Kirkwood and Bartram Win Dual Billiards Events

Posted by admin as Michigan Players Tour

Kirkwood and Bartram Win Dual Billiards Events
Michigan Players Tour / Grand Rapids, MI

by Skip Maloney

Jason Kirkwood and Chris Bartram shared first-place prize honors at the Michigan Players Tour, held the weekend of December 19-21. Kirkwood won the main event, defeating Bartram in the finals, but with money in his pocket from winning Friday night’s mini tournament, Bartram wasn’t as disappointed as he might have been. The mini tournament on Friday night drew 56 entrants to the Break Room in Grand Rapids, MI, while the main event drew 27.

Kirkwood completed the main event undefeated. Among the final four on the winners’ side, he defeated Norman “Porky” Wimes 9-6 to square off against Tom D’alfonso in the hot seat match. D’alfonso had sent Bob Diebold west 9-7 and joined him when Kirkwood gained the hot seat 9-4.

Meanwhile, Bartram was working his way back from the one-loss side, defeating Billy Pinion and Richie Richeson before meeting Wimes. Chad Palmer faced Diebold after victories over Juan Garcia and Adam Smith. Wimes and Palmer dropped into the tie for fifth place, while Bartram and Diebold advanced to the quarterfinals. Bartram ended Diebold’s tournament bid 9-3 before meeting and defeating Dalfonso 9-7 in the semifinals.

With each successive victory, Bartram, with $520 already in his pocket from winning the mini tournament, watched as his potential winnings in the main event doubled. Kirkwood, however, stopped the math at $800 with a 9-4 victory.

Kirkwood hauled in the top honors in the main event of the Michigan Players Tour.

Open Results:
1st Jason Kirkwood $1,400
2nd Chris Bartram $800
3rd Tom Dalfonso $500
4th Bob Diebold $225
5th Norman Wimes $100
Chad Palmer
7th Richie Richeson
Adam Smith
9th Lupe Rosa
Billy Pinion
Aaron Toth
Juan Garcia

Mini Tournament Results:
1st Chris Bartram $520
2nd Matt Beckwith $260
3rd Billy Pinion $150
4th Adam Smith $100
5th Houston Rodriguez $75
Jeremy Seaman
7th Jason Kirkwood $50
Lee Lambaria
9th Shawn Bucholz $30
Troy Myer
Bart Goode
Tom Decker

Richeson and Walsma Score Top Honors in Michigan

Posted by admin as Michigan Players Tour

Richeson and Walsma Score Top Honors in Michigan
Michigan Players Tour / Holland, MI

by InsidePOOL Staff

Richie Richeson won the mini tournament and Arlo Walsma won the main billiard event at Chalky’s Q Stick Café in Holland, MI.

The Michigan Players Tour swept through Holland, MI, the weekend of September 27-28, holding both a mini tournament and a main event. Chalky’s Q Stick Café played host to both events, with Richie Richeson winning the mini and Arlo Walsma taking the main.

In the mini tournament, Richeson came through the one-loss side after being defeated by Tony Chochan 7-5. He came back, though, to win the next four matches to earn a rematch with Chochan, whom he bested 7-4. Having made it to the finals, he now had to defeat Mark Ozman twice for the title. Even with a field of 40, this was no easy task, but he won convincingly, taking the first set 7-3 and the second 7-1.

The main event had a field of 26 players. Walsma went through the first few rounds unscathed, defeating Dave Schaefer 9-4, Mark Javis 9-6, and Richeson 9-4 before he ran into Chohan, who sent him to the one-loss side 9-7. There he matched up with Ronnie Wiseman, who held an 8-3 lead going to 9 but missed a slow-rolled 6 ball and ended up sitting in his chair for the next five racks as Walsma came back to defeat him 9-8. Now unstoppable, Walsma ousted Smith double-hill and Doug Young 9-5 before wreaking revenge on Chohan 9-4, 9-4 in the finals.

Mini Tournament Results:
1st Richie Richeson
2nd Mark Ozman
3rd Tony Chohan
4th Neil Dryflout
5th Jason Kirkwood
Adam Smith
7th Russ Andrews
Arlo Walsma

Main Event Results:
1st Arlo Walsma
2nd Tony Chohan
3rd Doug Young
4th Adam Smith
5th Ronnie Wiseman
Jason Kirkwood