Tommy Kennedy
Tommy Kennedy successfully defended his title at the Eighth Annual Bob and Brad Martin Memorial Tournament, hosted by the Miscues Lounge in Fort Myers, FL, owned previously by Bob and Brad Martin, in whose name the tournament has been held. The tournament, held under the auspices of the Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour (Stop #5), was broken into amateur and Open divisions, with the $600-added Open event on Saturday, August 24, drawing 15 and the $400-added amateur event on Sunday, won by Jared Schlauch, drawing 26.
Kennedy defeated Anthony Meglino among the winners' side final four 9-3 and then defeated Chris Gentile 9-2 to get into the hot seat. Meglino came through two, loss-side matches to face Gentile in the semifinals and took an early 3-0 lead. Gentile, though, fought back to earn a second shot at Kennedy in the hot seat. Kennedy finished his undefeated run with an 11-5 victory.
In the amateur event, Schlauch and Eric Gouder faced each other twice. Schlauch won the battle for the hot seat, sending Gouder to a semifinal against Phil Davis, who had just defeated Jose Ybarra in the quarterfinals. Gouder defeated Davis and got his second chance against Schlauch. Schlauch completed his undefeated run to claim the event title.
