Germany's Ralf Souquet continued his fantastic run of form this year as he lifted the 2006 PartyCasino.com World Pool Masters title, beating Alex Pagulayan 8-4 with a dominating performance.
'The Kaiser' made it a record-breaking fifth Masters title and on this form he will certainly be knocking on the door of a Mosconi Cup spot.
For Pagulayan, it was his best finish at the Masters but he could not keep up with Souquet's relentless precision.
Souquet was thrilled with his win. He said: "It was a hard match as expected and even though the score line suggests it was easy, it wasn't.
"This performance was probably my best match in the whole event. The semi-final was ok although I didn't feel 100 per cent comfortable but I had a good feeling now and wanted to take every chance I had."
Pagulayan had beaten Steve Davis, Vilmos Foldes and Raj Hundal to reach his first Masters final but could not keep up with Souquet.
The match looked even in the early stages as both players shared the racks to take it 3-3. Souquet then turned up the heat to take the next four and reach the hill.
Some luck and precision play coupled with a few mistakes from Pagulayan did the trick and turning back a three frame deficit was a big ask for Pagulayan.
Pagulayan managed to salvage some pride as he ran out the next game, but in what was the final rack of the match, Souquet broke and ran out for glory.
Watched by his parents and girlfriend Illy, it marked a renaissance for the player who had dominated European pool for over a decade.
The German veteran takes home $20,000 for his win while Pagulayan can comfort himself with a cheque for $10,000.
Earlier in the semi-finals Souquet looked in excellent shape as he outclassed Taiwan's Wu Chia-ching to cement a berth in the final.
Pagulayan had KO'd defending Raj Hundal 8-1 to make his way to the final.
The Final
Ralf Souquet (Germany) 8 - 4 Alex Pagulayan (Philippines)
Semi Finals
Alex Pagulayan (Philippines) 8 - 1 Raj Hundal (England)
Ralf Souquet (Germany) 8 - 4 Wu Chia-ching (Taiwan)
