Candy Ramos won the fifth stop on the Fast Eddie's 9 Ball Tour at the "Tip of Texas" in McAllen on May 1-2. The competition was hot and fierce, just like the ninety degree weather with many new faces in attendance.
The field was small, but packed with talent. Top picks were Sylver Ochoa, Scott Kephart, Lewis Jones, Jesse Mata, Joe Powell and Charlie Mora.
Coming in 5-6th place were Charlie Mora of McAllen and Jesse Mata of San Antonio. Both players played very consistently.
Lewis Jones of PKL Promotions and director of The Fast Eddie's 9 Ball Tour, took a break from running the tournament long enough to show his stuff and grab the 4th place position. Lewis started with wins over Mike Martinez, Joseph Delagarza, and Mario Villa before succumbing to Candy Ramos. On the one loss side, Lewis survived Charlie Mora, only to be stopped by Sylver Ochoa. Great shooting!
Joe Powell of Mercedes, Tx., a professional golfer and a true gentleman, showed his athletic prowess crosses over to other disciplines with his 3rd place finish. Joe really opened some eyes with victories over Mark Galicia, Scott Kephart, Joshua English, and Sylver Ochoa, only to be defeated in a hill-hill match with Candy Ramos for the hot seat. Joe was sent to the spectator gallery by Sylver Ochoa in the finals of the brutal bracket.
Sylver Ochoa of McAllen, winner of the first two events of the year, looked like he might be on track for number three as he started out with wins over Artemio Pena and Charlie Mora, when he was derailed by Joe Powell. Sylver went to work on the left side of the bracket by defeating Jesse Mata, Lewis Jones and Joe Powell in the finals of the one loss side.
Candy Ramos of San Antonio has been very close to breaking through to the big money in past events. Candy exemplifies the saying, "Hark work pays off." After an extended lay off from the game, Candy started playing again two years ago. As a competitive athlete in many sports, Candy has worked extremely hard to bring his game up to a very competitive level.
Candy started his quest with victories over Juan Rivera, Beto Vasquez, Andy Hernandez, Lewis Jones and Joe Powell to secure the hot seat. With Sylver Ochoa coming off the one loss side, it was gong to be a exciting final match.
With the finals a double race to nine format, both players traded games in the first set, with Sylver winning a real nail biter, 9-8. In the final set, Candy caught a gear and a few rolls to defeat Sylver, 9-2.
Thanks to John Ramirez, Rena and their crew for hosting the event. A special thanks to Amanda Lampert for keeping the tournament running smooth. Couldn't have done it without you, girl! Thanks to the players and spectators along with the vendor's Ron Geyer of The Custom Cue Connection, Jack Kompan of Mystick Cues, Terry "Bubba" Ragan of Schuler Cues and Tino Lopez of Teodor's Tacos. Everyone have fun in Vegas and we'll see ya'll next month at the Fast Eddie's on N. W. Military in San Antonio on June 11-13 for our next event!
Results:
1st Candy Ramos $1220
2nd Sylver Ochoa $780
3rd Joe Powell $460
4th Lewis Jones $280
5th/6th Charlie Mora, Jesse Mata $70
Prize money includes auction.
