Eighty five warriors in two divisions gathered in hot and humid San Antonio to take no prisoners in the sixth event of the Fast Eddie's 9 Ball Tour 2004.
As always, the field was overflowing with talent. Top picks were Jeremy Jones , Edgar Acaba, David Henson, James Davis Senior and Junior, Candy Ramos (last month's champ), Robert Newkirk, Steve “Lizard” Smith and many more.
Finishing in the 9-12th positions and collecting a $100 each were Charlie Mora of McAllen, Scott Kephart of San Antonio, Steve “Lizard” Smith of Dallas and Chuck Swisher of Austin. Great shooting, guys!
Finishing 7-8th and receiving $150 each were Jesse Mata of SA, a seasoned veteran, and Alan Fitzpatrick of SA, a fine young gentleman we will be hearing more from.
The 5-6th positions went to Sylver Ochoa of McAllen and Edgar Acaba of the Philippines, both of who gathered $400 for their fine play.
Rick Stanley of Austin was playing fast and loose and finished a very enthusiastic fourth place. Rick is fun to watch with his big smile and the way he let's ‘em fly. Along the way, he beat Bill Kester, Jeff Haskin and Jesse Mata before he was sent to the left side in a hill-hill match by his neighbor, David Henson. Rick, then, rolled over Sylver Ochoa before being eliminated by another neighbor, James Davis Jr., in an exciting hill-hill match. Rick played well and entertained us all.
James Davis Jr. finished in an impressive third place which paid $1150. He defeated Bill Fuller, his Dad, Charlie Mora and Sylver Ochoa, before running into his friend, Double J. He moved to the left side and overcame Rick Stanley,7-6, only to be ousted by David Henson.
This set the stage for the finals between Jeremy and David. Both of these fine gentlemen have had a lot to celebrate recently. Jeremy has done very well or won almost everything he has played in this last year (The US Open and the Mosconi Cup for openers). In Las Vegas, he found himself with a new sponsor, Schuler Legacy Cues.
David Henson has had his share of winning and trophies, and in May, his wife, Deanna, former Touring Pro, awarded David with the biggest prize of all, Chance, a ten pound baby boy. Congratulations to both of you with this great blessing.
David handled Lizard, David Robinson, Marty Rodriguez, Edgar Acaba and Rick Stanley before bowing to Jeremy, 9-8. David dismissed James Davis Jr. in the finals of the one loss side, 9-1, to meet Jeremy in the finals.
Jeremy Jones, on his way to winning the hot seat, had victories over Daniel Perez, Marcus Duncan, Chase Rudder, Alan Fitzpatrick, James Davis Jr. and David Henson.
In finals, JJ proved too much this day as he won 9-5 over “Papa” David. Congratulations to David, a great supporter of the Fast Eddie's 9 Ball Tour, who earned $1800 for his efforts.
Double J does it again, and what can be said of the current US Open Champion as Jeremy's play, character and demeanor earned him $2350.
Jeremy was quick to point out what a great impact his new Schuler cue has had on his game. He states he is drawing the ball with such ease and accuracy, it's the closest thing to a one piece cue he has ever held.
“Mucho Gracias” to Bob Hamilton, Christina and their staff at N. W. Military for hosting the event. A BIG THANKS to Bubba with Schuler Cues, Ron Geyer with The Custom Cue Connection, Jack and Elvie with Mystick Cues, Anne Mayes with AO Custom Cues, Tino Lopez with Teodora's, Wayne and Robert with Quality Used Cars, Martin Salinas with Alamo Courier, Ruben Berrera with Alamo Pest Control for being such great sponsors. A special thanks to my partners, Paul Blank and Ken Wolfson. I know how lucky I am!
