Stone Storms Through Billiard Field Undefeated

Stone Storms Through Billiard Field Undefeated
Viking Cue Open 9-Ball Tour/Fairfield, OH
by Skip Maloney
In a stop on the Viking Cue Open 9-Ball Tour that almost didn’t happen, Ryan Stone worked his way undefeated through a field of 27 billiard entrants to face Shannon Murphy in the finals. Thanks to Viking Cues, which provided a majority of the funding that allowed the event to go on, and a deal struck by the venue with its’ lease holders, the $1,500-added event was held the May 17-18 weekend at Michael’s Billiards in Fairfield, OH.
Early Sunday, Stone was among four players still left on the winners’ side of the bracket. He faced Jamie McWhorter, as Mike Cantrell squared off against Joe Brown. After two hard-fought matches in which Stone defeated McWhorter 9-6 and Cantrell knocked off Brown 9-7, Stone and Cantrell advanced to the hot seat match. Stone wasted no time sending Cantrell west with a commanding 9-2 victory.
Shannon Murphy and Shawn Putnam dropped Justin Daniels and Lykins into the seventh-place slot and turned to face Jamie McWhorter and Joe Brown, just over from the winners’ side. Murphy and Putnam continued their advance, moving into the quarterfinal match, won by Murphy 9-4.
Murphy duplicated that score in the semifinal match against Cantrell before moving into the true double-elimination finals against Stone. Stone defeated Murphy in the first set 9-6, capturing the first-place prize.
Results:
1st Ryan Stone
2nd Shannon Murphy
3rd Mike Cantrell
4th Shawn Putnam
5th Joe Brown
Jamie McWhorter
7th Shayne Lykins
Justin Daniels
9th Mike Grooms
Mike Franklin
Mike Janis
Shane Jackson