Joyner Takes Down the U.S. Bar Table Championships

Joyner Takes Down the U.S. Bar Table Championships By InsidePOOL StaffExcellent all-around player Cliff Joyner won both the 9-ball and the 8-ball divisions of the U.S. Bar Table Championships, held this past weekend at the Sands Regency Hotel and Casino in Reno, NV. He is the first player in the history of the event to do so and earned an extra $1,000 as a bonus.The event began on March 4 with the 9-ball division, with some of the best names in the game making up the 108-player field. Joyner went through undefeated, besting Southern California Ernesto Dominguez 9-6 in the finals to win the $5,000 first-place prize. Dominguez, one of the best table mechanics in the U.S., earned $3,000 for second. Filipino compatriots Jose Parica and Santos Sambajon, Jr., rounded out the top four, taking home $2,000 and $1,000, respectively.
Currently residing in Houston, TX, Joyner stayed on to dominate in the 151-player field in the 8-ball division as well. Although usually Tournament Director Jay Helfert closes the field at 128, he opened it this year because of the interest the event has been garnering. As in the 9-ball event, Joyner went through the entire tournament without a scratch, triumphing over Filipino player and Canadian resident Edwin Montal 5-4 in the finals. Joyner earned another $5,000 for his first-place finish, in addition to the $1,000 bonus, so he ended up with a grand total of $11,000 for four days' work. Montal won $3,000 for second place. Another Canadian champion, Steve Cherewyk, came in third place, earning $2,000, while Tony "Cha-Ching" Chohan of Sacramento, CA, ended up in fourth place and took home $1,250.Next year's U.S. Bar Table Championships will be held on March 2-6, 2005, at the Sands Regency Hotel and Casino in Reno, NV.Visit InsidePOOL for the latest in the sport of billiards and pool.

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