Landon Hollingsworth (Henry Gung – Henry’s Photos)
The two finalists in the August 15-16 stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour – Landon Hollingsworth and Kelly Piercy – were both looking to chalk up their first victory on the tour. Together, they’d cashed in a total of 13 events on the tour, dating back to November, 2018. Hollingsworth logged the majority of those cash finishes, by a lot; 12-1, in fact, including his official runner-up finish to Hank Powell at a stop this past 4th of July weekend in Bristol, TN. He and Powell opted out of playing a final match and Powell was awarded the official win. Piercy, on the other hand, was looking for only his second cash finish on the tour, to supplement his 5th place finish just ahead of Christmas last year.
Hollingsworth, playing in his first final, ended up going undefeated, but not before Piercy threw a bit of a scare into him by winning nine on the loss side to challenge him in that final. The $1,000-added event drew 40 entrants to Pal’s Billiards in Piedmont, SC.
Hollingsworth, recently elevated to a ‘7’ handicap, came into the event as the tour’s 2020 points leader, and cemented that position with his victory. With Piercy already long at work on the loss side, having lost to junior competitor Joey Tate in the second round, Hollingsworth advanced to a winners’ side semifinal match against Hunter Zayas (also recently elevated, to a ‘6’). Joe Bryant and Tony Wall clashed in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Hollingsworth advanced to his second-ever hot seat match with a 7-4 victory over Zayas. Bryant joined him after sending Wall to the loss side 5-2. Hollingsworth claimed his first hot seat 7-4 over Bryant, then waited and watched, as Piercy completed his nine-match, loss-side winning streak.
It was Wall who ran into Piercy, six matches into that loss-side streak, which had recently included a forfeit victory over Justin Martin and a second win over Joey Tate 5-4 (Tate racing to 7). Zayas drew Kevin Ping, who’d just eliminated Junior Gabriel 7-4 and Robert Otto 7-5.
In the first money round, Piercy and Zayas advanced to the quarterfinals; Piercy, 5-2 over Wall and Zayas, 6-3 over Ping. Piercy then chalked up two straight double hill wins; against Zayas in those quarterfinals and then, in a straight-up race to 5, Bryant in the semifinals.
Two relatively new competitors looking for their first major win is not a situation likely to create an agreed-upon split of the top two prizes. And it didn’t here. Hollingsworth punctuated his undefeated run by allowing Piercy only a single rack in the final and claiming his first title.
Tour directors Herman and Angela Parker thanked the ownership and staff at Pal’s, as well as title sponsor Viking Cues, Bar Pool Tables, Delta 13 Racks, AZBilliards, Tickler Pool Ball Washing Machine, Skyline Construction, Federal Savings Bank Mortgage Division and Dirty South Grind Apparel Co. The next stop on the Viking Cues’ Q City 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for this weekend (Aug. 22-23), will be hosted by Jac’s Billiards in Newport, TN.
