A bunch of lightweights took off up north to play at the little tournament in Chesapeake this weekend, but the real action was in Houston at the ninth stop of the Fast Eddie's Olhausen 9 Ball Tour sponsored by Schuler Legacy Cues. As usual, the competition was fierce and sometimes surprising as many talented players came to show how it's done.
Top picks, with no surprise, were Javier Franco, James Davis Sr., Robert Newkirk, Manny Chau, Marc Garza, and Denis Strickland.
Javier Franco of Houston, a previous Tour event winner, and Robert Newkirk of Weatherford, Tx finished in the 7-8th positions. Both gentlemen showed fine consistent play over the weekend.
Lewis Jones of San Antonio, one of the Tour's directors, and James Davis Sr. of Bastrop leaped into the 5-6th placements. Great shooting!
Houston's own Marc Garza, who finished second in the Texas State 9 Ball championship a few year's ago, is always a major threat at any event. Marc always has an infectious smile and carries himself as a true gentleman on and off the table. He finished in a very impressive 4th place finish.
Gordon Van de Veer just moved from Chicago to Dallas and has been raising eyebrows around the state with his recent tournament outings. Gordon started his run with victories over Jimmy "Vegas" Moen, 9-8, Ray Hansen, 9-5, Javier Franco, 9-7, Robert Newkirk, 9-7, and Manny Chau, 9-8, before being derailed for his bid for the hot seat by James Davis Jr., 9-5. In the finals of the one loss side, Gordon was sent to stands by Manny Chau, 7-5, for a great 3rd place finish. We will be seeing a lot more of this gentleman in the future.
We have been waiting for this young man to make his move to the upper echelon in tournament play. James Davis Jr. started his assault on the hot seat with victories over Tara McCracken, 9-1, and Kenn Bogart, 9-4. Junior, then, ran into his father, James Davis Sr. James Sr.'s talent for the game must have come through as his son, in a very close and exciting hill-hill match, 9-8, eliminated him from the winner's side of the bracket. From there, Junior went on to the hot seat with triumphs over Marc Garza, 9-7, and Gordon Van de Veer, 9-5.
Manny Chau of Houston, a recent transplant from California, has surprised a lot of people of late. Manny ran through the field with wins over Bill Fuller, 9-7, Candido Ramirez, 9-3, and Lewis Jones, 9-5, before being sent to the brutal bracket where he eliminated James Davis Sr., 7-4, Marc Garza, 7-6, and Gordon Van de Veer, 7-5. This set up for an exciting final match with James Davis Jr.
The first set of the finals was very close with Manny coming out on top, 9-7. During the second set, Manny seemed to elevate his game even further and took the championship over Junior by a score of 9-1. Congratulations to both gentleman as we will be seeing both again in the winner's circle in the future.
A big thanks to Olhausen Billiards and Schuler Legacy Cues for your generosity and support. Thanks to Jack of Mystick Cues, Tino of Teodora's Mini-Tacos for your support and the fun and excitement you add to the Tour. And a special thanks to Woody Woodworth of Woodworth Custom Cues and Ben for filling in on the repair work. Curtis and your staff, you did a great job.
Finally, a special thanks to all players, spectators and supporters for making this a great event. We look forward to seeing you all October 15-16 in San Antonio, TX.
Complete Results:
1st Manny Chau $2180
2nd James Davis Jr. $1425
3rd Gordon Van de Veer $850
4th Marc Garza $570
5-6th Lewis Jones, James Davis Sr. $415
7-8th Robert Newkirk, Javier Franco $160
