1st Round Bracket Picks [Archive]

Celtic

11-01-2005, 01:56 PM

Group 1:
Karen Corr
Jose Parica
Kim Davenport
Nick Van den Berg
Grady Matthews
Johnny Archer

Group 2:
Allison Fisher
Francisco Bustamante
Raj Hundal
Allen Hopkins
Neils Fiejen
Ronnie O'Sullivan

Group 3:
Gerda Hofstatter
Corey Deuel
Earl Strickland
Mika Immonen
John Schmidt
Bill Incardona

Group 4:
Helena Thorfeldt
Marlon Manalo
Jeremy Jones
Tony Robles
Rodney Morris
Thorsten Hohmann

Group 5:
Shawn Putnam
Charlie Williams
Keith McCready
Ralf Souquet
Gabe Owen
George San Souci

So who do you all like being the top 3 from each group?

I might as well throw my picks out to start. *Through* means I figure they progress to the next round.

Group 1:
Karen Corr
Jose Parica
Kim Davenport *Through*
Nick Van den Berg *Through*
Grady Matthews
Johnny Archer *Through*

Group 2:
Allison Fisher
Francisco Bustamante *Through*
Raj Hundal
Allen Hopkins *Through*
Neils Fiejen *Through*
Ronnie O'Sullivan

Group 3:
Gerda Hofstatter
Corey Deuel *Through*
Earl Strickland
Mika Immonen *Through*
John Schmidt *Through*
Bill Incardona

Group 4:
Helena Thorfeldt
Marlon Manalo *Through*
Jeremy Jones *Through*
Tony Robles
Rodney Morris
Thorsten Hohmann *Through*

Group 5:
Shawn Putnam *Through*
Charlie Williams
Keith McCready
Ralf Souquet *Through*
Gabe Owen *Through*
George San Souci

Mike B.

11-01-2005, 04:54 PM

My picks were nearly identical except that I picked Jose instead of Davenport and I don't think I would pick Hopkins, but I am not sure who I would pick in his place.

8-ball bernie

11-01-2005, 06:03 PM

sjm

11-01-2005, 06:18 PM

barrett9ball

11-01-2005, 07:02 PM

So who do you all like being the top 3 from each group?

I might as well throw my picks out to start. *Through* means I figure they progress to the next round.

Group 1:
Karen Corr
Jose Parica
Kim Davenport *Through*
Nick Van den Berg *Through*
Grady Matthews
Johnny Archer *Through*

Group 2:
Allison Fisher
Francisco Bustamante *Through*
Raj Hundal
Allen Hopkins *Through*
Neils Fiejen *Through*
Ronnie O'Sullivan

Group 3:
Gerda Hofstatter
Corey Deuel *Through*
Earl Strickland
Mika Immonen *Through*
John Schmidt *Through*
Bill Incardona

Group 4:
Helena Thorfeldt
Marlon Manalo *Through*
Jeremy Jones *Through*
Tony Robles
Rodney Morris
Thorsten Hohmann *Through*

Group 5:
Shawn Putnam *Through*
Charlie Williams
Keith McCready
Ralf Souquet *Through*
Gabe Owen *Through*
George San Souci

Group #1 Corr, Parica & Archer
Group #2 Fiejen, Bustamante & Hundal
Group #3 Deuel, Immonen & Schmidt
Group #4 Manola, Hohmann & Robles
Group #5 Putnam, Souquet & McCready

Nostroke

11-01-2005, 07:10 PM

Group 1:
Karen Corr
Jose Parica
Johnny Archer

Group 2:
Allison Fisher
Francisco Bustamante
Ronnie O'Sullivan

Group 3:
Corey Deuel
Earl Strickland
Mika Immonen

Group 4:
Marlon Manalo
Rodney Morris
Thorsten Hohmann

Group 5:
Charlie Williams
Ralf Souquet
Gabe Owen

jjinfla

11-01-2005, 07:50 PM

1) Corr - parica - Archer
2) Fisher -Bustamante - Fiejen
3) Deuel - Strickland - Immonen
4) Jones - Robles - Hohmann
5) Williams - Souquet - Owen

I take it Efren is not going to participate.

Celtic

11-01-2005, 10:57 PM

I take it Efren is not going to participate.

