Jaden said:

Look at the number of majors played. He skipped both the Euro open and the UK open. He could've won either or both and was pretty assured to finish high. The red next to most of the Americans tells THAT tale...

Click to expand...

sjm said:

SVB, Styer and Gorst are probably the auto-qualifiers once the Philippines Open is played. After that it's not so simple, but the only other American hopefuls who had a high finish in even one WNT major are Billy Thorpe, who was ninth at the US Open 9ball, and Thorsten Hohmann, who was ninth at the Florida Open.

While I'd love to see him on the team, the case for Bergman is super-weak, as he sat out the first four and a half years of the WNT, came back for five weeks to play five events, and never finished in the Top 16 in any of them. Justin is still very sharp in his decision-making skills and plays very solid defense, but his long-term absence from top level 9ball has certainly shown up in his inconsistent pocketing on the four-inch pockets that are the norm in Matchroom events.

It was an off year for Woodward, but his third-place finish in the WPA World Team Championships was a significant accomplishment.

Johan has some tough choices to make.

Click to expand...

I love Thorpe's enthusiasm and aggressive style. He's playing good too with no fear. He would be an exciting addition to this years MC imo.

jay helfert said:

Where's Josh? He rarely misses the big money events. Could just be travel weary.

Click to expand...

He's listed.

Where's Josh? He rarely misses the big money events. Could just be travel weary.

Delete

lfigueroa said:

Look, I am not against tech and advances.

But also, I am not a sucker. And when I seen a room full of CF shafts in the hands of dozens of players who could not get out with BIH with four balls on the table all that "progress" you speak of becomes transparent BS.

Lou Figueroa

Click to expand...

no shaft can get someone to run out just like that out of the blue.
there is no magic
in terms of playability at a given point, there isn't much different between wood and CF, in fact some wood shaft still perform better than some CF shafts and this was never my claim. I'm saying that given that you can do the same with both, might as well go with CF and earn the durability, the low maintenance and the consistency.
In the long run, a good CF shaft cost less than a good wood shaft.
And if you think that you can't do the same with both, well then you just haven't put in the time to learn the equipment.

jbart65 said:

Agreed. More players from Taipei and the Philippines will go there because the money is good, but so far only the Ko brothers and Chua were major contenders for a WPA-WNT title.

I don’t think Chua is entirely done with traditional 9-ball. He was messaging FB supporters to watch the U.S. Open on ESPN. I would be surprised if he doesn’t play in the Philippines Open. Doesn’t look like there’s a competing Duya event.

Very few Westerners will defect to Duya, though.

It will be interesting to see what young Asian stars do, namely Januarta and Manas. Pool variants in China don’t the same historical prestige as the U.S. Open and WPC. Someday it will if it maintains popularity and big prizes, but that day is far off.

In any case, the WNT and WPA tours will be fine, even if their prize funds pale in comparison.

Meantime, Duya should make their tour super easy for Westerners to access via YouTube and FB, in English. I’d definitely be interested in watching Chua play.

Click to expand...

Hopeful I'm healthy enough to go to the Philippines Open in October. Pool has exploded here in the last few years. Many new rooms, lots and lots of money players, even more tournaments.

I watch a lot on streams here. So many new guys who are playing high level pool. I would estimate well over 50 who have never visited the States, that could win the big regional pro events. AJ and Januarta speed! They all play even and "upsets" abound.

Big money matches every night, mostly around the Manila rooms - 50 to 100,000P is average (per man). Well heeled backers too. Don't flinch for any bet! I've seen millions bet on a match (one million about 17K US).


Our "pros" with one or two exceptions would get swamped over here. Shane could get all the action he wants playing even! Gorst too.These guys are out to prove they are the best!

I live in Pool heaven here.

The darker one.

Men’s 10 ball prizes:

Champion	$80,000	1
2nd	$40,000	1
3-4th	$20,000	2
5-8th	$10,000	4
9-16th	$5,000	8
17-32nd	$2,500	16
33-48th	$1,250	16

Chua is playing … and so is Justin Bergman!

Interesting no-shows: AJ Manas and Alexa Pecelj.

Thorpe, Styer, Woodward, Gorst and SVB also listed.

Ko brothers played in this last year. Not this year.

I was looking for a case to replace my 30-year-old 2x4 It's George case. It's still in good shape but is too small for all my stuff. I didn't want a butterfly case or a case with tubes. The JB cases are too snug for me (I have a 2x4 GTF case that is really a 2x2).

I ended up getting a 3x5 Holly case from Seyberts. This case is great. It has a big pocket with zippers on both sides--one side for a jump butt and the other for everything else. There is a small pocket near the top for glove, chalk, etc. There is also a narrow pocket on the side for a cue extension. Most important for me is the inside, which has cloth dividers that protect the cues from scratches but are not too snug. It's not fancy, but it's also not expensive. The only down sides are:
(1) The case is heavy--much heavier than my It's George case.
(2) It is often "sold out." As far as I know, Seyberts is the only retailer to carry the case.

If you can get it, it's a great case for the money.

As I thought, Chua is playing at the Predator World 10-ball tournament and a mixed doubles event in Vietnam. He is keeping a foot in both worlds, Chinese and Western pool.