The US Open One Pocket Championship was captured by Scott Frost with an unflinching display of shooting power and courage. In his championship match against One Pocket powerhouse Gabe Owen he never gave Owen any air at all. Frost won the lag and broke the corner ball in on his break shot and then proceeded to clear the table for the initial lead.
Owen had his best showing in the next rack when he also ran eight straight balls after coming out ahead in the opening strategy lab of safeties that is the hallmark of the game. But Frost again broke in the corner ball in the third game and followed that with a run of six that left Owen too far behind to regain his balance.
From there on it was the Scott Frost show. He kept Owen contained without opportunities and struck home on even the most difficult shots to gain control of the table and keep it. He broke in the corner ball in each of his three breaks (alternating breaks). In the last rack Frost faced a situation in which he had no good choices. The cue ball was in the center of the table near the head string and there was a series of small clusters downtable, none of which offered great possibilities. After surveying the table for several minutes he sent the cue ball into the farthest cluster. The balls came apart and the three ball drifted towards Owens pocket. The cue ball came off of the side rail and nestled up right beside the three on the foot rail, offering Owen nothing but a safety. Three intentional fouls later Frost found an opening and made a ball. He then made a tough long-rail bank and needed the final ball for the win. It lay on the head rail near the corner pocket on the side of the table opposite his pocket. Putting a tremendous amount of left English on the cue to throw the object ball off of the rail the ball had just enough speed to rebound the length of the table and into his hole for the dramatic win.
Owen knew he had been bested. "Scott really played well. There was nothing I could do to stop him," he told us. Frost has matured now as a player, no longer the hot and cold boisterous kid that first came upon the pro scene less than ten years ago. His demeanor and his game are now cool and thoughtful, and his opponents can no longer count on him to defeat himself with overly aggressive play.
Getting to the finals was a struggle. Many of the matches were lengthy and exhausting. Ike Runnels and James Walden ran over five hours in their battle and there were several other matches that exceeded four hours in length.
The fields in the fall events here at the Plaza are growing rapidly. There are 52% more cueists here than just last year and this has fueled a 73% growth in entries, as players can enter more than one event. The team Nine Ball events began today and we will keep you updated on their progress.
RESULTS:
1) Scott Frost $4,000
2) Gabe Owen $2,400
3) Ike Runnels $1,470
4) James Walden $860
