Kim Cuarisma, room owner Lee Simon and Shawn Modelo
For their fourth stop of the 2024 season, The West Coast Women’s Tour headed to sunny Petaluma, CA on August 24, where longtime tour sponsor Buffalo Billiards hosted 38 players from around Northern California and beyond. Buffalo Billiards owner Lee Simon graciously contributed $500 in added money toward the prize fund, as well as a painting that was raffled that afternoon.
Tour director Cony Mendoza expressed her praise for Simon’s contribution to the tour, “The equipment is always great here, and we appreciate that the staff arrived early to accommodate us. Lee is always doing something for the sport of pool, and we also love that Buffalo is a family environment where players can bring their kids.”
With decades of experience in the pool industry, Buffalo Billiards’ owner Lee Simon has shown an ongoing commitment to the sport, hosting numerous leagues and weekly tournaments in-house. “I love to see that women’s pool is alive and well, and the turnout was fantastic. I’ll do whatever I can to support pool. Thanks to Cony for putting in the hard work to run all these events,” Simon remarked.
Several notable players were featured in this field in this event, including former tour champions Khanh Ngo, Emilyn Callado, former ACS National Champion Shawn Modelo, and the player who went undefeated at Buffalo Billiards, Kim Cuarisma. Residing in the Reno, Nevada area, Cuarisma has been a tour player for thirty years on and off and has competed in three WPBA tour stops in 2024 thus far.
In this event, Cuarisma charged through the winner’s side with wins over Jolena Labaria (5-1), Lyndee Russell (5-2), Kristen Walton (5-4), and Donna Mae Bulanadi (5-3), to land in the final of the winner’s bracket. Meeting Cuarisma in a face-off for the hot seat was veteran Bay Area player Shawn Modelo, who previously defeated Khanh Ngo in a close set that ended at 5-4. The hot seat match was then dominated by Kim Cuarisma, who closed the set out by a scoreline of 5-1.
Highlighting the one-loss bracket was an impressive performance by Tina Asuncion, who was dealt an early loss by Alice Loo, but bounced back to claim six wins and stay alive all the way to the semifinal. To get there, Asuncion was paired up against veteran player Janna Nelson in the quarterfinal, who also had a stellar day with a record of six wins and two losses. The quarterfinal resulted in a 3-1 win for Asuncion, who then faced Shawn Modelo in the semifinal, where Modelo claimed a 3-1 win and a spot in the final.
After waiting for the matches on the loss side to conclude, Kim Cuarisma was strong in her rematch against Shawn Modelo in the final, marking a 5-1 victory for the win. Following her performance at Buffalo Billiards, Cuarisma commented, “After Shawn and I played each other for the hot seat, I told her that I would see her in the finals. My confidence was high, and my game felt great, everything was falling into place.” When asked about her overall strengths throughout the day, she said that her safeties, shot making ability, and focus got her across the finish line. “I’ve only played in two TWCWT stops this year, and that’s all I’ll be playing this season. I’m really looking forward to playing a few stops next year,” Cuarisma stated.
Along with the main event, each tour stop also features a second-chance tournament for those players eliminated in the early rounds. In this event, Rosie Portugal came out on top, with Robin Roderick finishing second and Della Murray taking third.
The West Coast Women’s Tour would like to thank Buffalo Billiards owner Lee Simon and staff for hosting this event, along with TWCWT sponsors Adam Sickles, Diablo Valley Pool League, and Robbie Lyng Custom Cues & Repair for their support. If you’re interested in becoming a tour sponsor, send an email to twcwtour@gmail.com
The next stop on the West Coast Women’s Tour will be held on September 14 at The Jointed Cue in Sacramento, CA. For more tour details and announcements, visit http://www.facebook.com/twcwtour/
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