Bobbie Owen, Emily Sumrall and Kathy Knuth
The ‘hard way’ to win in a pool tournament is usually thought of as a long trip on the loss side of a double elimination bracket; all those matches spent on the verge of elimination. Bobbie Owen, playing on the 3rd stop of the DFW 9-Ball Ladies Tour, may have added a different way to define that ‘hard way’ to win. She was awarded a bye in the opening round of the $500-added event that drew 47 women to Stixx and Stones in Lewisville, TX on Saturday, May 16. She won her opening match versus Jennifer Hooten 4-2. She battled to double hill in the next five matches that concluded with victories in the hot seat and finals to claim the event title. Not only is that worthy of being considered the ‘hard way’ to win an event, but according to our records, Owen just won her first major title in what would have to be considered the hard way, as well.
Her path, after Hooten, went through a second Jennifer (Dooley) and Diana Bodeker to arrive at a winners’ side semifinal against Emily Sumrall. Kathy Knuth, in the meantime, also the recipient of an opening round bye, shut out Linda Long, downed Amanda Bivens 4-1 and sent Alicia Stanley to the loss side 4-3 (Stanley racing to 7), to draw her winners’ side semifinal opponent, Tara Williams.
Two double hill battles advanced Knuth and Owen into the hot seat match. With Williams racing to 8, Knuth won 4-7. With Sumrall racing to 5, Owen advanced 4-4. In a straight up race to 4, Owen claimed the hot seat in her 4th double hill win and waited on a rematch between her and Sumrall in the finals.
On the loss side, Sumrall drew Alicia Stanley, who followed her winners’ side quarterfinal loss to Knuth with victories over Tera Saunders 7-2 and Ginger Abadilla 7-1. Tara Williams picked up Aryana Lynch, who was working on a modest, four-match loss-side winning streak that had recently eliminated Diana Bodeker, double hill, and Kitty Phoutthavong 6-1.
Lynch advanced one more step into the quarterfinals with a 6-1 victory over Williams. She was joined by Sumrall, who’d ousted Stanley 4-4 (Stanley racing to 7). Sumrall ended Lynch’s loss-side streak at five with a 5-3 win in the quarterfinal match and then stopped Knuth’s loss-side journey immediately, shutting her out in the semifinals and advancing for a second shot at Owen, waiting for her in the hot seat.
Owen came into the finals with ‘one bead on the wire’ in a race to 5. She chalked up the four she needed, as did Sumrall, but Owen hit the mark first to claim her first event title.
Tour representatives thanked their Stixx and Stones’ hosts Anju and John Bergman, as well as sponsors OB Cues, Fort Worth Billiards Superstore and Doc’s Billiard Office. The next stop on the DFW 9-Ball Ladies Tour, scheduled for July 10, will be hosted by Rusty’s in Arlington, TX.
