finish off Fuller by winning the last four games in a row and claiming the title of champion with a score of 9-4.
The Seminole Pro Tour would like to thank Bucky and Mike, as well as the staff of Fast Eddie's Billiards for hosting such a great event. Their classic style setup is a must see for any pool fan. Our next stop takes us back to the sunshine state, to Cape Coral Florida's Diamond Billiards. This event was incredibly popular last year and will undoubtedly be so again. For further information visit www.seminolesportsmanagement.com or contact tour director Kevin Pickard at kevinpickard@semtribe.com.
