Gabe Owen Double-Dips Leroy Mathis at the Corpus Christi Classic

Gabe Owen Double-Dips Leroy Mathis at the Corpus Christi Classic Gabe Owen of Tulsa, OK, defeated Leroy Mathis twice in the final match of the Corpus Christi Classic Open 9-Ball event for top honors in 2003. Owen, the defending champion, was undefeated last year but suffered an early loss to Mathis, who hails from Waco, TX, and worked his way back through the one-loss side to take the title. Paradise Pool & Billiards added $6,000, and 83 players paid $100 entry fees. Most matches were on the 9-foot Lemacher flush pocket tables with 860 Simonis cloth. Matches were races to 9 on both sides, and the room was packed with spectators enjoying the fine level of play. The final three matches were filmed using four camera angles and had crowd noise and expert commentary from Bill Mykleby.Mathis had a great tournament and proved to be a giant killer. He defeated David Trevino, Robert Newkirk, and Daniel Perez before pushing Owen to the left side of the charts. He then went on to tackle reigning U.S. Open Champion Jeremy Jones and also sent him sideways. Mathis was in a great gear as he continued on his roll, defeating both James Davis Jr. from Austin, TX, and Sylver Ochoa from McAllen, TX, to become the only undefeated player in this star-studded event.Jones started the event with a double-hill win over former World Champion Bob Hunter from Carson City, NV. It looked like Hunter had control of the last rack, but following a tricky shot on the 6, he pushed the 7 into a side pocket point, and Jones then cleaned up. Jones then moved through Javier Franco and Charlie Bryant on the one-loss side, only to finally be defeated by Tony Chohan from Sacramento, CA, who was the runner-up in last year’s event. Chohan had previously defeated Bryant and David Henson from Austin, TX, but lost to Ochoa. At that point, Chohan came back to life and sent Jones packing but lost his next match to Owen. Ochoa defeated Mike Bernardi, Tony Oliva, Joe Fritcher, Doug Young, and Tony Chohan. In the winners’ bracket, Ochoa lost to Mathis and then suffered his next loss to Owen. Ochoa is only 18 years old and is one of the nation’s top junior players. He played a great tournament and finished in third place.Once Owen was on the west side of the chart, he defeated Dempsey Bailey, James Davis, Sr., and then young friends Doug Young and James Davis, Jr. He had a rematch of last year’s finals with Chohan and then beat young superstar Ochoa to reach the finals. The true double-elimination event went to two sets in the finals, with Owen winning 9-5 and 9-6. Owen played two late matches on Saturday night and in every time slot on Sunday as he went through the one-loss side of the chart. He was very tired but held on to defend his title.Room owner and tournament director Harrison Todd and his dedicated staff provided a great experience for all. Denis Strickland, who also helped promote the event, conducted the player auction that netted over $12,000. The room was open 24 hours for three days, with the kitchen opening at 8:00 a.m. for breakfast. Event tee-shirts with Owen listed as the 2002 Defending Champion were sold, and Owen has promised to return next year for a chance at winning three times in a row.Results:1st Place Gabe Owen $4,0002nd Place Leroy Mathis $2,5003rd Place Sylver Ochoa $1,5004th Place Tony Chohan $1,0005th Place Jeremy Jones $700 James Davis Jr. $7007th Place Charlie Bryant $500 David Henson $5009th Place Al Mason $300 Doug Young $300 Javier Franco $300 David Grossman $30013th Place Bob Hunter $120 Shane McMinn $120 James Davis, Sr. $120 Tom Mooney $120Trisha Strickland and Bill Fuller ran a ladies’ division with $500 added to the $40 entry fees. However, many top ladies played in the last Hunter Classic Tour Event in Alvin, TX, and as a result, there were only five entries. The ladies were very happy, relaxed, and had a fun event. They were thankful to Bill Fuller, who created the round robin chart and scored the event. After a round robin in which Kim Pierce won all of her matches, the payout was as follows:Results:1st Place Kim Pierce $3202nd Place Teresa Bordelon $1903rd Place Trisha Strickland $120 4th Place Sophavy Gunterman $40Visit InsidePOOL for the latest in the sport of billiards and pool.

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