New Iberia, Louisiana- Charlie "Korean Dragon" Williams topped off his day with a 10-9 thriller over his road partner Rodney "Rocket" Morris in the finals to clinch the 4th Annual Poison DP Pro Classic 9-Ball Division. The event is ongoing through this Sunday July 31. The pro events are in conjunction with the Ozone Billiards US Amateur Open.
All the events are produced by Dragon Promotions and sponsored by Poison Cues by Predator, Ozone Billiards, Simonis Cloth, Aramith Balls, APA Acadiana, Candlewood Suites Hotel, Pool & Billiard Magazine, Master Chalk, Yalin Billiard Goods, and the host Keith Hulin of Emerald Billiards. Day 2 of the Poison Dragon Promotions Pro Classic is complete.
Rodney Morris started Day 1 shaky with a near loss to Tommy Najar winning by the slimmest margin 9-8. Then he caught fire and obliterated Johnny Archer 9-1. Then after trailing 1-4 to Williams, he mounted a ferocious comeback to win 9-5. He then waited for the outcome of the loser's side for the finals.
Williams road to the finals was no small task. He first defeated strong young gun Josh Newman 9-5, then crushed Thorsten Hohmann 9-4. He played near flawless to keep the red hot Shane Van Boening down 8-2 before capping off the 9-5 victory. Then he fell to Morris, including a situation where Morris scracthed on the break and Williams studied the table and shot the 2ball while the 1ball was still on the table.
Williams laughed afterwards,"I haven't done that in probably ten years or so. I'm not sure if I've ever done it before in a pro tournament against a top player. But my mind is so scattered in different places producing and working the event that I really am not too upset. I'm happy just to make it this far."
Some fans try their luck out in the pro arena before the pros start the next day at Emerald Billiards
Meanwhile Van Boening eliminated Brandon Shuff 9-2 before facing a vengeful Scorpion. Archer put SVB down easily 9-3. He started off with a nice 2-0 lead against Williams in the semi-finals. However the Dragon was not done yet and took advantage of an Archer error to win 7 games straight. Up 7-2, WIlliams made the errors then as Archer mounted a strong return to close the gap at 8-7 Williams. Archer had an easy 7ball going to an easy 9-Ball next when he rushed slightly and missed the 7ball! he left Williams no shot, and with the event playing by the new Association of Billiard Professionals (ABP) Rules, Williams could opt to make him shoot again. Williams however to the shot and called safe. It paid off with Archer leaving the shot on and Williams winning 9-7.
"These new ABP rules really eliminate alot of the luck. I just believe these rules are far superior for the better players", explained Archer.
In the finals Williams again took the early lead at 2-0 but made a error again and let Morris back in the game where Morris took a 7-4 lead eventually. Morris was on fire running out fast and loose. With only 2 balls remaining to take a further commanding 8-4 lead, he unexpectedly missed the 7ball and gave Williams his chance. Williams took that game and broke and ran the next 2 racks to tie at 7-7. Williams won a safety battle in that game to lead 8-7 but made more errors to let Morris seesaw back and take the lead 9-8. Morris then made a lock safety forcing Williams to take a length of the table jump shot over 2 balls. Williams made the jump and came around perfect for a safety. The safety paid off as Williams ran out to tie at 9-9. The final game saw Williams break perfectly but with no balls in....except at the last moment the 5ball trickled in. With an open table, he cleared it for the win.
"I'm happy and tired. We have a whole new tournament now with the 10-Ball. I'm skipping the Pro-Am Bar Table 9-Ball. My feet hurt!", said Williams. The pros have an option to play upto 3 events during the 4 days of the Poison DP Classic.
Some notable names are joining the Ozone BIlliards 9-Ball Pro Am Bar Table such as Thorsten Hohmann, Jeremy Jones, and regional favorites Joey Gray and Chip Compton. The overall favorite is likely Van Boening.
Watch the events for free at www.PoolActionTV.com including archived matches you may have missed.
