Ummm.... That was with a couple of asterisks....lost to a 65 year old at the US open...
Ummm.... That was with a couple of asterisks....lost to a 65 year old at the US open...
If it did count, WPA #1 Szewczyk, who won the World 10ball and got to the final at the WNT UK Open would get the nod before Kaci.Kaci is delusional!
And what has the World 10 Ball got to do with the Mosconi Cup?
Aside from that, the comments on Facebook are surfacing on this topic about Kaci not making the team: "Wax on, wax off." "The Albanian Eagle got grounded."...lost to a 65 year old at the US open...
Joshua Filler and Aleksa Pecelj cemented their automatic spots on Team Europe for the Mosconi Cup with the ouster of Oliver Szolnoki. No European left in the Philippines Open can catch them. FSR was already in.
Alcaide and especially Shaw could improve their chances for wild cards by getting to the semis or finals. Alcaide is now sixth in Mosconi points. Hard for me to think he won't make the team.
Shaw is 14th in Mosconi points, but I think he would make himself a shoo-in by getting to the Philippines Open finals.
If he loses in the final 16, though, I have to wonder. A half-dozen players would have more points. Szolnoki is very deserving based on the season he has had. So is Kledio Kaci. He played in every big WNT event except the Philippines Open and has been very consistent. Both are far ahead of Shaw on points as things now stand.
Does Matchroom sideline Shaw, though? Maybe Frazer thinks leaving him off would hurt Team Europe and give Team USA a better chance!
Niels is a standup guy, on the other hand. He gets on great with Shaw and knows how important he is to the team.
***
Hohmann has now surpassed Styer, 27,550 to 27,470, to take second place on points. If Hohmann wants to be on the team USA, it’s his call.
Gorst is now 100 points behind Styer. He would get an automatic pick if he beats Shaw to get to the final 8 in Manilla.
If Hohmann decides to take a spot, the team is likely to be composed of SVB, Gorst, Hohmann, Styer and Bergman. I think MR will pick Bergman over Sky because of his greater participation this year in WNT events.
If Hohmann opts out, Woodward would take his spot.
So when will we get wild card announcements for Mosconi?
I think USA will choose Gorst and Bergman.
Europe will choose Szolnoki and Shaw.
Matchroom want to give the USA a chance.why would niels choose szolnoki? picking two rookies is a rookie move. alcaide and shaw is the right choice
Oliver deserves a good look for having a good season and racking up a lot of points. But yeah, Alcaide and Shaw would be smarter bets given their experience.why would niels choose szolnoki? picking two rookies is a rookie move. alcaide and shaw is the right choice
Oliver deserves a good look for having a good season and racking up a lot of points. But yeah, Alcaide and Shaw would be smarter bets given their experience.
That said, one has to wonder whether Jayson should get on the team for a so-so year. He has just over 30,000 points and is 14th in the rankings.
Still, if I am Niels, I am picking Shaw.
Hmm. That's strange. Earlier today, during the Regalario/FSR match, Emily Frazer said that the World Pool Masters will be 14 players, with 12 confirmed so far.World Pool Masters will have 20 players, with 14 getting automatic bids. The first 14 are set:
FSR
Filler
Capito
Pecelj
Szolnoki
Van Boening
Neuhausen
Naoyuki Oi
Kledio Kaci
Alcaide
Zielinski
Grabe
Mario He
Eklent Kaci
Hohmann qualified. It has to be his decision not to participate, and I expect it will, in fact, be his choice.On the Doggin It podcast, they said Thorsten is unlikely to be on Team USA.
They said they it was odd why there was no Matchroom social media post, and why Thorsten was not interviewed.
I personally think it would be unfair on Thorsten.
Matchroom can't change the rules at the last minute.
Matchroom had invited 16 players to the most recent WPM events before it went on a two-year hiatus. A few months ago, MR announced the event would be expanded to 20 players. The top 14 players in the rankings would get automatic bids and six wild cards would be invited.Hmm. That's strange. Earlier today, during the Regalario/FSR match, Emily Frazer said that the World Pool Masters will be 14 players, with 12 confirmed so far.