Rodney Morris
Saratoga, Wyoming- Rodney "Rocket" Morris won his second time in Saratoga at this year's 5th Annual Wyoming Open. He went through a talented field of 8-Ball players that included the likes of Charlie Williams, Raj Hundal, Amar Kang, Mark Tadd, Tony Piazza, Marc Vidal, and more. The event was sponsored by Poison Cues by Predator and Asia's #1 cloth Andy Cloth will be the official cloth used during the event.
The Wyoming Open drew nearly 150 players from Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and of course the top pros which came from England, Florida, and California. There were a total of 5 events including the opening night Saratoga Open, and the 8-Ball main events with Sportsman, Classic, Masters, and Ladies divisions.
" Almost all the divisions were full, so I'm really ecstatic about that. There will definitely be a 6th Annual Wyoming Open next year. I plan on making the event bigger and better for all the players and divisions. We always want improvements. ", says EJ Glode , promoter of the Wyoming Open.
In the Classic Division which was hosted for intermediate level players, Ronnie Chavez defeated Chris Wilson in the 64 man field. Jordan Thayer and Chris McCreary rounded out the top 4.
In the Sportsman Division, Eric Burgman won the event over Brian Guice. The Poison Cues Ladies Open saw Melissa Little go undefeated over Tenille Whitten in the finals .
The Masters Division drew 57 players with several contenders. Defending Champion Charlie "Korean Dragon" Williams took an early loss to Raj Hundal in the second round but managed to come back and qualify for the final 16 bracket. Raj Hundal only dropped 2 games (to Williams), in his first 3 matches with two 7-0 shut-outs. Rodney Morris cruised through along with road buddy Amar Kang to the winner's bracket finals which Amar won.
In the final 16 rounds, the players were all drawn into a new double elimination bracket. Unknown local Utah talent Ace Brown upsetted Charlie Williams 6-4 in a stellar played match. Raj Hundal dropped his match to Amar "AK-47" Kang but rebounded with a 7-6 decider over Ace Brown. Williams rebounded with back to back wins including a 7-1 over Vidal, a 7-6 revenge match over Hundal, and a 7-6 over Mark Haddad. Leaving the final three players Williams, Morris, and Kang which became known as the Rat Pack, the pro crew of players that traveled to the event together and roomed.
Morris stopped Williams from a Wyoming Open repeat at 7-4 and then defeated Kang 7-6 in the first set of the finals. Forcing a deciding set, Morris came back from a 2-0 deficit to win 7-4 to become the Wyoming Open Champion again.
"EJ does a terrific job promoting pool in the region of the country. I always look forward to coming here to play and help out", said Morris. Rodney is sponsored by Poison Cues made by Predator which he has his own signature line, and managed by Dragon Promotions.
Coincedentally Morris, Kang, Williams, and Hundal all use Predator Poison technology and they represented the top 5 finishers of the event which was sponsored by Predator and Poison Cues.
The pro players will give fans and players an opportunity to learn tomorrow in Wyoming at the Poison Pro Pool School hosted by Duke's Bar & Grill.
The event is majorly supported by the town's own businesses which include : Hotel Wolf, Duke's Bar & Grill, Valley Foods, Riviera Lodge, Carbon County, and Shively Hardware.
For more info or to play in the Wyoming Open contact EJ Glode ejglode@yahoo.com or 307-329-8924
Fans of the Rocket can follow him at http://www.facebook.com/rodneyrocketmorris
