Rory Hendrickson (Photo courtesy of JP Parmentier)
Day two of the US Open 8-Ball Championship, at the Rio All Suites Resort and Casino in Las Vegas Nevada, saw a field of 29 remaining players whittled down to just six players.
In a field of players that included some of the top names in the game today, the winner’s side came down to two bar-table specialists from the midwest, in Jesse Bowman and Rory Hendrickson. Bowman had wins over Rodney Morris and Amar Kang early on Sunday, while Hendrickson beat Thorsten Hohmann and Josh Roberts to get his day started.
The hot-seat match was a battle between two players of contrasting styles at the table. Hendrickson has a very calculated approach at the table, as he studies the angles and calculates exactly where he wants his cue ball for any particular shot. Bowman, on the other hand, couldn’t look any more loose as he maneuvers around the table as if he were practicing at home, never stopping to study any shot or position for long.
The early match was “Advantage Hendrickson”, as he cruised to a 5-1 lead. Just as quickly as he took that lead, Bowman took advantage of dry breaks from Hendrickson and came back to make things close. The players traded racks until the final rack at 8-8, when Hendrickson made a ball on the break and methodically ran out for the match win.
After the match, Hendrickson commented on how it felt to be playing a player that he was so familiar with in such an important match. “I’m super glad that I played Jesse. It made me much more relaxed, because we’ve been playing each other for years.” Crediting his lack of playing time to his job as housepro at Fargo Billiards and Gastropub in Fargo, ND, Hendrickson indicated that his success so far in this event might get him out on the tournament trail more. “This is awesome, absolutely the best tournament”, he commented.
While Hendrickson and Bowman were fighting it out on the winner’s side, a “who’s who” of top talent was in action on the one loss side. Shane Van Boening had five win’s on the left side of the board, and ended his day with a hill-hill victory over Francisco Bustamante to earn a match with Amar Kang on Monday morning. Van Boening’s fellow Mosconi Cup hopeful, Mike Dechaine, had four wins on Sunday and ended his day with a 9-5 win over Brandon Shuff. Dechaine will face Josh Roberts early Monday morning and a final tournament winner will be crowned Monday evening.
Predator is the official cue of the US Open 8-Ball Championship. They are joined by Kamui (the official tip), Cyclop (the official balls), Omega Billiards (the official online store) and Diamond (the official table) as major sponsors of this event.
