Deuel Undefeated in Seminole Florida Pro Tour Opener

Seminole Florida Pro Tour / Melbourne, FL

by Rick Davis

The 2007 season of the Seminole Florida Pro Tour got off to a rolling start over the April 14-15 weekend when Corey “The Prince of Pool” Deuel went undefeated to claim the title amidst a very interesting event. Held at Players Billiards in Melbourne, FL, the schedule called for a two-day event, and because the event began with a 93-player field, rounds took place 24 hours a day until the winner was crowned past midnight on Sunday.

After Saturday’s action cleared up and the majority of the players had been eliminated, the final four on the winners’ side appeared with Deuel facing Robb Saez, the 2006 Florida Tour Championship champion, and Mike Destafano up against Dave Broxson. Deuel pushed past Saez 8-5, and Broxson went down to wire before finally taking his match double-hill. Next, in the hot seat match, Deuel kept control once again, sending Broxson west and waiting to see who would emerge from the one-loss side.

Corey Deuel With the event going around the clock, those on the winners’ side enjoyed some lengthy breaks between rounds, although those on the one-loss side played nearly continuously for the better part of 24 hours. On the one-loss side Adam Wheeler and Donnie Mills matched up after each had taken a loss in the previous round. Also, Tony “The Sniper” Crosby faced Mike Dechaine, an 18-year-old player who knocked Earl Strickland out of the event in the previous round. Both matches went double-hill, and after the dust settled Wheeler and Crosby were still standing. Inching their way to the finish line, Wheeler knocked out another competitor, Destefano, while the incoming Saez showed Crosby to the door, both matches going 8-6.

With the quarterfinals on hand, Wheeler faced Saez, and the match ended up at the most common score for the day on the one-loss side, 8-6 in favor of Saez. Saez finally met his match in the semifinals as Broxson ousted him by the expected 8-6 score and quickly returned for a rematch against Deuel. In the finals, the single race to 9 tipped quickly in favor of Deuel, who took the match after a two-hour battle, finishing with a 9-5 score and claiming the lion’s share of the prize fund after a grueling two days of play.

The Florida Tour will continue April 21-22 at Strokers in Palm Harbor, FL.

Results:
1st Corey Deuel             $5000
2nd David Broxson        $2500
3rd Robb Saez               $1700
4th Adam Wheeler         $1300
5th Tony Crosby            $1000
Mike Destafano
7th Donnie Mills              $800
Mike Dechaine
9th Wayne Catledge        $600
Luis Veria
Steve Moore
Earl Strickland
13th Shawn Ohman         $400
Trevor Braymore
Curtis Kelly
Luc DeDierne

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