Hugo Patino Wins the Carom Cafe Open

Hugo Patino 2003 US Champion

The 2008 USBA Tour started with a bang at Carom Cafe in Flushing, NY. Thirty-One players showed up for a chance to win the first-place prize of $ 4,300.00. Most of the country's top players participated.

For the preliminaries, the players were divided into 4 groups. Three groups had 8 players each and the fourth had 7. The top 3 finishers in each group advanced to the semi-finals.

Flight A: Miguel Torres finished 6-1. Sixto Jairegui finished 5-2 and Shin Park finished 5-2.

Flight B: Sonny Cho finished 7-0. Hugo Patino finished 6-1 and Michael Kang finished 5-2.

Flight C: Young Gull Lee finished 7-0. Rafael Hernandez and Brian Yi finished 5-2.

Flight D: Francisco Parra, Jae Hyung Cho and Min Jae Pak all finished 6-1.

Preliminaries: (Click on the chart you would like to see. The Excel spreadsheet has all 4 groups in the same file. Click the group you want at the bottom of the spreadsheet.)

Flight A PDF
Flight B PDF
Flight C PDF
Flight D PDF

The semi-finals consisted of 14 players. The top 3 from each group in the preliminaries plus one auction and one lottery. The lottery was won by Sang Jin Lee and Felipe Razon won the auction.

Group A: Jae Hyung Cho finished 5-1. Sonny Cho and Michael Kang finished 4-2 and Miguel Torres finished 3-3.

Group B: Hugo Patino finished 6-0. Francisco Parra finished 4-2. Young Gull Lee and Brian Yi finished 3-3.

Semi-Finals: (Click on the chart you would like to see. The Excel spreadsheet has both groups in the same file. Click the group you want at the bottom of the spreadsheet.)

Group A PDF
Group B PDF

The top 4 finishers in each group of the semifinals advanced to an 8-man Single Elimination.

Single Elimination Quarterfinals: Hugo Patino defeated Brian Yi 50-47. Francisco Parra defeated Michael Kang 50-37. Sonny Cho defeated Young Gull Lee 50-34. Jae Hyung Cho defeated Miguel Torres 50-43.

Single Elimination SemiFinals: Hugo Patino defeated Francisco Parra 50-39. Sonny Cho defeated Jae Hyung Cho 50-37.

Single Elimination Finals: In the final match, Hugo Patino defeated Sonny Cho 50-39. Francisco Parra defeated Jae Hyung Cho 50-38 to earn 3rd place. Francisco averaged 1.724 in his last game.

Single Elimination: (Click on the chart you would like to see. The Excel spreadsheet has all charts in the same file. Just move to the right on the spreadsheet.)

Single Elimination Quarterfinals PDF
Single Elimination Semifinals PDF
Single Elimination Finals PDF
Single Elimination Final Rankings PDF

Congratulations to Hugo Patino!

What a great tournament!

Prizes: $ 16, 900.00 total

I would like to thank the following:

Michael Kang, Bob Jewett, David Levine and Paul Frankel for their generous monetary donations to the event.

Schuler Cues and Competition Sports for their generous cue donations for the raffle.

Simonis for their discounted cloth for the event.

Aramith for their billiard ball donations.

Charles Brown and Min Jae Pak for running yet another smooth event.

Also, thanks to all who helped out while Charles or Min Jae were playing matches.

Carom Cafe will be hosting the Sang Lee International Open on July 20-27, 2008. The best players in the world will be there! Don't miss it!

Also, the 2008 USBA Tour "B" Championship will also be held at Carom Cafe sometime in September. Keep track of all tournaments and news by going to our website often:

www.USBA.net

Click: "Tournaments-Calendar"

Original Announcement:

2008 USBA Tour Stop # 1:

Carom Café International Open Tournament

Prize Fund of at least $ 16,000.00 based on 32 players

At least $ 6,600.00 added money

February 27-March 2nd, 2008 (Wednesday through Sunday)

Player’s Meeting on Tuesday February 26th at 8:00pm.

