Josh O'Neal, fresh off a fourth place finish in the 8-Ball competition of CSI's US Bar Table Championships in Reno, NV, joined 34 entrants for the March 5-6 stop on the Great Southern Billiards Tour in Murfreesboro, TN. O'Neal also tied for fifth place in the 9-Ball event of those championships and tied for 9th in the 10-Ball competition. Knocked out of the hot seat by Dave Cross in this latest GSBT stop, O'Neal returned from the semifinals to take both sets of a true double elimination final to win the $1,500-added event, held at the Murfreesboro Billiard Club.
O'Neal got into the hot seat match versus Cross with an 11-4 victory over Steve Legacy. Cross had survived a double hill battle against David Lawlor. With O'Neal needing to reach 11 games, Cross gained the hot seat with a 7-7 tie, and waited for O'Neal to come back.
Meanwhile, on the one-loss side, James Eberhart was working on an 8-game winning streak that had begun when he'd been sent there by Amanda Townsend in the second round, and concluded in the semifinals versus O'Neal. Halfway there, he defeated D.J. Holloway 9-7 and Chuck Raulston (winner of the last GSBT stop) 9-4 to pick up Legacy. Lawlor drew Mike Jones, who'd defeated Billy Young 9-9, and Chris Perhealth 9-4 to reach him. Eberhart dropped Legacy 9-3, as Jones defeated Perhealth 7-5.
Eberhart chalked up his final victory in the quarterfinals versus Lawlor, winning 9-2 for a crack at O'Neal. O'Neal, though, was not to be denied. He took the semifinal match 11-5, and then gave up only four racks in a 26-game, true double elimination final that earned him the top prize.
The Daultons extended thanks to room co-owner April Dobbins, as well as tour sponsors Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, Nick Varner Cues and Cases, Mike Davis Exterminating, Tiger Products, and Delta-13 Racks.
