Third Florida Pro Tour Stop Begins

Third Florida Pro Tour Stop Beginsby Rick DavisThe third stop of the Florida Pro Tour began at Stroker’s Billiards in Palm Harbor, FL, with an eager crowd of spectators and 66 players competing for their share of the purse. Originally announced as limited to 64 players, the event was opened as interest grew; however, as the matches were being drawn, only 66 were in attendance. This gave byes to all except two matches in the first round, as well as the first round on the one-loss side because of the 128-player chart that was utilized.Early action saw Robb Saez defeat Adam Wheeler 7-3, which Saez called “revenge” after their last match-up at Strokers during last year’s season finale. A few surprises were seen, such as Dave Grossman and Chris Bartram, both tour regulars who have cashed out big in the past, each lost in the opening round double-hill. Late in the round, Tony Crosby just squeaked past Donnie Mills after Mills missed a 9 ball that would have brought him to the hill after fighting back from a 5-0 deficit. “The tables are real fast,” said Crosby, when asked about his aggressive play.
Later matches on the winners’ side saw “Rocket” Rodney Morris defeat Hunter Lombardo double-hill and Jason Kirkwood move past Hall of Famer Nick Varner 7-5. Other favorites like Saez and Sparkey Ferrell also won an additional match, while more than half the round is left to play. On the one-loss side, Adam Wheeler and Dave Grossman each won, although those are the only to finish to this point.Play will continue tonight until the winners’ side reaches the top 8 and the one-loss side reaches the top 8 or 12, depending on time available. Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

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