The action was hot and heavy just like the weather at the sixth stop of the Fast Eddie's Olhausen 9 Ball Tour Sponsored by Schuler Legacy Cues lady's division on June 12 in San Antonio. Thirty ladies dueled for the 'Queen of the Green' honors as things are heating in Tour's Lady Player of the Year point battle.
The talent ran deep into the field, as top picks were Jennifer Kraber, Heather Pulford, Amanda Lampert, Kawania Watson, Helen Hayes, Michelle Cortez, Kim Pierce and Kyu Yi.
Finishing in the 5-6th positions was newcomer Letty Mendosa of McAllen and Sophia Lopez of San Antonio. Both ladies showed a lot of heart in their victories. Good shooting!
The Tour's point leader, Amanda Lampert, jumped into the 4th place slot starting with victories over Kim Mills, Michelle Abernathy and Helen Hayes before being sent to the B bracket by Heather Pulford. From there, she triumphed over Sophie Lopez, only to have her run ended by Sophie's road partner, Kawania Watson.
Kawania Watson, the new 2005 Ladies BCA Open Singles champion, took the scenic route to 3rd place after a first round lose to Helen Hayes. She showed the same endurance she had in Las Vegas as she won over Yvette Cano, Jennifer Kraber, Cristina De La Garza, Kim Pierce, Letty Mendosa and Amanda Lampert before succumbing to Heather Pulford in the finals of the one loss side.
Michelle Cortez of Austin was on a mission as she fought her way into the 'hot seat' with victories over bye, Jennifer Kraber, 7-4, Audra Carter, 7-6, Letty Mendosa, 7-1, and Heather Pulford in the finals of the winner's bracket, 7-4.
Meanwhile, Heather Pulford of Austin, showed her methodical shot making skills which won her first Tour victory in February this year by defeating Melissa Andrade, 7-1, Mollie Pearl, 7-5, Cristina De La Garza, 7-3, and Amanda Lampert, 7-4. After losing to Michelle, 7-4, for the hot seat, she caught a gear and defeated Kawania, 5-0. This set up an all Austin rematch between Heather and Michelle for the final match.
With the finals a double race to seven, Heather never lost that gear and took a 5-0 lead and went on to win the first set, 7-3. With the second set tied at 3-3, the long day took its toll on both ladies as Heather won four in a row to win the set and her second Tour victory of the year. Congratulations to both these fine ladies for their cheerful endurance and sportsmanship! Also, congratulations to Heather and Michelle along with Jennifer, Shayla, Teedaa, and Amanda for winning the 2005 BCA Ladies Open Team championship in Las Vegas! Y'all showed 'em how we do it down in Texas!
Again, thanks to Olhausen Billiards, Schuler Legacy Cues and Fast Eddie's for all the great support!
Ron, Jack, Tino and Jeff, thanks for everything you've done! Without y'all, it just doesn't happen! A big thanks to Summer Bowen (GM), Danny and your staff for hosting a great event! Keep practicing and knock the backs out of those pockets. See y'all next month in Austin on July 16-17!
Complete Results:
1st Heather Pulford $940
2nd Michelle Cortez $600
3rd Kawania Watson $410
4th Amanda Lampert $275
5-6th Sophie Lopez, Letty Mendosa $70
