Brandon Shuff, Tony Long and TD Ozzie Reynolds
He wasn't supposed to be there.
With Brandon Shuff presumably in upstate New York participating in the Turning Stone Classic tournament on the weekend of September 9-11, Brett Stottlemyer was looking at clear, virtually unchallenged sailing to a season-ending number one ranking on the Action Pool Tour, and a consequent free entry into the US Open next month.
Shuff, though, got knocked out of the Turning Stone Classic early, moving west in the third round, and then, running into Shane Van Boening on the loss-side, who sent him home. Shuff drove all night, arriving at VIP Billiards in Catonsville, MD to join 45 other entrants on the last stop of the Action Pool Tour. He went undefeated to win the event, capture first place in the tour rankings and earn that free entry to the US Open.
Stottlemyer finished second in the tour rankings, a mere 178 points behind Shuff. Tour director Ozzie Reynolds finished in third place. Lai Li received $50 for finishing as the top female competitor on the tour.
From among the winners' side final four, Shuff got into the hot seat with first, a 9-2 victory over Steve Todd. Dominic Noe, in the meantime, was sending Don Perryman west 9-5. Shuff downed Noe 9-3 in the battle for the hot seat, and awaited the return of one Tony Long, whom he'd sent west from among the winners' side final eight.
Todd moved over to pick up Alan Duty, who'd defeated Steve Wigglesworth 9-2 and Stottlemyer 9-7 to reach him. Perryman picked up Long, who'd gotten by Ryan McCreesh 9-6 and Dustin Paris 9-3. Long downed Perryman 9-4 and was joined in the quarterfinal match by Todd, who'd defeated Duty 9-7.
Long and Todd locked up in only the second double hill contest among the event's final 12. Long hung on to win it and faced Noe in the semifinals. He downed Noe 9-4 and got a crack at Shuff in a true double elimination final. Shuff took the opening set 9-5 to complete an exhausting weekend, and undefeated trip on the Action Pool Tour.