Efren is in the Hall of Fame so he gets a bye past this opening round.

pooladdict

11-02-2005, 01:54 AM

Group 1:
Jose Parica
Nick Van den Berg
Johnny Archer

Group 2:
Francisco Bustamante
Neils Fiejen
Ronnie O'Sullivan

Group 3:
Corey Deuel
Earl Strickland
Mika Immonen

Group 4 - this group is tough!(as if the others are not...):
Marlon Manalo
Rodney Morris
Thorsten Hohmann

Group 5:
Shawn Putnam
Ralf Souquet
Gabe Owen

SlimShafty

11-02-2005, 06:11 AM

Group 1:
Jose Parica
Kim Davenport
Johnny Archer

Group 2:
Allison Fisher if Ronnie doesnt play
Francisco Bustamante
Allen Hopkins
Ronnie O'Sullivan

Group 3:
Corey Deuel
Earl Strickland
Mika Immonen

Group 4:
Marlon Manalo
Rodney Morris
Thorsten Hohmann

Group 5:
Charlie Williams
Keith McCready
Ralf Souquet

jjinfla

11-02-2005, 06:27 AM

Efren is in the Hall of Fame so he gets a bye past this opening round.

Geez, that's twice I made that mistake. Now you know why I don't gamble, I can't keep track of all the variables.

Of course picking Allison is not gambling, that's a sure bet.

jsp

11-02-2005, 06:30 AM

In my view, the three that get through in each group are:

Group 1: Corr VanDenBerg Archer

Group 2: Fisher Bustmante Feijen

Group 3 Deuel Strickland Immonen

Group 4: Jones Robles Hohmann

Group 5: Putnam Williams Souquet
I'm always surprised when someone does not pick Manalo to advance past Group 4. I just take it that the person is ignorant of Manalo, since he is still a relative newbie in the pool world (regardless of the fact he made it to the top 8 [i think] the last two world 9ball championships and placed runner up in last year's world 8ball championships). But I would have never expected you SJM not to pick him. You're more knowledgable here than any of us. Impart on us some of your wisdom and please explain why don't think he'd get passed Jeremy Jones and Tony Robles (okay, i can understand why you think he won't get passed hohmann, but the other two?). Thanks.

Cornerman

11-02-2005, 08:02 AM

I'm always surprised when someone does not pick Manalo to advance past Group 4.

It's simply a tough group.

Fred <~~~ still picks Manalo to win

sniper

11-02-2005, 11:00 AM

Group 1: Parica, Nick VD Berg, Archer

Group 2: Bustamante, Feijen, Hundal

Group 3: Deuel, Immonen, Strickland

Group 4: Manalo, Morris, Hohmann

Group 5: Souquet, Putnam, Williams

I picked Hundal to make it out of group 2 but with Ronnie not playing and not knowing who his replacement is the look of this group could change considerably.

Snapshot9

11-02-2005, 12:15 PM

SlimShafty

11-02-2005, 12:31 PM

What is it with all you Charlie Williams lovers
in Group 5. Am I not aware of his accomplishments
lately or what? I just don't see how you can pick
him in lieu of Gabe, who is having a good year this
year. Of course, I have seen Gabe play in person
since he was a teenager, all games, and I probably
have a better idea of his 8 ball playing skills than
others do.

I guess it says something about Charlie as person and a player, I just find it hard to not pick him. I think he can win, but most importantly I want him to win.

Snapshot9

11-02-2005, 01:10 PM

Who you want to win is not always a good bet.
You see, I would be willing to put my money where
my mouth is, that Gabe will make it before Charlie does.

sodapopd

11-02-2005, 01:22 PM

Group 1:
Parica, Archer, Matthews

Group 2:
Bustamante, Allison Fisher, Neils Fiejen

Group 3:
Corey Deuel, Earl Strickland, John Schmidt

Group 4:
Rodney Morris, Marlon Manalo, Thorsten Hohmann

Group 5:
Gabe Owen, Keith McCready, Ralf Souquet

thecardman

11-04-2005, 08:54 AM

Would you guys stop picking Ronnie O'Sullivan for qualifying from Group 2. He has admitted himself that his 8 Ball game is awful at the moment and that he fully expects to have a few lessons dished out to him in his first IPT event.

My personal opinion is that Raj Hundal will qualify from group 2 quite easily. Here are my thoughts.

