Ralf Souquet
AZBilliards is pleased to announce it's pick for male Player of the Year for 2011. The player who surpassed the rest in his performance was Ralf Souquet whose consistency this year won him the POY bragging rights.. Picking a male Player of the Year for 2011 was no easy task. In fact, it took over a week of pouring over spreadsheets. In the end we gave each factor in the judging a different weight, depending on perceived importance, and the one that gave the nod to Souquet was the comparison of how he, Darren Appleton, and Shane Van Boening had done in the dozen events in which all three participated. This first process eliminated Van Boening and gave us a longer list of face-to-face comparisons to use for comparing Souquet to Appleton.
Souquet and Appleton competed in 22 events together. In these competitions Souquet came out on top 14 times while Appleton fared better 8 times. As the two men were very close on total money won and number of victories, this was the factor that swung the tide in Souquet's favor. Ralf began the year with a victory at the Euro Tour French Open. He came in second at the Masters Ten Ball event in Virginia, then won again at the Players Championship in Valley Forge. He then enjoyed a pair of runner-ups at the European Championships and the Philippine Open before scoring another win at the Euro Tour Italy event. He won another Euro Tour event in Hungary, took a third at the Beassy 8-Ball tournament and a second at the Sarajevo 8-Ball Championships. Last, he was on the winning Mosconi Cup team, won all three Matchroom events for the year and took a fourth place finish at Turning Stone.
Ralf Souquet is a true study in consistency in a game that is known for the opposite. While many players run hot and cold Souquet can be counted on to give the same steady performance in most every event in which he chooses to participate. He is professional in every regard and treats his competitors and fans with the respect that they deserve. His behavior brings honor to the sport. Congratulations, Mr. Souquet, and thank you.
