(l to r): Brian Bagwell & Billy Fowler
As general manager of the Steakhorse Restaurant & Billiards facility in Spartanburg, SC, it stands to reason that Billy Fowler would have intimate knowledge of the room’s pool tables and whatever eccentricities they might (or might not) display at any given time. At the very least, one would expect that Fowler would end up with a lot of practice on those tables. But then, you’d expect Steakhorse Restaurant & Billiards owner, Dayne Miller to have an equal, if not greater familiarity with the same tables. Fowler and Brian Bagwell played three matches to determine the winner of last weekend’s (May 11-12) Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour stop. Fowler took two out of the three to capture the event title. Miller, however, finished out of the money altogether and, one would suspect, went back to work when he was so eliminated. The $500-added event drew 44 entrants to the Steakhorse venue.
Fowler and Bagwell met first in the hot seat match. Fowler had sent Hank Powell to the loss side 8-5 in one of the winners’ side semifinals, while Bagwell sent Jason Gardner over 7-2 in the other one. Fowler took the first of the three against Bagwell 8-4 and sat in the hot seat, awaiting his return.
On the loss side, in Sunday matches, Powell and Gardner ran straight into their second loss. Powell, actually, did not return on Sunday and forfeited his match to Danny Rinehart, who’d defeated Steve Ellis and Nick Gaines, both 5-3 to reach him and then jumped right into the quarterfinals. He was joined by Jeff Abernathy, who’d defeated Dayne Miller 9-0 and Barry Mashburn, double hill, to draw and then defeat Jason Gardner 9-1.
With Abernathy racing to 9, Rinehart eliminated him in the quarterfinals 5-4. He then had his loss-side winning streak ended by Bagwell 7-3 in the semifinals.
Fowler was giving Bagwell a single game on the wire in a race to 8. Bagwell, with some momentum on his side, won the double elimination’s opening set 7-3. Tied now at one match apiece, Fowler woke up soon enough to engage Bagwell in a double hill fight in the second set. Fowler won that second set to claim the event title, his fourth in as many years on the tour.
Fowler thanked tour directors Herman and Angela Parker for the first place prize, as the Parkers thanked Miller and Fowler and the Steakhorse staff for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, Delta 13 Racks, AZ Billiards and Professor Q-Ball. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (May 18-19), will be hosted by Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN.