Entry Fee: $ 355.00

Early Bird Special: $ 305.00 if you pay your entry fee by February 15th

2008 USBA Membership required for US players.

Format is based on 32 players and is subject to change:

Preliminaries: 4 flights of 8 players

Top 3 from each flight advance (25 points)

Semi-Finals: 2 flights of 7 players (One auction & one lottery)

Top 4 from each flight advance to Finals. (35 points)

Finals: 8 man Single Elimination. (50 points)

Estimated Prize Fund:
1st Place: $ 4,000.00
2nd Place: $ 3,000.00
3rd Place: $ 2,500.00
4th Place: $ 1,700.00
5th Place: $ 1,200.00
6th Place: $ 1,200.00
7th Place: $ 1,200.00
8th Place: $ 1,200.00

Make checks payable to: “Carom Café” and mail to:

Carom Café Billiards
34-02 Linden Pl
Flushing NY 11354
718-358-8585 Contact: Min Jae Pak, Charles Brown or Michael Kang

Hotel Info:

Be advised that we have not reserved a block of rooms anywhere, and so availability is not guaranteed. Our aim has been to offer a wide range of choice with regard to type of room, exact location and price. Since availability is not guaranteed, we recommend that you make your reservation as soon as you know the dates you will be attending the Tournament. You may want to inquire if your hotel will offer a small discount if paid in cash upon your arrival (these policies may differ with each hotel).

Flushing International Hotel
134-32 35th Avenue
Flushing, NY 11354
Tel: 718-358-4515
A 3-minute walk from Carom Café, this hotel is the closest and least expensive option. However, it also has the fewest amenities. There is no food service of any kind in the hotel – it doesn’t even have vending machines. 12 of the 50 rooms have two beds.

Howard Johnson Hotel
135-33 38th Avenue
Flushing, NY 11354
Tel: 718-461-3888 Fax: 718-461-5879
Web: http://www.imperialhotelny.com
A 10-minute walk from Carom Café, the hotel is nicer than both the Flushing Inter-national (above) and the Flushing Grand (below). There is complimentary coffee, tea, cake and cookies in the morning. However, only 4 of the 32 rooms have two beds and, thus, room availability will be limited except for couples and singles.

Flushing Grand Hotel
36-38 Main Street
Flushing, NY 11354
Tel: 718-888-8668 Fax: 718-888-8768
Web: http://flushinggrand.com/
A 5-minute walk from Carom Café, this hotel represents an upgrade compared to the Flushing International. The accommodations are a bit nicer and complimentary doughnuts and coffee in the morning is included in the price. 17 of 46 rooms have two beds.

Comfort Inn
133-43 37th Avenue
Flushing, NY 11354
Tel: 718-939-5000 Fax: 718-939-4000
Web: http://www.comfortinn.com/flushing (then type “Flushing” in the “City” field)
A 10-minute walk from Carom Café, this hotel is a slight upgrade compared to the Imperial. Continental breakfast is included in the price and the hotel offers free Wi-Fi connections. 17 of 50 rooms have two beds.

Extended Stay America
18-30 Whitestone Expressway
Whitestone, NY 11357
Tel: 718-357-3661 Fax: 718-357-3644
Web: http://www.extendedstayamerica.com/
Located 1.3 miles from Carom Café, the walk takes about 25 minutes and will be too long for most people, but the drive is very short. This hotel is ideal for those who have cars and wish to stay in a place where they can prepare their own food. The rooms are large and have kitchen appliances and a small dining area. Also, there is a shopping mall adjacent to the hotel.

Best Western Queens Court
133-51 39th Avenue
Flushing, NY 11354
Tel: 718-888-1900
Web: http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=33111
A 12-minute walk from Carom Café, the rooms are quite nice and 37 of 59 rooms have two beds. However, the hotel has few amenities. For example, it has a fitness room but no food service. One would expect more from a hotel in this price range.

Sheraton Hotel La Guardia East
135-20 39th Avenue
Flushing, NY 11354
Tel: 718-460-6666 Fax: 718-445-2655
Web: www.sheratonlaguardia.com
A 10-minute walk from Carom Café, this is the best hotel in the area and 116 of 173 rooms have two beds. There is a restaurant and bar, a fitness center, the rooms are spacious, etc. It is located near many stores and restaurants and a 1-minute walk from the #7 train to Manhattan. The hotel was not willing to offer special rates (and there are no weekly rates) but told us that the best rates are generally available online. They recommended their own website – i.e., www.starwoodhotels.com (type in “Flushing” in the city field and “New York” in the state field). However, we have sometimes been able to find better rates at the major online services like Orbitz, Expedia or Travelocity. So, hunt around before reserving.

Wingate Inn & Suites at LaGuardia Airport
137-07 Northern Boulevard
Flushing, NY 11354 US
Tel: 718-445-3300
Web: http://www.wingateinns.com/Wingate/control/home

All players must make their own hotel reservation

Players Must Dress Properly and Be on Time

All players will be required to wear a dress shirt of any color, black slacks, black shoes, formal-wear tie and vest. Moreover, all players must arrive on time for their matches. Both rules will be strictly enforced without exceptions, as follows:

• Any player without the proper attire will forfeit the match.

