On Wednesday, Sept. 28, Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino will kick off The Tornado Open billiard tournament presented by billiards champion “Texas Tornado” Vivian Villarreal. The tournament will run through Sunday, Oct. 2, and will feature nine events, including three professional matches – Scotch Doubles, Men’s Pro 10-Ball, and Women’s Pro 10-Ball, each with a $25,000 added guarantee.
The Scotch Doubles Jack & Jill event opens the tournament on Wednesday, Sept. 28, followed by the Men’s Pro 10-Ball event on Thursday, Sept. 29, and the Women’s Pro 10-Ball event on Friday, Sept. 30. Play for all three events will begin at 9 a.m.
The five-day tournament will also feature several amateur events, including the Women’s Amateur 9-Ball event on Wednesday, Sept. 28, and the Men’s Amateur 9-Ball event on Friday, Sept. 30, each with a $5,000 added guarantee with play beginning at 10 a.m.; and four events exclusively open to members of The Seminole Tribe of Florida – 8-Ball events for men and women on Saturday, Oct. 1, and 9-Ball events for men and women on Sunday, Oct. 2, with play for all events beginning at 9 a.m.
With a $100,000 prize fund, The Tornado Open offers the biggest payout of any billiard tournament in the United States in 2016. Competitors, to be announced, will hail from around the globe, traveling from Korea, the Philippines, Europe and Austria, among other countries. In addition, all five days of the tournament will be livestreamed at www.thetornadoopen.com.
For over 15 years, Villarreal has been voted by the Women’s Professional Billiard Association (WPBA) as the most exciting male or female player to watch in the billiard industry. From 1993 to 1998, she was ranked by WPBA as the No. 1 billiard player in the world. She holds more than 19 industry titles, including Player of the Year by Pool & Billiard Magazine, National Champion by the WPBA and ESPN World Champion. In 2015, she was inducted into the WPBA.
The 2016 Tornado Open at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is the second billiards tournament that Villarreal has produced, following The Tornado Open she presented in San Antonio, Texas, in September 2015.
Doors open at Hard Rock Live at 8 a.m. on Sept. 28. To register, purchase tickets or view a full schedule of events, visit www.thetornadoopen.com.
