Steven Page went west early and came back late. Sent over in the third round of the Great Southern Billiard Tour's stop on the weekend of Aug. 14-15, Page won nine in a row to take home the first place prize. He finished by winning two grueling double hill matches in the finals. The $1,500-added event drew 56 entrants to SpeakEazy Billiards, in Sanford, NC.
As Page was busy working from the one-loss side, Cary Dunn, who'd sent him there 9-3 in that third round, advanced to the winners' side final four, where he met up with Hope Gladden. Gladden sent him over for a re-match versus Page, and then squared off against Glenn Russell in the hot seat match. Russell had defeated Danna Hallett 9-7. Russell repeated that score versus Gladden to gain the hot seat, and watched as Page worked his way back.
With four matches behind him on the one-loss side, Page moved into the first of the money rounds and defeated Barry Mashburn 9-4. He then dropped Lay Thammajong into the tie for seventh place 9-7, which set him up for a re-match versus Dunn. Hallett picked up Chris Adams, who'd defeated James Blackburn 9-6 and David King 9-5. Page and Adams made Dunn and Hallett's trip to the one-loss side brief; Hallett defeating Adams 9-5 and Page avenging his earlier loss to Dunn by defeating him this time 9-7.
Page then defeated both Adams in the quarterfinal and Gladden in the semifinals 9-6 and moved into the true double elimination final against Russell. Three hours and two double hill matches later, Page had his first ever GSBT victory.
Tour director Shannon Daulton welcomed a new GSBT sponsor, Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, for whom he is now a player representative, and thanked the tour's main sponsor, Nick Varner Cues and Cases.