Danny O'Rourke
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Darrel Stutesman |
Danny O'Rourke and Darrel Stutesman Qualify for the Nationals
Tacoma, WA - "Dick Takano Memorial" USBA Qualifying Tournament Results
10 players participated in the Dec. 7-9 USBA Qualifying Tournament, which was played as a single-flight round-robin with 30 point matches.
Three players (Danny O'Rourke, Darrel "Stutes" Stutesman, and Tommy Thomsen) finished with 7-2 records. Danny took first place, and earned a "qualified entrant" spot in the January, 2008, USBA National Championship Tournament to be held in Louisville, Kentucky, by virtue of his highest "total points scored" total. Stutes and Tommy remained tied on points-scored as well as win/loss record, forcing the decision to the next tie-breaker: scoring average (points per inning). On that basis, Stutes prevailed to capture second place and the second "qualified entrant" spot in the January USBA Nationals. $500 for each of the two "qualified entrants" is being sent to the USBA for the entrance fee for the Nationals and for expense money for these two players at the Nationals.
Walt Scott, acclaimed "champion of Willow Creek", played well on his way to a 6-3 record and the 4th place finish.
Tim Poole placed 5th, but his high run of 7 was sufficient to take the $50 Tournament High Run prize.
Bill Bulpin and Ken Higgins both finished with four wins, with Bill's superior "points scored" earning him the award for highest finish among the second division players in the tournament, for a prize of $120. Bill also had the first 5-run among the second division players, adding the $32.50 "2nd Division High Run" prize to his winnings. Ken collected $60 for his runner-up finish among the second division group.
Dave Law won 3 matches. Ed Kelly won two, with one of those being a victory over the eventual tournament champion, Danny O'Rourke.
Ralph "$5 American" Weiss was the unanimous winner of the coveted "Mr. Congeniality" award.
Adverse weather shortly before the tournament resulted in an extended outage of the Interstate-5 freeway linking Portland and Tacoma/Seattle, which contributed to a relatively small turnout for this annual tournament. Danny & Tommy both traveled 5 to 6 hours from Eastern Washington across the Snoqualmie mountain pass to attend, and Walt Scott traveled slightly further from Vail, Oregon, by the Idaho border. Ed Kelly also was forced by the I-5 flood waters to take the over-the-pass route coming up from Hood River, Oregon. A special thank you is hereby extended to these gentlemen for their efforts.
I do sincerely thank all who participated, and feel confident that the spirit of Dick Takano was well honored by the sportsmanship and camaraderie of the field.
The 2008 Northwest Billiards Tournament Schedule will be published in early January. An invitation is hereby provided in advance to all: find one or more of next year's events that fit your schedule, and come join us here in the Pacific Northwest for billiards!
I congratulate Danny & Stutes on their success this week and wish them the best in the Nationals. Tommy Thomsen is also planning on participating in the Nationals, and I wish him the best as well. Gentlemen: make us proud!
Ken Higgins
USBA Director
425-458-1091
206-355-5498
Tournament Chart in PDF Format
Announcing: USBA Dick Takano Memorial 3-Cushion Billiard Tournament to be held in Tacoma, Washington, December 7, 8, & 9, 2007, at the Tacoma Elks #174 Lodge.
This tournament is also a Regional Qualifying Tournament for the USBA National Championships.
Top place finishes in this Regional Qualifying Tournament will qualify for play in the 2008 USBA National Championship Tournament to be held January 9-13, 2008, and will have their entry fees to that tournament paid, as well as receiving expense money for the Nationals. Please see the attached "Tournament Announcement" for details.
To conform to UMB requirements for World Championship play, the USBA is in the process of implementing appropriate requirements for our National Championship Tournament and for Qualifying Tournaments for the National Championship to ensure that the winner and runner-up in our National Championship are eligible to represent the USA in World Championship tournaments. Accordingly, a requirement for USA citizenship or USA Permanent Legal Resident (= green card) status is in effect for participants in Qualifying Tournaments as well as for the National Championship Tournament. A copy of the USBA Player Eligibility Form is attached.
Please note: for USA citizens, proof of citizenship in the form of a passport, naturalization certitificate, or birth certificate will not be required for participants in this year's Qualifying Tournaments. Such proof will, however, be required in future years. Permanent resident legal aliens desiring to play in this Qualifying Tournament will be requested to show a valid green card.
The tournament will be conducted on five (5) heated Verhoeven tables.
As many of you no doubt know, Dick Takano was a outstanding gentleman and a strong supporter of 3-cushion billiards. Please join us in our annual tournament celebrating his memory, while also participating in this Regional Qualifying Tournament.
And please pass this information on to anyone who you think is interested. We are always delighted to welcome new faces.
Feel free to call me at the number shown below, or to email me, if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Ken Higgins
USBA Director
425-458-1091
ken.higgins@sun.com
Tacoma Elks Lodge # 174
1965 S Union Ave
Tacoma, WA 98405
253-272-1117
