Shane Van Boening
WITH JUST one tournament remaining in the ten event PartyPoker.net Mosconi Cup USA Rankings, Shane Van Boening is now guaranteed a spot in December's American line-up at the MGM Grand, following victory at the Steve Mizerak Championship in Florida.
With just the US Open remaining, the "South Dakota Kid" is now over the line and confirmed for his fifth consecutive Mosconi Cup berth. Mike Dechaine in second place looks a lock to be making his Mosconi debut alongside Van Boening.
In third spot, Johnny Archer has made a monumental effort in the last six months to drag himself from way down the rankings up to third spot with a series of consistent performances that puts him in the driving seat to make his record breaking 15th appearance.
After that it gets interesting. Shawn Putnam and Rodney Morris fill the next two spots but Corey Deuel and Dennis Hatch are lurking in sixth and seventh places, with Hunter Lombardo, possibly the most improved player of the year, coming up on the blind-side.
The US Open, slated for 16-22 October, will carry the most points of any of the ten ranking events, so there is everything to play for.
The US Mosconi Cup Ranking consists of 10 events throughout the United States, culminating in the US Open in October. Points will be allocated as per the BCA Points List and each event will be weighted depending on total purse, size of field and number of top-ranked players competing.
Only players finishing in the last 32 of each event will be allocated points and players will be allowed to drop their worst finish of the ten event series. At the conclusion, after the 2011 US Open, the top three players will automatically gain entry to the Mosconi Cup side.
The remaining two players will be Matchroom Sport wildcard picks although the ranking will play a part in this.
