All-Star Field Attends the Florida Pro Tour
by Rick Davis
The second billiard stop of the Seminole Florida Pro Tour’s 2007 season got underway April 28 at Stroker’s in Palm Harbor, FL, where a full field of 64 players entered the event, many of whom include past champions and top touring pros.
Early action on the winners’ side saw 2006 player of the year, Will Bilbrey, defeat the current Florida Pro Tour Championship champion, Robb Saez, 7-5. Other upsets included Danny Harriman’s 7-5 win over Gabe “The Babe” Owen and tour regular Jason Richko’s defeat of Howard Vickery by the same score. Perhaps the most unexpected event so far has been the elimination of road player Chris Bartram, who was defeated by James Roberts 7-4 and then eliminated by Sam Monday 7-5.
Sunday’s action will bring back the top 16 players, and as of the early evening, the winners’ side matches have been determined. Multiple-event winner Dennis Hatch will face Tony “T-Rex” Chohan, while tour regular Dave Grossman faces Bilbrey. The other two parings will show the winner of the season’s first event, Corey Deuel, against Harriman, while “Marvelous Marlon” Manalo clashes with Nathan Rose.
On the one-loss side, it’s every man for himself as players try to stretch to the next day of play. Raul Alvarez and Dave Broxson flew through their evening matches, assuring their spots Sunday as they look forward to playing Hunter Lombardo and Tommy Kennedy, respectively. Many tough matches remain up in the air such as Monday versus Owen, Shaun Wilkie versus Tony Crosby, and Butch Croft versus Saez. That’s not the end of the action, however, as plenty of notable players still remain in contention such as Donnie Mills, Adam Wheeler, and Richard Broumpton.
While all of Saturday’s matches were races to 7, Sunday will bring races to 8 with a single race to 9 in the finals. The event boasts an $8,000-added prize fund that makes the top finish worth $3,500.
Stay tuned to Inside POOL Magazine for the latest updates and info on the scorching hot Florida Pro Tour.
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