Langston Undefeated in Tampa

KBP 9-Ball Tour / Tampa, FL
by Rick Davis
The April 29 stop of the KBP Lucasi Amateur 9-Ball Tour pulled into Planet 9-Ball in Tampa, FL, where a solid field of 28 players turned out to be sacrificed to Jesse Langston, who went undefeated throughout the event.
After not giving up more than four racks in any of his first four matches, Langston met Alan Morgan in the hot seat match. Morgan had a much rougher road, giving up less than five racks only once. Fighting to advance to the finals, both players fought tooth and nail until, at double-hill, Langston surged forward.
On the one-loss side tour regular Nomar Paula kept ahead of the carnage until John Tatum steamrolled him 5-1. Nearby, Jake Cox eliminated Luther Blades 5-3 to face Tatum in the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals Tatum was untouchable, knocking out Cox 5-2, then improving on his game in the semifinals. Tatum sent Morgan home after a 5-1 thrashing.
The finals offered an extended race to 9, and both players were shooting straight, making it an interesting match. After tipping back and forth Langston shifted up a gear and took a pair of racks to give him the 9-7 win and claim the event undefeated.
Results:
1st Jesse Langston
2nd John Tatum
3rd Alan Morgan
4th Jake Cox
5th Luther Blades
Nomar Paula