Alex Pagulayan
It took five hours to play the match that decided the $2,000-added Don Coates Memorial One Pocket event, held from Wednesday, April 6 to Friday, April 8. Alex Pagulayan defeated Justin Bergman twice, including that final match, to finish undefeated in the event that drew 41 entrants to Brass Tap & Billiards in Raleigh, NC.
The One Pocket event, combined with an $8,000-added, Mosconi Cup-qualifying, Open 9-Ball event that began on Friday, drew the top names in the business, including Pagulayan and Bergman. Also on-hand as the field narrowed to its final 12 were Shane Van Boening, Corey Deuel, Josh Roberts, and Brandon Shuff.
Pagulayan and Bergman advanced to their first meeting following their appearance in the two winners' side semifinals; Pagulayan versus Deuel and Bergman against Brian White. Racing to 3, both of the semifinals went double hill, with Pagulayan and Bergman advancing to the hot seat match. A third double hill match (of eight among the final 14 matches) ensued with Bergman moving to the loss side for the semifinals.
On the loss side, Deuel and White ran into Tony Chohan and Jason Brown, respectively. Chohan had ended Brandon Shuff and Ron Park's day, both 3-1, to reach Deuel. Brown had shut out Jeff Abernathy, and survived a double hill match against Josh Roberts (who'd just eliminated Van Boening, double hill) to draw White. Advancement to the quarterfinals entailed two more double hill matches, which advanced White and Deuel.
White took the quarterfinal match 3-1 over Deuel, but was then himself eliminated 3-1, by Bergman in the semifinals. In the five-hour, race-to-5 final, Bergman took a commanding lead, and was on the hill at 4-1. The Lion came back to win four straight and claim the first Don Coates Memorial One Pocket title.
The event's tour director, David Brown, thanked Brass Tap and Billiards' owner, Tony Coates (son to Don Coates, who passed away last fall and in whose name the event is being held. Brown also acknowledged sponsor Beasley Custom Cues, as well as Ray Hansen's PoolActionTV crew for their live-streaming efforts, and Joe Blackburn, for his on-site cue repair work.
The author gratefully acknowledges the support of and information exchange with Herman Parker, Tour Director of the Q City 9-Ball Tour, without whom this report would not have been possible. Parker will participate in the 9-Ball event. His wife, Angela, who went two-and-through, was the only woman to enter the One Pocket event. She had the misfortune of drawing Bergman in her opening round, and after moving to the loss side, was defeated in her next match by Randy Hatten.