Group 1:
Jose Parica
Nick Van den Berg (may cause a few shocks to the American players and fans!)
Johnny Archer

Group 2:
Francisco Bustamante
Raj Hundal
Neils Fiejen

Group 3 (the first "Group of Death"):
Corey Deuel
Earl Strickland - purely depends on (for lack of a better phrase) "which Earl" turns up
Mika Immonen

Group 4 (the other "Group of Death"):
Marlon Manalo
Rodney Morris
Thorsten Hohmann

Group 5:
Keith McCready - as with Strickland, depends "which Keith" turns up (wish I could think of a better phrase!)
Ralf Souquet
Gabe Owen

Just my thoughts, and I am fully willing to be proved wrong when the action starts at the end of the month.

beetle

11-04-2005, 09:58 PM

These are my exact picks too, with one exception: substitute Putnam for Owen.

My personal opinion is that Raj Hundal will qualify from group 2 quite easily. Here are my thoughts.

Group 1:
Jose Parica
Nick Van den Berg (may cause a few shocks to the American players and fans!)
Johnny Archer

Group 2:
Francisco Bustamante
Raj Hundal
Neils Fiejen

Group 3 (the first "Group of Death"):
Corey Deuel
Earl Strickland - purely depends on (for lack of a better phrase) "which Earl" turns up
Mika Immonen

Group 4 (the other "Group of Death"):
Marlon Manalo
Rodney Morris
Thorsten Hohmann

Group 5:
Keith McCready - as with Strickland, depends "which Keith" turns up (wish I could think of a better phrase!)
Ralf Souquet
Gabe Owen

Just my thoughts, and I am fully willing to be proved wrong when the action starts at the end of the month.

sjm

11-04-2005, 10:28 PM

I'm always surprised when someone does not pick Manalo to advance past Group 4. I just take it that the person is ignorant of Manalo, since he is still a relative newbie in the pool world (regardless of the fact he made it to the top 8 [i think] the last two world 9ball championships and placed runner up in last year's world 8ball championships). But I would have never expected you SJM not to pick him. You're more knowledgable here than any of us. Impart on us some of your wisdom and please explain why don't think he'd get passed Jeremy Jones and Tony Robles (okay, i can understand why you think he won't get passed hohmann, but the other two?). Thanks.

Sorry I didn't reply sooner. This group is supertough to pick. My very high opinion of Hohmann is well known among the AZB regulars, but I must agree that choosing among Manalo, Jones and Robles was no easy task.

My second chocie was Robles. Count me among those who see a close relationship between straight pool and eight ball, both requiring self designed patterns and careful planning for the last couple of balls of any runout. The case for Robles, in my opinion, is his incredible pedigree in straight pool. He and John Schmidt, I believe, are America's two greatest straight poolers. In addition, Tony is very experienced playing eight ball and knows the moves.

Choosing between Manalo and Jones was, more or less, a coin toss. Jeremy has the pedigree and has shown great abilities as a all-around player who plays all the games well. He has played well under pressure, finding his top form in the (2003?) US Open final and played well to close out the Mosconi Cup in 2003 with only one match remaining. More recently, Jeremy knocked out both Kawabata and Owen in the knockout stages of the 2005 WPC. Manalo is certainly a great player, too, but Jeremy seems to have the perfect blend of power and finesse to succeed on the IPT. If Manalo plays at his top form, he seems certain to get through, but I'll stick with my original picks.

Finally, I'm no more qualified to make predictions here than anyone else. We're all just taking a stab at what will happen.

CebuanoNiNoy

11-04-2005, 10:46 PM

For fun, this is my pick.

Group 1:

Jose Parica
Johnny Archer
Kim Davenport OR Nick Van den Berg (1st & 2nd pick respectively)

Group 2:

Francisco Bustamante
Allen Hopkins
Neils Fiejen

Group 3:

Mika Immonen
John Schmidt
Corey Deuel OR Earl Strickland (1st & 2nd pick respectively)

Group 4: (This is a toughie!)

Marlon Manalo
Thorsten Hohmann
Rodney Morris OR Jeremy Jones (1st & 2nd pick respectively)

Group 5: (So is this one.)

