Lone Star Billiards Tour / Houston, TX
by InsidePOOL Staff
A whopping 90-player field headed out to the Lone Star Tour’s Bogies Houston Classic IV the weekend of August 15-16. The $2,100-added event was packed with talent, including Louisiana’s own Gary Abood and Derrick Fontenot; Mississippi’s Jerry Slivka; and Texas favorites Sylver Ochoa, Charlie Bryant, and Billy Sharp. However, it was another Texan, Zaid Thweib, who ultimately walked away with the lion’s share of the prize money for his first-place finish.
Saturday’s play produced few upsets on the winners’ side; however, Slivka’s impressive 9-2 win over Bryant earned him a spot in the final eight on the winners’ side. Sunday’s winners’ side final four included Mike Alonzo versus Strickland and Thweib versus Slivka that ended up a Strickland-Thweib shoot-out for the hot seat. After a few key misses, Thweib quickly capitalized over Strickland 9-5.
On the one-loss side Tony Scott fell prey to Bryant, while Sharp fell to Ochoa after Ochoa also suffered a loss to the seemingly unstoppable Slivka. Slivka met up with Bryant on the one-loss side and was laid to rest 7-3, and Ochoa also put away Mike Alonzo, who suffered a loss to Strickland on the winners’ side final eight.
The Ochoa-Bryant shoot-out for third went all Bryant’s way 7-1, as well as with rival player Strickland, who also fell prey 7-3 to “Hillbilly.” Bryant then moved on to play Thweib in the true double-elimination final match.
In the $300-added women’s event, Jillian Martinez came through the one-loss side to defeat Cristina De La Garza 7-4, 7-6 in the final match.
The first set was a race to 9. Though Thweid jumped to a 3-0 lead, Bryant brought it to 3-2. After a rack-running exchange, Bryant earned a two-game lead 8-6 and broke and ran the next rack to win 9-6. The second set began as the first did, with Thweid jumping to a 3-0 lead and Bryant returning the favor to tie it at 3-all. They exchanged the next four racks, but then Thweid was able to close the match out 7-5 and break Bryant’s three-tournament winning streak.
In the $300-added women’s event, Jillian Martinez came through the one-loss side to defeat Cristina De La Garza 7-4, 7-6 in the final match. Also, Charlie Brown won the Poison AR4 Cue and Brandon Turner, former junior player, won the Predator Air Jump Cue.
A whopping 90-player field headed out to the Lone Star Tour’s Bogies Houston Classic IV the weekend of August 15-16.
Open Results:
1st Zaid Thweib $1,100
2nd Charlie Bryant $700
3rd Dennis Stricklanc $500
4th Sylver Ochoa $350
5th Jerry Slivka $250
Mike Alonso
7th Tony Scott $115
Billy Sharp
9th Derek Fontenot $50
Larry Herrin
Hunter Blackwell
Rene Rendon
13th Henry Rocha $30
Gary Abood
Nick Hood
Josh Hughes
Ladies’ Results:
1st Jillian Martinez $200
2nd Cristina De La Garza $150
3rd Rick Casper $100
4th Terry Petresino $50
5th Robyn Petresino $20
Angela Martinez