Putnam Powers thru Field in Pittsburgh

Putnam Powers thru Field in PittsburghBy Mark WhitesideShawn Putnam has owned the Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour for the last four years and he doesn’t seem to like it very much when some other player horns in on his private hunting grounds. Last weekend at Bankshot Billiards, a new room in suburban Columbus, OH, local player Gary Huggins beat Putnam for the hot seat and after suffering a loss in the first set of the double elimination finals and spotting Putnam a 3-0 lead in the second, Huggins came roaring back to win seven games in a row to win the tournament.
The determined look on the Youngstown, OH pro’s face spelled trouble for the field of 83 men and 3 ladies, the largest of the young season for the tour, as he warmed up for the semi-annual Pittsburgh event at Mr. Pockets on March 2-3. He wasn’t the only strong player in the field as he was joined by pro player Troy Frank, Robb Saez from the Joss 9-Ball Tour, Lyn Wechsler from the Joss Tour, Don Steele of nearby Greensburg, PA from the Senior Tour, and several past Viking event winner’s from Southwestern PA including Brian Mahan, Bill McCollim and Sean Graham. The $4,440 purse was one of the highest ever recorded at a Pittsburgh Viking Tour event. Shawn Putnam and Sean Graham were the last two unbeaten players, and after the king seat match, won 7-5 by Putnam, he sat back to await his challenger. At the same time, Tom Purich of Sharon, PA, who had lost an earlier match to Putnam, was working his way through the loser’s bracket, beating one fine player after another until facing Lyn Wechsler of New York state who he deposited in 4th with another smooth stroking performance. Purich next faced Graham in the semis with Purich scoring a 7-4 win and a rematch with the intimidating Putnam. Shawn Putnam put on his usual display of power pool in the final, cruising to a 7-3 win and the $1,240 first prize.

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