Gabe Owen
Shawn Putnam
Keith McCready OR Ralf Souquet (1st & 2nd pick respectively)

I do not claim to be an expert on this one.
This is just for fun and see how i fare later on ;)

lewdo26

11-04-2005, 10:54 PM

So who do you all like being the top 3 from each group?

I might as well throw my picks out to start. *Through* means I figure they progress to the next round.

Group 1:
Karen Corr
Jose Parica
Kim Davenport *Through*
Nick Van den Berg *Through*
Grady Matthews
Johnny Archer *Through*

Group 2:
Allison Fisher
Francisco Bustamante *Through*
Raj Hundal
Allen Hopkins *Through*
Neils Fiejen *Through*
Ronnie O'Sullivan

Group 3:
Gerda Hofstatter
Corey Deuel *Through*
Earl Strickland
Mika Immonen *Through*
John Schmidt *Through*
Bill Incardona

Group 4:
Helena Thorfeldt
Marlon Manalo *Through*
Jeremy Jones *Through*
Tony Robles
Rodney Morris
Thorsten Hohmann *Through*

Group 5:
Shawn Putnam *Through*
Charlie Williams
Keith McCready
Ralf Souquet *Through*
Gabe Owen *Through*
George San Souci
My picks are virtually the same as Celtic's, *except* I'm as confident as confident can be that Parica will make it through (in lieu of Kim Davenport). Kind of tough to leave Tony out since I know he's always had his 8 ball down pat, but he's in the toughest group with the possible exception of group 3.

SPetty

11-05-2005, 06:49 AM

Would you guys stop picking Ronnie O'Sullivan for qualifying from Group 2. He has admitted himself that his 8 Ball game is awful at the moment and that he fully expects to have a few lessons dished out to him in his first IPT event.Well that, and word is that he's not even playing in this tournament. I emailed Deno days ago about who's replacing him, but have received no answer. Maybe rackmsuckr would have better results with asking him since he seems responsive to her?

Cornerman

11-05-2005, 07:19 AM

My personal opinion is that Raj Hundal will qualify

Nick Van den Berg (may cause a few shocks to the American players and fans!)
.

I'm with you on these two. I was very impressed with both Van den Berg (whom I think I've seen play before), and extremely impressed with Hundal (whom I've never seen play before).

Fred

The Baby's Arm

11-05-2005, 07:34 AM

For all of you people picking Allison and Karen, they have absolutely NO Chance. How in the world can you pick them when they can get a spot from any man on tour and most of the guys just below the tour? Bruce or Stevie could give them the 8 and shove it in 9 ball, and its probably more skewed in 8 ball.

jjinfla

11-05-2005, 08:35 AM

lewdo26

11-05-2005, 08:40 AM

My personal opinion is that Raj Hundal will qualify from group 2 quite easily.He looks to me like one of these 9 ball young sharp-shooters... too much english, too fast, not enought thought. Makes positional mistakes that most your shortstops won't make. I'd be really surprised to see him do well in 8 ball in this field unless the tables are breaking very easy. NOT my kind of player.

sjm

11-05-2005, 09:18 AM

He looks to me like one of these 9 ball young sharp-shooters... too much english, too fast, not enought thought. Makes positional mistakes that most your shortstops won't make. I'd be really surprised to see him do well in 8 ball in this field unless the tables are breaking very easy. NOT my kind of player.

Same here. Hundal is an explosive player and a great pocketer, so he's always got a shot. I went to the World Summit and watched Hundal play quite a bit. He'd recently won the World Pool Masters (a sixteen player invitational with a strong field) and I really expected to be impressed when I watched him.

Neither his decision making nor his execution impressed me in the World Summit. I'll admit it's possible I caught him when he was a little off, but based on what I saw, he's got a long way to go if he ever wants to be counted among the game's most elite. Seems like a quality guy, just the type you'd like to see succeed, and I wish him every possible success.

rackmsuckr

11-05-2005, 02:03 PM

Well that, and word is that he's not even playing in this tournament. I emailed Deno days ago about who's replacing him, but have received no answer. Maybe rackmsuckr would have better results with asking him since he seems responsive to her?

Don't count on it. I keep bugging him and the response is always going to be, wait for the email or website info. Sorry, I have absolutely no pull. lol. However, for those that don't get the emails, I will try to catch pertinent info and post as soon as I can.

