Fairly strong field. Mika must have stayed in Europe to spend the holidays with family, although I see Raj Hundal came over. Tough match-ups, Manny Chau vs. Dennis Hatch first round and Thorsten will probably play Johnny in the second round. No seeds in this tourney, it's an open draw.
One more observation. Nice to see quite a few good tourneys for pros in the U.S. again. Zuglan does two with 25K added, Behrman has the U.S. Open (50K added) and the Masters with 36K added. There's the U.S. Open Ten Ball with 25K added, and now the Ultimate Ten Ball with 50K total added. Plus the U.S. Bar Table with over 25K added, Derby City with 50K added and The Seminole Pro Tour championship with 50K added. That's nine tournaments. Too bad the World Pool Masters is leaving Vegas. That was 100K guaranteed. What am I forgetting? Pro pool in the USA seems to be making a nice little comeback.
Of course the serious players can pursue more big money events by going overseas. A good/great player can make a decent living at pool today, but it isn't easy. The elite players are on the road most of the year.
