Gail Eaton, Terry Petrosino, TamTrinh and Jennifer Yo
Gail Eaton, a.k.a. “Virginia Slim”, secured her second Gulf Coast Women’s Regional Billiards Tour victory this year, overcoming an impressive field of 25 semi-professional players to capture the tour’s March Madness 9-Ball Event, and third stop on the 2017 calendar. Eaton faced off with Houston’s Terry “The Terrorizer” Petrosino in the finals, where Petrosino defeated Eaton the first set, 7-5, but lost the second set, 5-2.
On March 18th, 2017, some of the most talented female pool players in Texas and Louisiana converged on Bogies Billiards and Sports Bar in Houston, Texas, to compete in the one-day, $500 added 9-ball event, vying for a place in the Gulf Coast Tour winners’ circle. Room owners David and Shannon Richardson, along with tour sponsors Cyclop Pool Balls Facebook.com/CyclopPoolBalls, Ozone Billiards OzoneBilliards.com, APA of North Harris County Facebook.com/APANorthHarrisCounty, Outsville Billiards, and Realtor, Jimmy Jenkins, facilitated another successful event for the women of the Gulf Coast Tour, the first of 11 events scheduled for 2017. Growing by leaps and bounds, the WPBA sanctioned regional tour has already amassed a following of 68 player members this year, in addition to securing a new venue, CK Billiards, in Dallas, Texas.
Seasoned tour veteran, Gail Eaton, surged to the to the winners’ side final four with wins over Amber Keithley, Liz Mitchel, 7-2, and Terri Resendez, 7-3, while Jennifer Yo defeated Tiffany Mundie and Tina Williams. Joyce Davis ousted Cindy Tillman, Gail Roles, 7-5, and Teresa Garland, 7-3, while Terry Petrosino took down Ricki Casper, 7-6, and daughter Robyn Petrosino, 7-4. After suffering a blow at the hands of Resendez, Kim “Texas Heat” Pierce came back to win three in a row, eliminating Karen Reilly, 5-0, Mitchel, 5-2, and Garland, 5-3. Pierce was eliminated by R. Petrosino, 5-2. Following a second round loss to Garland, 7-3, Tam Trinh won five consecutive matches, logging wins over Bonnie Mason, 5-3, Roles, 5-3, Resendez, 5-2, and Loretta Lindgren, 5-4. Back on the east side, T. Petrosino defeated Joyce Davis, 7-3, while Eaton overcame Yo, 7-5. On the west side, Yo took out R. Petrosino, 5-3, while Trinh ended Davis, 5-4. In the hot seat match, Eaton dealt Petrosino her first blow, 7-3, while Yo dusted off Trinh, 5-1. Even though she had lost the hot seat, Terry Petrosino wasn’t done yet. She blew past Yo, earning herself a rematch with Eaton, which would prove to be a fight to the finish. Petrosino handed Eaton her first loss of the event, 7-5. In overtime, Eaton fought back, winning the second round, 5-2. Congratulations to Gail Eaton on her second tour victory of 2017!
The tour would like to acknowledge and congratulate Joyce Davis who achieved her highest finish to date at this event, 5th-6th.
The Gulf Coast Women’s Regional Billiards Tour is open to players of all ages and skill levels, however, the top 32 WPBA Exempt Professionals are not permitted to participate. The next Gulf Coast Tour 9-ball event will be held on April 1st, 2017, at Bogies West, 9638 Jones Road, in Houston, Texas. This event will be played on 8’ tables with Cyclop TV Set Pool Balls. Free practice begins at 10am, and the mandatory players’ meeting begins at 11am. For more information about the WPBA sanctioned, Gulf Coast Women’s Regional Billiards Tour, visit GulfCoastWomensTour.com. Follow us on Facebook @gulfcoasttour1 and Twitter @gulfcoasttour.
The WPBA (Women’s Professional Billiard Association) is the governing body of women’s professional billiards in the U.S. The Gulf Coast Women’s Regional Billiards Tour is a sanctioned, WPBA Regional Tour, part of the grass roots system that feeds the WPBA Pro Billiards Tour. Amateur and semi-professional, female players, who aspire to play women’s professional billiards, must qualify through this elite system in order to attain the sought-after title, WPBA Exempt Professional. Have you ever considered taking your game to the next level, looking for a different challenge? Are you tired of the same old week-in, week-out routines deterring the progress of your game? Is it your dream to play in a pro event, or turn pro? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, it’s time to find the WPBA Regional Tour nearest you. Exclusively, WPBA Regional Tour Players gain access to WPBA Pro Event Qualifiers and earn valuable WPBA Regional Tour Points which count toward earning invitations to the annual WPBA Regional Tour Championship and WPBA Pro Events. Live your dream, support and become a part of, the longest-running, professional billiard organization in the U.S., the WPBA.
If you are interested in starting a WPBA Regional Tour in your area, or participating on a WPBA Regional Tour, please contact the WPBA Office at 1.855.FOR.WPBA or visit www.WPBA.com.