12squared

11-05-2005, 03:26 PM

Until recently I never heard of him. He won a tournament recently and now all of a sudden he is the greatest. But Hohman, Morris and Jones have won many tournaments and are all seasoned players. But at the level that they all play it will just come down to whomever is playing their best on that day.

Hi jjinfla,

Just to let you know, Manalo is not a "new' player...only in the USA.

First, he won a gold medal in a world snooker tournament, which Buddy Hall happened to represent the USA in the 9-ball event that year, so I guess he can play. I only mention this because of the high regard this board has for the talents and "potting" ability of the top snooker players.

Second, I also witnessed him win the 1st 9-ball tourney he entered in the USA (Reno) this past summer undefeated (during which he beat Tony Chohan playing for a few sheckles giving a spot); he then went on to Sacramento and won the 9-ball event there (2nd USA tournament he entered) and to top it off, he also won the 10-ball ring game in Sacramento. That's a pretty good trifecta if you ask me. This in addition to all the world tournaments he's done well in that were listed previously. NOTE: In fairness, some world tournament was going on the same time as Reno so the very top players weren't in attandance, but there were plenty of champions: Gabe, Kid D, Parica, etc.

I'm not saying he's the greatest, but he has a darn good chance of finishing high in the end, not just his bracket. He has proven to play ALL games at a very high level. The man can flat out play.

Just my opinion, Dave

PoolBum

11-05-2005, 04:31 PM

Ok, I'll take a shot--here are my picks:

Group 1:
Corr
Parica
Archer

Group 2:
Fisher
Bustamante
Fiejen

Group 3:
Deuel
Strickland
Immonen

Group 4: (The toughest group IMO)
Manalo
Jones
Hohmann

Group 5:
Williams
Souquet
Owen

JAM

11-05-2005, 04:35 PM

Just to let you know, Manalo is not a "new' player...only in the USA....

I got a chance to chat with Marlon Manalo at the Skins Billiards Championship. Marlon owns a pool room in the Philippines. He's only 29 years old and has the maturity of a seasoned player. He told me that he started playing pool "seriously" in 2003, though he has been shooting pool for his entire life, and he's single. I found him to be friendly and very polite. :)

JAM

TheOne

11-05-2005, 04:43 PM

Hi jjinfla,

Just to let you know, Manalo is not a "new' player...only in the USA.

First, he won a gold medal in a world snooker tournament, which Buddy Hall happened to represent the USA in the 9-ball event that year, so I guess he can play. I only mention this because of the high regard this board has for the talents and "potting" ability of the top snooker players.

Second, I also witnessed him win the 1st 9-ball tourney he entered in the USA (Reno) this past summer undefeated (during which he beat Tony Chohan playing for a few sheckles giving a spot); he then went on to Sacramento and won the 9-ball event there (2nd USA tournament he entered) and to top it off, he also won the 10-ball ring game in Sacramento. That's a pretty good trifecta if you ask me. This in addition to all the world tournaments he's done well in that were listed previously. NOTE: In fairness, some world tournament was going on the same time as Reno so the very top players weren't in attandance, but there were plenty of champions: Gabe, Kid D, Parica, etc.

I'm not saying he's the greatest, but he has a darn good chance of finishing high in the end, not just his bracket. He has proven to play ALL games at a very high level. The man can flat out play.

Just my opinion, Dave

Tap Tap :)

Celtic

11-05-2005, 05:27 PM

Just to let you know, Manalo is not a "new' player...only in the USA.

If a person started playing pool seriously only in 2003 as JAM says Marlon himself told her that would qualify him as a fairly "new" player IMHO.

12squared

11-06-2005, 10:20 PM

If a person started playing pool seriously only in 2003 as JAM says Marlon himself told her that would qualify him as a fairly "new" player IMHO.

This may be true, but I believe he may have meant that he got serious about pool vs. snooker in 2003. It was Buddy hall who told me of Manalo's world snooker gold medal...not sure what year. But if you look up when Buddy represented the USA in 9-ball, it would be that same year. (Note: I'm not great friends w/Buddy but I did sped some time with him in Reno-I don't want you to get the wrong idea & I'm typically not a name dropper but I wanted you to know the source).

After watching him play, I guarantee no one would consider him a new player. He has it all: makes everything; great position play; kicks like a mule; and very smart with his safety choices; all with great speed...and he'll bet it up.

