In a newly-renovated Premium Billiards in Syracuse, NY, Rick Manzi and Travis Solve (pronounced sol-vay) opted out of a second set in a true double elimination final and with one loss apiece on the day, chose to split the top two (and only) prizes. The $150-added event, held on Sunday, January 8, drew 10 entrants.
They met first in the battle for the hot seat, after Manzi had downed Thomas Bergen 5-4 and Solve had sent Dave Landon west 5-3. In the first of their two matches, Solve gained the hot seat with a 5-3 victory.
Over on the limited loss side, Roger Jackson and Kyle Racka were eliminated, leaving tour director Nick Brucato to face Mike Renshaw, and Jerry Sullivan squaring off against Dave Brobeck. Sullivan won a forfeit victory over Brobeck to pick up Landon, while Renshaw defeated Brucato 6-5 to draw Bergen.
It was Bergen and Landon advancing to the quarterfinals; Bergen with a 6-5 win over Renshaw, Landon with a 5-2 victory over Sullivan. Bergen then survived a double hill quarterfinal battle against Landon and then, was himself defeated in a double hill semifinal by Manzi.
Manzi evened his match score versus Solve with a 5-2 win in the opening set of what was to have been a true double elimination final. At that point, the two opted to forego a second set, leave their match score tied at 1-1 and split the top two prizes. Manzi earned a free entry to the tour's next stop, scheduled for January 15 at Six Pockets in Rochester, NY.
Duly impressed with the venue's recent renovations, and looking forward to scheduling further stops on the tour there, tour director Nick Brucato thanked Premium Billiards owner Frank Wollack for his hospitality.
