It began with a 28-player, Mini 9-ball tournament on Wednesday night, November 10, and concluded with two late-night finals in 9-Ball and One-Pocket events on Sunday, November 14. It was the Great Southern Billiard Tour Carolina Open/Tour Championships, hosted by Fast Eddie's in Goldsboro, NC, which offered varying purses, including a $7,500 guaranteed total purse for the 9-Ball event and, with a staggered entry fee (amateurs and professionals) an $1,120 payout based on a 100% return of the fees in that event. Brian White picked up the championship title in the 9-Ball event, which had drawn 60 entrants, including such luminaries as Johnny Archer, tour director Shannon Daulton, Shawn Putnam, Nick Varner and Larry Nevel. The One-Pocket victory, which drew 20 entrants, went to Daulton. The opening mini-tournament was won by Nevel in a 9-4 finals victory over Chris Vollmar.
The winners' side final four in the 9-Ball event saw White facing off against Nevel, as Archer faced Alex Olinger. With Nevel needing to reach 13, before White reached 11, White prevailed 11-8. In their first of two matches, with Archer needing 13, and Olinger, 11, Olinger prevailed 9-8. White gained the hot seat with an 11-7 victory and waited for Olinger to come back.
Nevel drew Daulton for his first match on the one-loss side; Daulton having advanced past Ryan Buck in a double hill, 13-6 win, and Evan Lunda 13-2. Archer picked up Shawn Putnam, who'd defeated Sam Monday 13-9 and Tony Morrison 13-5. Setting up something of a marquee quarterfinal, Archer and Daulton defeated Putnam and Nevel by identical 13-11 scores to meet each other. Archer then got by Daulton by that same score before running into Olinger for the second time.
With the handicap advantage, Olinger got a second chance versus White, with a 9-9 victory over Archer in the semifinals. White, giving Olinger two games on the wire, opened the true double elimination finals by taking a commanding 6-1 lead, before Olinger responded with two in a row. White took the next one, though, to re-establish a four-game lead, and then, a game later, did it again to be up 8-4. White took the 13th game to get out in front by five again, but came up dry on the break, allowing to Olinger to take Game 14. White three-fouled Olinger in the next rack to reach the hill, and then, somewhat surprisingly conceded the 16th game with the 8 and 9 still on the table. Olinger got snookered early in the 17th rack, shooting at the 1-ball, and not only hit it, but sunk the 9-ball in the process to narrow the lead down to three. White scratched on the next break, and Olinger took advantage to knot the contest at a handicapped, 10-8 double hill. Olinger came up dry on the subsequent break, and White ended it at 11-8.
In the One-Pocket event, the final four standing on the winners' side were Putnam, taking on Sparky Ferrell, and Daulton versus Varner. Putnam, with a 3-0 win over Ferrell, and Varner with a 3-1 victory over Daulton, faced each other in the hot seat match. Putnam prevailed in a double hill match that sent Varner over for a second matchup versus Daulton in the semifinals.
Before he got to those semifinals, though, Daulton had to first face Nevel, who'd defeated Sidney Champion and Adam Towery, both 3-0, to reach him. Ferrell picked up Brian White, who'd defeated J.R. Poste 3-0 and Carey Dunn 3-1. Daulton and Ferrell got into the quarterfinals with 3-1 victories over Nevel and White, respectively. Daulton then downed Ferrell 3-1 for a second chance versus Varner. He took full advantage, defeating Varner 3-1 and turning to face Putnam. Daulton won the opening set of the true double elimination final 3-1, and shooting very quickly, took the second set 3-0 to win his own One-Pocket event.
9-Ball
1st Brian White $2,500
2nd Alex Olinger $1,500
3rd Johnny Archer $1,000
4th Shannon Daulton $600
5th Larry Nevel $400
Shawn Putnam
7th Evan Lunda $250
Tony Morrison
9th T.J. Moore $150
Ryan Buck
B.J. Huff
Sam Monday
One-Pocket
1st Shannon Daulton $600
2nd Shawn Putnam $350
3rd Nick Varner $170
4th Sparky Ferrell
5th Larry Nevel
Brian White
7th Adam Towery
Carey Dunn
9th Sidney Champion
J.R. Poste
Ed Herman