Just wanted to clarify what I saw in person for 2 weeks.

Dave

sjm

11-07-2005, 05:55 AM

Colin Colenso

11-07-2005, 08:02 AM

If a person started playing pool seriously only in 2003 as JAM says Marlon himself told her that would qualify him as a fairly "new" player IMHO.
One man's not-serious is another's dedicated.

As a snooker pro, it's possible Marlon has been putting in 6 hours a day most days for 10 years or more. He may well have been bashing balls around on a pool table 5+ hours a week for 15 years as well.

So we might presume he has been near pro-level as a pool player for many years, but just decided to start doing the travelling, to commit to the sport professionally.

I'm speculating, but this wouldn't suprise me. He does appear to have burst on the scene, but I suspect his pool has been close to top pro player levels for years. He may have spent more hours on pool tables than some long time pros over the last 8 years.

I remember being told that some US pro players only practice a couple of times a week and for just 2 or 3 hours at a time.

Ralf Souquet told me he doesn't practice much. Too busy travelling and gets enough competition to keep sharp.

Just some random thoughts :D

rackmsuckr

11-07-2005, 08:32 AM

One man's not-serious is another's dedicated.

As a snooker pro, it's possible Marlon has been putting in 6 hours a day most days for 10 years or more. He may well have been bashing balls around on a pool table 5+ hours a week for 15 years as well.

So we might presume he has been near pro-level as a pool player for many years, but just decided to start doing the travelling, to commit to the sport professionally.

I'm speculating, but this wouldn't suprise me. He does appear to have burst on the scene, but I suspect his pool has been close to top pro player levels for years. He may have spent more hours on pool tables than some long time pros over the last 8 years.

I remember being told that some US pro players only practice a couple of times a week and for just 2 or 3 hours at a time.

Ralf Souquet told me he doesn't practice much. Too busy travelling and gets enough competition to keep sharp.

Just some random thoughts :D

I've been told there are at least 10 more Philippinos who can beat Santos, but they can't get out of their country!

Cornerman

11-07-2005, 09:08 AM

Sorry I didn't reply sooner. This group is supertough to pick. My very high opinion of Hohmann is well known among the AZB regulars, but I must agree that choosing among Manalo, Jones and Robles was no easy task.

My second chocie was Robles. Count me among those who see a close relationship between straight pool and eight ball, both requiring self designed patterns and careful planning for the last couple of balls of any runout.

Choosing between Manalo and Jones was, more or less, a coin toss. Jeremy

Just as an FYI, in case you didn't know since you didn't mention it, Manalo won the most recent professional 14.1 tournament in New Jersey just a couple of months ago.

Fred

jsp

11-07-2005, 09:51 AM

Who cares about experience? Marlon has already shown he's got the juice. A 5th place finish at this year's BCA Open and a 3rd place finish at this year's WPC confirm that he's got the pedigree to go very deep in events having very tough fields.
SJM, I can see you're warming up quite a bit to Manalo. ;)

If you want to see a tough field, take a look at last year's World 8 Ball Championships in Fujairah and see who Manalo had to beat to reach Reyes in the finals. (I couldn't find the original and official brackets, but this page (http://www.pro9.co.uk/html/print.php?sid=307) will suffice.) Remember, this tournament was 8 BALL.

On a sidenote, this year's tournament is scheduled to start this week. Couple things to watch out for. Let's see if Reyes has fully recovered from his eye surgery and repeat his title. Let's see if Django can let loose on an 8ball break with his crummy elbow, and if he finally capture a world title. Let's see if Pagulayan can add this title to his extraordinary list of tournaments won. Let's see if the pinoys can prove to the world they are still champions of 8 ball (Haha, can you tell which country i'm rooting for? Too bad none of the American stars can make it.). It would also be a nice preview for the upcoming IPT tour.

sjm

11-07-2005, 07:37 PM

Just as an FYI, in case you didn't know since you didn't mention it, Manalo won the most recent professional 14.1 tournament in New Jersey just a couple of months ago.

