Pedro Piedrabuena Finishes in Grand Style

Pedro Piedrabuena

The 2008 USBA Tour ended in grand style at Chris's Billiards in Chicago, IL on December 5-7, 2008.

Twenty-eight players competed for a first place prize of $ 3,500.00. The field was tough. Top United States players: Pedro Piedrabuena (2002, 2004 and 2007 US Champion), Hugo Patino (2003 US Champion), Sonny Cho (2005 US Champion), George Ashby (8 time US Champion). Top Ecuador players: Javier Teran and Luis Aveiga. Also competing was Adrian Viguera, another top US player.

Tournament Format:

Preliminaries: 4 Flights of 7 players each. 25 point matches. The top 2 from each flight advance to the semi-finals along with the two best 3rd place finishers (10 players altogether). Placement was based on wins/losses, total points scored, head-to-head (if applicable) and points-against.

The 10 semi-finalists are then divided into 2 flights of 5 players each. The first place finisher of each semi-final flight had one final match to determine first and second place in the tournament. The second place finisher of each semi-final flight had one final match to determine 3rd and 4th place in the tournament. The thrid place finisher of each semi-final flight had one final match to determine 5th and 6th place in the tournament, and so on.

Summary of Preliminaries: (Click on the flight name to view PDF Chart)

Flight A: Luis Aveiga from Ecuador dominates the flight going 6-0. Sonny Cho finishes 2nd going 4-2 with 131 points scored. Hector Pulido (3rd place) also finished 4-2 with 131 points scored, but Sonny Cho defeated him in their head-to-head match.

Flight B: Hugo Patino easily wins the flight going 6-0. Local favorite, Paul Navarrete, finished 2nd, going 5-1, and Adrian Viguera finished 3rd, going 4-2 with 134 points scored.

Flight C: Pedro Piedrabuena wins the flight going 6-0. Javier Teran from Ecuador finishes 2nd, going 5-1. George Ashby finishes 3rd going 4-2 with 131 points scored.

Flight D: Felipe Razon averages 1.079 going 6-0. 2008 US Women's Champion, Mercedes Gonzales comes in 2nd, going 5-1. Local player, David Camarena, finishes 3rd going 4-2 with 130 points scored.

Adrian Viguera and George Ashby were the two-best 3rd place finishers. George Ashby was tied with Hector Pulido with a 4-2 record and 131 points scored, but George Ashby allowed fewer points to his opponents.

Top Finishers from the Preliminaries and Rankings into the Semi-Finals

Summary of Semi-Finals:

The 10 semi-finalists were then ranked based on their performance in the preliminaries and placed into two separate flights. The two semi-final flights were balanced based on the way the players were ranked. Flight E consisted of the players ranked # 1, 4, 5, 8 and 9. Flight F consisted of the players ranked # 2, 3, 6, 7 and 10. Matches were to 35 points.

The results of the semi-finals were based on wins/losses, grand average, total points scored, head-to-head and points-against.

(Click on the flight name to view PDF Chart)

Flight E: Javier Teran wins the semi-final flight by going 4-0. Luis Aveiga finishes 2nd going 2-2 with a 1.151 grand average. Sonny Cho finishes 3rd going 2-2 with a 1.068 grand average. Adrian Viguera finishes 4th going 1-3 with a .836 grand average and Felipe Razon finishes 5th going 1-3 with a .762 grand average.

Flight F: Pedro Piedrabuena finishes 1st going 4-0. Hugo Patino finishes 2nd going 3-1. George Ashby finishes 3rd going 4-2. Paul Navarrete finishes 4th going 1-3 and Mercedes Gonzales finishes 5th going 0-4.

The Final Matches:

The final placement of all players was determined by one final 40 point match between the finishers of both flights. The two 4th place finishers of each semi-final flight played each other to determine 7th and 8th place in the tournament. The two 3rd place finishers of each semi-final flight played each other to determine 5th and 6th place in the tournament. The two 2nd place finishers of each semi-final flight played each other to determine 3rd and 4th place in the tournament. The two 1st place finishers of each semi-final flight played each other to determine 1st and 2nd place in the tournament. Mercedes Gonzales had to leave the tournament and so Felipe Razon finished in 9th place and Mercedes finished in 10th.

In the final match between Pedro Piedrabuena and Javier Teran, the 3-cushion table was totally surrounded by players and spectators. USBA Secretary/Treasurer Jim Shovak was the referee for the match. Teran scored early, taking the lead. Pedro matched him and took over the lead. Then Pedro ran a beautiful run of 9 points, just missing # 10, to add to his lead. From then on, it was all Pedro. Pedro consistently added to his lead making shot after shot and leaving his opponent nothing much to shoot at. Teran struggled, seeming to never be able to get back in the game. Pedro ended the tournament in grand style by posting the best game of the semi-finals/finals: 40 points in 22 innings (1.818 average), netting him an additional $ 150.00 on top of his first place prize of $ 3,500.00. Bravo, Pedro!

After the award ceremony, the house raffled off a beautiful Schuler Cue, donated by Schuler Cues, which went to a local patron. Then Luis Aveiga dazzled the crowd with a "trick-shot" exhibition: using nothing but his fingers! It is amazing to see what he can do WITHOUT a cue, let alone WITH a cue.

Click here to see results of the final matches.

