Mike Salerno and Jimmy Rivera
With one more win between now and the start of the New Year, New York’s Jimmy Rivera could make 2023 his best recorded (with us) earnings year since he chalked up his first win on the Tri-State Tour 10 years ago. If Rivera doesn’t find that ‘one more win,’ his best recorded year will continue to be last year. He could probably make 2023 his best by just finishing ‘in the money’ somewhere. Rivera made that possible by closing out the Garden State Pool Tour’s 2023 season with an undefeated run at a $400-added Open 10-Ball event that drew 25 entrants to Shooters Family Billiards in Wayne, NJ over the weekend (Sat., Dec. 16).
The ’undefeated’ part of that equation was almost derailed when Rivera and Kang Lee battled to double hill in the hot seat match. But it wasn’t. Mike Salerno had a shot at Rivera in the finals and though Salerno would finish as runner-up, it solidified 2023 as his second-best recorded earnings year; 2017 remains his best.
In races to 7, Rivera’s trip to the title opened up against veteran competitor Pat Fleming of Accu-Stats fame. Rivera downed him 7-1, and followed with victories over Hoa Vu (5), Max Watanabe and in a winners’ side semifinal, Marco Dy (1). Kang Lee got by Nic Torraca (3), Thom Wan (0) and in a winners’ side quarterfinal, sent Salerno to the loss side 7-3. Lee defeated Pascal Dufresne 7-4 in the other winners’ side semifinal. The aforementioned double-hill battle for the hot seat ensued, Rivera won and Lee was off to the semifinals against what would prove to be Salerno.
It was Dy who had the misfortune of drawing Salerno as his first, loss-side opponent. In loss-side races to 5, Salerno had followed his loss to Lee with two straight, double-hill wins over Timothy Clark and Duc Lam. Dufresne picked up Mhet Vergara, who’d lost his double-hill opening match to Dy and set out on a five-match winning streak that had, like Salerno, eliminated his most recent pair of opponents (Watanabe and Thom Wan) double hill.
Vergara advanced to the quarterfinals 5-2 over Dufresne. Salerno spoiled any hopes Vergara may have been entertaining about a rematch against Dy by defeating Dy 5-2 and joining Vergara in the quarterfinals. Salerno eliminated Vergara 5-3 in that quarterfinal match.
Salerno fired a successful second shot against Lee in their semifinal rematch, defeating Lee 5-2 to take on Rivera in a potential, double-elimination final. Didn’t get that far. Rivera took the opening and only set 7-2 to claim the Garden State Pool Tour’s last 2023 event title.
In addition to thanks for his Garden State Pool Tour staff – Mike Strassberg (VP, Marketing), Jennifer Pedutem (Ass’t Director) and John Wu (Website Manager), Tour owner and director Dave Fitzpatrick thanked Kris Kemp and her Shooters Family Billiards staff for their hospitality, along with sponsors Billiards Engineering, Brutal, Off the Rail Apparel, World Premiere, Kamui, John Bender Cues, JFlowers Cues and Cases and In the Box. Fitzpatrick also thanked a new local sponsor, WaWa, for donating two $50 gift cards for the Top Two 2023 points winners, Pascal Dufresne and Hunter Sullivan.
The Garden State Pool Tour will return to Shooters Family Billiards for their first 2024 event. Open to competitors with a Fargo Rate of 675 and lower, the event will be limited to 48 players.
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