2009 World Pool Masters set to return to Las Vegas

The 2009 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters returns to Las Vegas in May.

Featuring 16 of the best players in the world, the event will be held at the historic Riviera Hotel and Casino following a successful staging in 2008, where Filipino Alex Pagulayan defeated Finn Mika Immonen in a thrilling final.

The competition will be staged over three days from Friday, May 8 to Sunday, May 10 -during the annual BCAPL National 8 Ball Championships.

Promoted by Matchroom Sport, the world leader in televised pool, the PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters will be running for the 17th consecutive year and its roll call of champions reads like an international who’s who of the sport.

Pagulayan will be back to defend his title, while Immonen (Finland), the reigning US Open champion, who won the Most Valuable Player award at the 2008 Mosconi Cup in December, will be aiming to go one step better than last year.

Immonen's Mosconi Cup team-mates, five-time Masters champion Ralf Souquet (Germany), Holland’s multi-titled Niels Feijen and Malta's Tony Drago will all be in the single-elimation tournament.

Other players in attendance include England's Darren Appleton, the current World 10 Ball Champion, and former world number one Dennis Orcollo of the Philippines.

The top two American ranked players on the BCA Men’s Point List - Shane Van Boening and Johnny Archer - will be representing the United States, while Montreal’s Dancing Bear, Alain Martel, will be flying the flag for Canada.

They will be joined by top ranked European stars Nick van den Berg of Holland, England’s Imran Majid, who beat Van Boening in this event last year, and teenage Russian sensation Ruslan Chinakhov, 17, who will be making his Masters debut.

Challenge of Champions winner and 2007 World Cup winner Fu Jian-bo will be making the trip from China and 2005 World Pool Masters victor Raj Hundal, now representing India, will return to the fray at the Riviera.

There is one female in the 2009 Masters line-up and that honour this year goes to the rising star of the women’s game, 21 year-old Korean Yu Ram Cha.

Once again, the Masters will be promoted in partnership with Mark Griffin’s BCA Pool Leagues and the opening first round matches take place on the evening of Friday, May 8, culminating in the championship match on Sunday, May 10.

Matchroom Sport Chairman Barry Hearn said: "The event was a big success for us last year at the Riviera and we’re looking to build on that in May.

"The crowds at the Masters were good and with the outstanding line-up we have assembled this year, I am sure that we will have bumper crowds.

" Speak to any of the players; this is the event they all want to win and looking at the field, anyone of them can emerge triumphant."

As always, the World Pool Masters will be televised throughout the world in 15 one-hour highlights programmes.

There will be a $66,000 prize fund, an increase of 6.5 per cent compared to 2008, with the winner collecting $20,000.

Tickets will be made available in March on the Playbca.com website.

BCAPL's Mark Griffin added: "BCA Pool League players love professional action. They're excited the World Pool Masters will return to the Riviera for 2009 and hope Matchroom will continue to honor our tournament with their participation for years to come.

"The finest amateur and professional players from around the globe gather every year at the Riviera for the greatest pool tournament in the world - and the tradition continues."

World Pool Masters

The Riviera Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas
Friday, May 8 to Sunday, May 10

1. Darren Appleton (England)
2. Johnny Archer (USA)
3. Ruslan Chinakhov (Russia)
4. Tony Drago (Malta)
5. Niels Feijen (Holland)
6. Fu Jian-bo (China)
7. Raj Hundal (India)
8. Mika Immonen (Finland)
9. Imran Majid (England)
10. Alain Martel (Canada)
11. Dennis Orcollo (Philippines)
12. Alex Pagulayan (Philippines)
13. Ralf Souquet (Germany)
14. Shane van Boening (USA)
15. Nick van den Berg (Holland)
16. Yu Ram-cha (Korea)

Pagulayan, Orcollo banner 2009 World Pool Masters field

Former world 9-ball champion Alex “The Lion" Pagulayan and former World No. 1 Dennis Orcollo will banner the field in the 2009 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters on May 8-10 in Las Vegas.

According to the event’s promoter, Matchroom Sport, the prestigious event will be held at the historic Riviera Hotel and Casino with 16 of the world’s top cuemasters vying for the $20,000 champion’s purse.

Pagulayan will seek to defend the Masters title which he won last year over another ex-world titlist, Mika Immonen of Finland.

Orcollo will try to sustain the top form he has shown in 2008 - a year highlighted by at least six months atop the rankings 1 on wins in four international competitions and a spate of other strong finishes - in the single-elimination tournament.

The Filipino pool stars will contend with the likes of Immonen, five-time Masters champion Ralf Souquet, reigning World 10 Ball Champion Darren Appleton, Challenge of Champions winner and 2007 World Cup titlist Fu Jian-bo of China and 2005 World Pool Masters victor Raj Hundal, now representing India.

Also in the roster are multi-titled Niels Feijen of Holland, Tony Drago of Malta, Nick van den Berg of Holland, Imran Majid of England, Shane Van Boening and Johnny Archer of the US, Alain Martel of Canada, the rising star of the women’s game, 21-year-old Yu Ram Cha of Korea, and teenage sensation Ruslan Chinakhov of Russia.

Pool hero Orcollo vows comeback in 2009

Former world No. 1 player Dennis Orcollo, the major awardee for billiards in 2008 by the Philippine Sportswriters Association, is hell-bent on regaining his lofty ratings in 2009.

