David Gutierrez
David Gutierrez, whose name hasn't been seen as much as it used to be back in 2010, for example, when he won three stops on the Lone Star Tour, and was among the top five finishers in five other stops that year. Over the past decade, he's consistently been among the top five finishers in many of the events in which he's participated, including the Fast Eddie's Tour (which he's won numerous times), the Texas Open (3rd in 2011), and the Houston Open (5th in 2011). Gutierrez appeared to make up for some lost time on the weekend of February 23-24, as he went undefeated to claim the event victory on the newly-inaugurated Omega Billiard Tour's second stop of its 2013 season. The $1,000-added event drew 64 entrants to The Billiard Den in Richardson, TX.
Gutierrez appeared to struggle a bit on Saturday, as he was forced to prevail in two double hill matches early. His path went a little smoother on Sunday, and concluded with a 27-7 record over his final three matches. In the first of those three, among the winners' side final four, he defeated Amos Bush 9-1, as Coy Lee Nicholson was busy sending Douglas Pitts west 9-5 in the other winners' side semifinal. Gutierrez sent Nicholson to the semifinals with a 9-3 win and waited in the hot seat for what turned out to be the return of Alberto Nieto.
While it was Nieto who made it back to the finals, the more compelling loss-side story concerned Jeff Georges. Georges had been dispatched to the loss side by Nieto in the opening round of play, and fought back through nine matches to meet Nieto a second time in the quarterfinals. With six wins behind him, Georges defeated Bobby Diggs and Steve Raynes, both 7-2, to pick up Bush. Nieto, in the meantime, sent to the loss side by Bush from among the winners' side final eight, got by Greg Sandifer 6-3, and shut out Brian Anderson to pick up Pitts.
The quarterfinal re-match between Georges and Nieto was set up with a double hill win by Nieto over Pitts and a 7-2 victory by Georges over Bush. Nieto ended Georges impressive 9-win, loss-side streak with a 6-3 victory and then downed Nicholson in the semifinals by the same score.
Gutierrez, in turn, ended Nieto's five-match, loss-side winning streak. He won the first of what could have been two sets 9-3 to claim the event title, and stand in a Texas tour winning circle for the first time in a long time. In addition to the $560 first-place prize, Gutierrez' victory earned him a Lucasi Hybrid Custom Cue, valued at $380.
Tour director Melinda Bailey thanked Billiard Den's owner Marcy Rothberg and her staff for their hospitality, as well as Michael Hoang, owner of principal sponsor Omega Billiards. The next (third) stop on the Omega Billiard Tour is scheduled for April 27-28 at JR Pockets in Denton, TX. According to Bailey, all of the remaining four events in the Omega Billiard Tour's inaugural season have been filled to their 64-player capacity.
