The twenty-eighth stop of the 2006/2007 McDermott All American Tour (produced by the American CueSports Alliance – ACS) was hosted by owner Jim LaFavre at Leisure Time Billiards, in Sterling, IL on March 31, and featured a $500 added purse with twenty-nine players. The event included a double-elimination 8-ball format on bar boxes, and Jesses Bowman (E. Moline, IL) ran undefeated to the finals. In the hot-seat match, Bowman – rated “5” on a regional handicap system used - clipped Keith Helfrich (Sterling, IL) [4] 5-3. Earlier in the A-bracket semi-finals, Bowman had outplayed Wayne Wright (Sterling, IL) [4] 5-2, while Helfrich dodged Trent Vertlow (Sterling, IL) [3] 4-2. In the B-side quarterfinals Wright eliminated Dorian Cramer (Sterling, IL) [3] 4-1, while Vertlow ousted Dave Noble (Sterling, IL) [3] 3-1; in the semifinals, Vertlow took out Wright 3-1; and in the B-side finals Keith Helfrich ended Vertlow's run by a 4-0 margin. Helfrich had to defeat Jesse Bowman two sets for the title, and Bowman gave him little chance – outdistancing Helfrich 5-2 in the first set for the title!
Keith Helfrich's second-place finish as an ACS member qualified him for a free singles entry into the 2007 ACS Nationals in Las Vegas – courtesy of the ACS. The ACS wishes to thank sponsors McDermott Handcrafted Cues, Silver Cup Chalk, Billiard Wholesalers and Pro Series Cases for their support in donating “Value-In-Kind” product for this and all stops on the McDermott All American Tour. Sponsorship opportunities are still available by contacting the ACS.