• Players who arrive 0-10 minutes late will not be allowed to practice.

• Players who arrive more than 10 minutes late will forfeit their match.

Taxes

If you are planning to enter the tournament you need only read the sections below that apply to you:

• For U.S. residents – only sections 1 and 5 apply;

• Most foreign residents need only read sections 2 and 5;

• However, if you live outside the United States but you have received or can obtain an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) you may be able to avoid withholding taxes. To learn more, read sections 3 and 4 (as well as 2 and 5).

Forms referred to below may be viewed/downloaded at http://www.irs.gov/formspubs

Section 1 – United States Residents

You can avoid withholding taxes on your prize money by filling out Form W-9. This tells us your name, address and Social Security number. (Form W-9 will be made available at the Tournament.) After the Tournament, Carom Café will report your winnings to the IRS, to New York State and to you, using Form 1099-MISC. (If you do not fill out Form W-9, we will be required to withhold 30% of your prize money!)

Section 2 – Foreign Residents: Most Will Be Subject to Withholding Taxes

For most (and, perhaps, all) foreign participants, the process is very simple: (1) You will be subject to 30% withholding taxes on your prize money; (2) at the Tournament, prize winners will have to supply their name and address; and (3) we will then provide the IRS with this information on Form 1042-S, two copies of which will be mailed to you. When it comes time for you to pay taxes in your own country, you will not only have a record of your winnings, but you will have documents that show that you paid substantial taxes to the U.S. Government. In many cases you will be able to get a tax credit for these payments. Be sure to check with your tax advisor in your home country.

Section 3 – Foreign Residents: A Few May Be Able to Avoid Withholding Taxes

For some non-U.S. residents, withholding taxes may be avoided provided (a) your country has a tax treaty with the United States, (b) you have an “Individual Taxpayer Identification Number” (ITIN) from the IRS and (c) your prize money does not exceed the maximum amount that is exempt from withholding under the treaty.

If you do not have an ITIN, we regret to inform you that rule changes in recent years have made them much more difficult to get. We will be unable to assist you in obtaining an ITIN but a tax adviser in your own country might be able to help you. However, if you received an ITIN at any time in the past, it is still valid.

In any event, if you have an ITIN and there is a tax treaty between your country and the United States and your prize does not exceed the amount allowed under the treaty you will be able to avoid withholding taxes by filling out Form 8233. We will be able to help you do this at the tournament.

One more thing: If you are eligible for zero withholding, we will have to temporarily withhold 100% of your prize money until 10 days after Form 8233 is mailed to the IRS. We expect to mail such Forms one or two days after the end of the tournament. The 10-day period is required by the IRS to give them time to verify your eligibility for avoiding withholding. Assuming there is no objection from the IRS (and there shouldn’t be as long as your ITIN is valid), we will mail you a check for the full amount of your prize approximately 12 days after the Tournament ends.

Section 4 – Foreign Residents: Information on Individual Countries

The table below summarizes the treaty situation for residents from 28 countries. We list the maximum dollar amount that you may earn without becoming subject to tax withholding. We also list the treaty article number that will have to be put on Form 8233. None of this is relevant to you unless you have or can obtain an ITIN. If there is no treaty with your country you will be subject to withholding even if you have an ITIN.

Argentina No treaty
Aruba No treaty
Austria $20,000 17
Belgium $ 3,000 14(2)(c)
Canada $15,000 16
Colombia No treaty
Czech Rep. $20,000 18
Denmark $20,000 17
Ecuador No treaty
Egypt $ 400/ day 17
France $10,000 17
Germany $20,000 17
Greece $10,000 X
Hungary No limit 13
Italy $12,000 17(1)
Japan $ 3,000 17
Korea $ 3,000 18
Luxembourg $10,000 18
Mexico $ 3,000 18
Netherlands $10,000 18
Peru No treaty
Portugal $10,000 19
Russia No limit
Spain $10,000 19
Sweden $ 6,000 18
Switzerland $10,000 17
Turkey $ 3,000 17
Vietnam No treaty

Section 5 – Two Additional Notes About Taxes

If you do not win a prize (i.e., if you do not advance to the “A” finals or “B” finals) we will not need to collect any personal information from you. For U.S. residents, this means you will not have to fill out a W-9. For foreign residents, it means that neither will you have to fill out an 8233, nor will you have to provide us with the information we would need to fill out a 1042-S.