Kirkwood is Hot and Heavy in Beaumont

Kirkwood is Hot and Heavy in BeaumontThe action was like the weather in Beaumont, TX, on June 20-22, 2003, for the fifth stop on the Fast Eddie’s 9-Ball Tour: Hot and heavy.Top picks of the field were Jeremy Jones of Houston, the current fifth-ranked player in the world, followed by Jason Kirkwood of Michigan and Danny Medina of Denver, CO, a former world champion. With this kind of talent, it was anyone’s guess who would reign supreme on the green rectangle.Javier Franco of Houston and Robert Newkirk of Dallas Fort Worth ended up in a respectable seventh-place tie. Juan Garcia of Michigan started his ride with wins over J. P. Martinez 9-5, Bob Macferren 9-2, and Ryan Walton 9-8 to lose to Jones in the semis 9-7. Franco was upset by David Henson of Austin 7-3 to end his run in a favorable fifth-place finish.Medina started off with wins over Bill Fuller 9-3, Chase Rudder 9-2, and Gilbert Martinez 9-7 to match up with Jones in the quarterfinals. Jones took an early 5-2 lead, with his break working smashingly well, only for Medina to tie it up at 6-6. They traded games to tie it at the hill. Jones broke the final game and left Medina no shot at the 1 and virtually nowhere to roll out to. Medina made a valiant kick but left Jones a shot and the out. Jones won 9-8.
Relinquished to the brutal bracket, Medina had victories over J. P. Martinez 7-5 and Franco 7-4. Tommy Milburn ended Medina’s run for the title, 7-3 for a fifth-place tie with Franco. Tommy "California Dreaming" Milburn of Houston had his best tournament so far with triumphs over Matt Wilson 9-4, Steve Lenz 9-8, and Robert Newkirk 9-6 and was sent kicking to the one-loss side by Jason Kirkwood. After slugging it out with Medina 7-3, Milburn was overcome by David Henson in a tight match 7-6 to finish in the fourth place position.David "Chalk is Free" Henson of Pflugerville continues to improve at each event. He took the long road after a first-round loss to James Davis, Jr. 9-7. In the pressure cooker of the one-loss side, Henson sent T. J. Davis by forfeit, Matt Wilson 7-1, Macferren 7-0, Fuller 7-3, Lanny Herrin 7-4, Robert Newkirk 7-0, Juan Garcia 7-3, and Milburn 7-6, to the spectator gallery before being vanquished by Jones in a nail biter 7-6. Jones looked unstoppable in his quest for another win on the tour, with conquests over Corey Dordek 9-5, James Davis, Jr. 9-1, Medina 9-8, and Juan Garcia 9-7. Jones’s quest was derailed by Kirkwood in the finals of the winners’ side with a score of 9-7. Jones defeated Henson for the finals of the one-loss side 7-6. Kirkwood showed his knowledge and execution of the game by dismissing Rigo Pena 9-5, Sylver Ochoa, 9-1, Franco, 9-3, Lanny Herrin 9-1, Tommy Milburn 9-0, and Jones 9-7 to become king of the hill. This set the stage for a great final match between Kirkood and Jones. Kirkwood led the match until Jones came within one game at 8-7. In the final game, Jones missed the 6 ball only for Kirkwood to run out for his first tour victory.Total Payout:1st Jason Kirkwood $22252nd Jeremy Jones 15953rd David Henson 11254th Tommy Milburn 6755th Danny Medina 3005th Juan Garcia 3007th Robert Newkirk 75 7th Javier Franco 75The Ladies Division was won by Anne Mayes of Houston, cuemaker supreme of Annie "O" Cues, over Kim Pierce of Bastrop, 7-5.Anne Mayes $150 Kim Pierce 100

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