Keith Hulin, Gail Eaton and Toni Esteves
Former WPBA Touring Professional Gail Eaton went undefeated this past Saturday, September 7th, 2013, at Emerald Billiards in New Iberia, Louisiana, to secure her first Gulf Coast Women’s Regional Tour victory. The format for this event was 9-ball, races to 7, on 9’ Brunswick Gold Crown tables. Emerald Billiard’s owner Keith Hulin added a generous $500 to the ladies purse and the players couldn’t have been happier.
Eaton, who hails from San Antonio, Texas faced off with Houston’s Teresa Garland for the hot seat while Lufkin, Texas’ own Toni Esteves worked her way through the loser’s side after a 7-4 second round loss to Eaton. One-loss side action saw Loretta Lindgren (Katy, Texas) fall to Cindy Cole (Dallas, Texas), 7-3, who in turn was eliminated by Esteves, 7-5. Eaton handily captured the hot seat over Garland, 7-4, who was subsequently eliminated by Esteves, 7-6. This pitted Eaton and Esteves for the final match. The former pro came out firing against Esteves, who has only been playing the game of 9-ball a very short time. However determined Esteves may have been, Eaton proved too much for the aspiring player, ending her bid for the title, 7-2. This was Esteves’ best finish to date and she had this to say about her Gulf Coast Tour experience. “I’m ecstatic, finishing in second place! I played some awesome ladies at this event, and I can see I have a lot more work to do. Kim White-Newsome makes the Gulf Coast Tour a lot of fun and is a great supporter of her players. I can’t wait for the next event!”
The women of the Gulf Coast Tour enjoyed top-notch equipment, including Delta-13 “Select” racks on each and every table, and the hospitality provided by room owner Keith Hulin and his Emerald Billiards staff. The next event will be October 19th, 2013, at Skinny Bob’s Billiards in Round Rock, Texas.