We would like to thank the following:

-Chris's Billiards for donating to the prize fund and for being very accomodating throughout.
-Mueller Products and Gorina for the beautiful new Granito M cloth used throughout.
-Aramith for donation of the Aramith Pro-Cup Billiard Balls.
-Schuler Cues for their cue donation.
-Our sponsors: David Levine, Jim Shovak, Bob Jewett, Marty Isserlis, Paul Frankel (Professor-Q-Ball), Robert Byrne and Andrew Janquitto.
-To the tournament directors: George Theobald, Henry Ugartechea, Pedro Piedrabuena and Felipe Razon. Thanks, guys. You were of tremendous help.
-To all others that helped by keeping score of matches, cleaning balls, cleaning tables, cleaning the micro-fiber cloths, getting the players to start their matches: again, THANK YOU!!!

Now that the 2008 USBA Tour is completed, it is time to look forward to 2009. The 2008 USBA Tour was even greater than the 2007 Tour, thanks mostly to Mueller Products and our financial sponsors whom we did not have in 2007. My wish is that Mueller Products will continue its support in 2009 and that we can add to our list of financial sponsors. If you would like to donate to the 2009 USBA Tour, please contact Jim Shovak at 516-238-6193 or email him by clicking here.

Once again, I would sincerely like to thank everyone who helped make the 2008 USBA Tour a great success. Without you, we would not have a Tour. There are others I would also like to thank, such as Tour Director Mazin Shooni, Regional Directors Charles Brown, Bruce Warner and Bill Johnson. Former director Jake Zymeck and Gary Elias. Dan Kolacz for supplying the micro-fiber cloths which kept the tables running beautifully. Michael Kang, Sonny Cho and Min Jae Pak for all your help and advice. If I have left your name off the list, please forgive me. It is only because I simply can't remember everyone that helped because the list is so long. You are all great and although it has been very tiring for me, it has all been worth it. I enjoyed every minute. Well, almost every minute. Here's to YOU!!!

Jim Shovak
USBA Secretary/Treasurer

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2008 USBA TOUR International Open 3-Cushion Tournament

$ 4,000.00 First Prize and $ 16,400.00 Prize Fund
(based on 35 players)

Chris's Billiards
4637 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60630
Phone: 773-286-4714

Friday through Sunday, December 5-7, 2008. 10:00am-finish.
Players Meeting: Thursday, December 4th at 8:00pm

Format: ($ 7,650.00 added)

$ 255.00 Entry Fee. Maximum 35 Players. 5 Groups of 7 players. 25 Point Matches. Top 2 from each group advance to finals. No flight will be less than 7 players and the number of players per flight may not be equal. Finals: 10 Players – 2 groups of 5 players – 30 points. The first place finishers of each flight will play each other to decide 1st and 2nd place – 35 points. The second place finishers of each flight will play each other to decide 3rd and 4th place, and so on. Players will advance and be seeded into Finals based on wins/losses, total points, head-to-head and points against. Dress Code: Black pants, black shoes, collared shirt. No jeans, no T-shirts, no sneakers (all-black is OK), no hats, no sandals, no flip-flops. Finalists must wear full dress attire: black pants, vest, bow-tie, black shoes or all-black sneakers. USBA Membership is required ($ 50.00 for an entire year). Format is always subject to change based on number of available players.

Estimated Payouts (Based on 35 Players):

1- $ 4,000.00 2- $ 3,200.00 3- $ 2,500.00 4- $ 1,900.00 5- $ 1,400.00
6- $ 1,000.00 7- $ 800.00 8- $ 600.00 9- $ 400.00 10- $ 300.00

High Run and Best Game in Finals = $ 150.00 each (with scorekeepers)
Averages will be kept by all players. $ 5.00 per player USBA sanction fee already included in entry fee.

Make checks out to "Chris's Billiards" and send entry fees to:
Chris's Billiards
4637 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60630
Phone: 773-286-4714
Contact: Eric, George Theobald

Rules: All official USBA 3-Cushion Tournament rules will apply. Any exceptions will be addressed at the players meeting by the Tournament Director. Players are expected to be present at the scheduled time of their match and be ready to play anytime after the scheduled time if the games are behind schedule. A schedule will be provided at the players meeting. If your game is called and you are not present (assuming the scheduled match time has arrived), then you will not be allowed to practice for that match. If you arrive more than 10 minutes after your match has been called, then you will forfeit that match. If you forfeit 3 or more matches, then all of your matches will be nullified as if you were never in the tournament. If you do not finish all of your scheduled matches, then you will not be allowed to play in a USBA Tour event for 2 years, unless you are excused by the Tournament Director.

Hotel Info:

Motel 6
9408 W. Lawrence Ave
Schiller Park, IL 60176
(in Schiller Park, on the northwest corner of Lawrence Ave. and River Rd, near O'Hare and a 5-10 minute drive from Chris'. There is a Denny's right next door.)
847-671-4282

Ask for the SRS rate. Contact Jenn at the motel if necessary.
The 2-night price for Friday and Saturday is $113 for one and $125 for two (normally $125 and $140). That means approximately $ 57-63/night. Sunday rate (or Thursday) is about $54 & $60. A third person is an extra $3 per night. To get these rates you must book at least 5 days in advance. Don't forget to ask for the SRS rate. Phone is 847-671-4282 and e-mail is m6102bo@motel6.com

The USBA has a contract with Choice Hotels International. If you would like to receive at least a 15% discount at Choice Hotel locations, please refer to your Membership Package for details. To become a USBA Member, click "Join" at the top or the upper left side of this page and follow the instructions to pay by credit/debit card through PayPal. You do NOT need a PayPal account to use PayPal. You can also mail in payment by check.

USBA Members also receive between 5-10% discount from the following car rental companies, if they service the area:

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).

All players must make their own hotel/car rental reservations. If you need a room that's closer to the pool hall, please check online at Travelocity, Orbitz or Hotels.com.

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 Illinois 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 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.

Prize Money Break Down based on Number of Payouts - PDF

Prize Money Break Down based on Number of Payouts - Word