Fred

Must admit, Fred, I'd already forgotten. That certainly bodes well for Manalo. Thanks for the polite reminder. For anyone planning to attend, you could do worse than watching Group 4, with Manalo, Morris, Robles, Hohmann, Jones, and Thornfeldt. Some great players will fail first to make it out of the first round robin!

deadstroke32

11-07-2005, 07:41 PM

here's my picks for the tournament places
1st. place-marlon manalo
2nd.place-mike sigel
3rd.place-allison fisher
4th place-thorston hoemann
5th. place-efren reyes
6th. place-ralf souquet
7th. place-tony robles
please keep this, for you will be amazed when the tournament is finished, how close i was.

Mike over hoemann never ..Fisher on hoemann god plz.and last but not lease,fisher over Reyas ..Dreaming ..
plz check your list picks ..WRONG >>>

Renegade

11-08-2005, 01:12 AM

SJM, I can see you're warming up quite a bit to Manalo. ;)

If you want to see a tough field, take a look at last year's World 8 Ball Championships in Fujairah and see who Manalo had to beat to reach Reyes in the finals. (I couldn't find the original and official brackets, but this page (http://www.pro9.co.uk/html/print.php?sid=307) will suffice.) Remember, this tournament was 8 BALL.

On a sidenote, this year's tournament is scheduled to start this week. Couple things to watch out for. Let's see if Reyes has fully recovered from his eye surgery and repeat his title. Let's see if Django can let loose on an 8ball break with his crummy elbow, and if he finally capture a world title. Let's see if Pagulayan can add this title to his extraordinary list of tournaments won. Let's see if the pinoys can prove to the world they are still champions of 8 ball (Haha, can you tell which country i'm rooting for? Too bad none of the American stars can make it.). It would also be a nice preview for the upcoming IPT tour.

Nice article, jsp. Strong showing by the Philippines. Was just wondering, though -- would the results have been different had the USA sent players?

jsp

11-08-2005, 06:30 AM

Nice article, jsp. Strong showing by the Philippines. Was just wondering, though -- would the results have been different had the USA sent players? Good question. I honestly don't know who is strong in 8 ball among the Americans, since there's been a scarcity of 8ball tournaments here lately. I guess we can find out when the IPT tour starts. My gut feeling is that Corey Deuel will lead the way for the Americans. He's a very creative player, a trait that definitely helps in 8 ball. But like I mentioned in a previous thread, I don't think the other Americans will make a significant impact (break the top 10 consistently) in 8 ball. Just a gut feeling...hopefully I'll be proven wrong. :)

jsp

11-08-2005, 06:33 AM

I don't think the other Americans will make a significant impact...
I forgot about Sigel. He'll definitely be breaking the top 10 at a consistent basis.

RED NAXELA

11-08-2005, 04:01 PM

Quote from Renegade: "Would the results have been different had the USA sent players?"
They would have. Strickland would have placed fifth, instead of Chamat.

sjm

11-29-2005, 06:07 PM

bump, bump, bump ............ on behalf of those from whom we haven't yet heard

ironman

11-29-2005, 08:27 PM

What is it with all you Charlie Williams lovers
in Group 5. Am I not aware of his accomplishments
lately or what? I just don't see how you can pick
him in lieu of Gabe, who is having a good year this
year. Of course, I have seen Gabe play in person
since he was a teenager, all games, and I probably
have a better idea of his 8 ball playing skills than
others do.

Snapshot9, is she putting that sweater on or taking it off? I just gotta know?

jsp

12-01-2005, 07:41 AM

bump bump bump...to let us know what other we predicted. ;)

Celtic

12-01-2005, 11:36 AM

Welp, I missed some picks.

Round 1: 2/3 (Davenport missed)
Round 2: 2/3 (Hopkins really missed)
Round 3: 3/3 (All 3 I picked made it)
Round 4: 2/3 (Jones missed it)
Round 5: 2/3 (Souquet missed it)

All in all I picked 11 of the total 15 players to advance.

How did others perform? Anyone get close to all 15?

bandido

12-01-2005, 05:15 PM

I've been told there are at lease 10 more Philippinos who can beat Santos, but they can't get out of their country!
Check out the Philippines' line-up in the on-going SEA Games and you'll see the majority of the 10 that can. # of which could have shown up at the recent US open had it not been for the extremely tight US Visa regs.

Marlon started travelling to play pool, use to jst travel for snooker, in 2003. He was already considered in the top 20 in the Philippines before then.