Honored during last Friday’s San Miguel Corp.-PSA Awards Night at the Manila Pavilion Hotel, the 30-year-old Orcollo said he was grateful to the association for recognizing his achievements last year and vowing to try his best in 2009.

“Being ranked No. 1 definitely added to my self-confidence,” once said Orcollo, a lightly regarded pool player from Bislig, Surigao del Norte, before he made the big league and joined a handful of true billiards greats.

Orcollo is not out of place with the likes of Hall of Famer Efren “Bata” Reyes, Ronnie Alcano, Francisco “Django” Bustamante and Alex Pagulayan. Undoubtedly one of the most dynamic shooters on the tour, Orcollo is a mainstay of the Negros Billiard Stable of sports patron Jonathan Sy.

Said Orcollo in an interview: “I know that people are watching me and I have to live up to my being world No. 1.”

In 2008, Orcollo won four international titles and finished remarkably well in several others. He started the year with a bang by winning the San Miguel Beer-Quezon City 9-Ball Championship. The following week, Orcollo beat some 200 world-class players in the Japan 9-Ball in Tokyo, including Japanese idol Ryoki Aoiki, whom he humbled in a one-sided finals, 9-2.

The Filipino hero later crushed veteran campaigner Niels Feijen of the Netherlands, 13-5, during their championship showdown at the inaugural Qatar World 9-Ball Open Championship in Doha. Orcollo capped the year by bagging a leg of the Guinness 9-Ball Tour in Guangzhou, China, last September.

However, Orcollo could only earn a semifinal berth in the Guinness Grand Finals held in Jakarta in October. The Grand Finals was won by Taiwan’s battle-scarred Yang Ching-shun.

During the 2008 Party Poker.net World Cup of Pool played in Rotterdam, Holland, Orcollo teamed up with veteran internationalist Francisco “Django” Bustamante and settled for a share of third place with the 2007 winners Fu Jian Bo and Li He Wen of China.

Earlier in the semifinals, the Orcollo-Bustamante tandem, considered by pool experts as the pre-tournament favorite, unexpectedly lost to the American pair of Rodney Morris of Hawaii and Shane “The South Dakota Kid” Van Boening, who eventually emerged champions.

But the soft-spoken Orcollo offered no excuse after the shock defeat. Instead, he showed true grit and character by blaming himself by saying, “I’m very disappointed that we weren’t able to fulfill our mission of winning the World Cup, and I blame myself for it.”

In gaining the nod of the PSA, Orcollo’s achievements in 2008 stood clearly above the rest. But other than that, it was a bleak year for the controversy-wracked Philippine billiards.

To illustrate. Philippine Olympic Committee president and former Tarlac Rep. Jose “Peping” Cojuangco recently directed the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines, headed by chair Yen Makabenta and president Ernesto Fajardo, to conduct their much delayed election.

Unhappy with the way their sport was being handled by BSCP officials, the country’s world-ranked players, led by Reyes, Pagulayan, Bustamante, Alcano and Orcollo, renounced their membership in the BSCP and formed the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines.

Members of the Philippine women’s team also complained against the unkind treatment they had suffered at the hands of billiards officials. They said they were unceremoniously removed from the national team and their allowance from the Philippine Sports Commission cut off despite giving honor to the country. They claimed they were being punished by the BSCP for joining tournaments organized by the breakaway BMPAP.

PSA honors billiards hero Orcollo

Perhaps the only Filipino cue master to make a powerful impression in billiards last year, Dennis Orcollo sat atop the world rankings for at least six months.

The 30-year-old ace from Bislig town in Surigao del Sur province piled up four international victories and a spate of other strong finishes to earn a reputation as one of the game’s most feared campaigners.

For his achievements in his breakout season, the man long considered as the country’s money-game king will be honored with a major award on Feb. 20 by the Philippine Sportswriters Association during the San Miguel Corp.-PSA Annual Awards Night at the Alegria Lounge of the Manila Pavilion Hotel.

Orcollo started 2008 by topping the San Miguel Beer-Quezon City 9-Ball Championship. A week later, he bested more than 200 international cue artists in the Japan 9-Ball Open in Tokyo, beating local hero Ryoji Aoki in the finals, 9-2.

Orcollo also outduelled Niels Feijen of the Netherlands, 13-5, to rule the Qatar International

Open 9-Ball Championship in Doha. He capped the season with a victory in the Guinness 9-Ball Tour in Guangzhou in September and a semifinal finish in the Jakarta Grand Finals won by Taiwan’s Yang Ching-shun.

Orcollo joins fellow major awardees Kelly Williams (pro caging), Willy Wang (wushu), Wesley So (chess), Nonito Donaire (pro boxing), Dottie Ardina, Angelo Que, Jennifer Rosales and Dorothy Delasin (golf) and Jonathan Hernandez, Ibarra and Go Army (horseracing) in the program sponsored by the Philippine Amusements and Gaming Corp.

World Boxing Council lightweight champion Manny Pacquiao heads the honor roll as Athlete of the Year, the fifth time in seven years that he will be honored with the PSA’s highest award. The ring superstar will also be enshrined into the PSA Hall of Fame.

Orcollo seeks to extend winning ways in 9-ball

Reigning world no.1 Dennis Orcollo looks to start his year on a bright note when he takes on a bevy of the country’s best cue artists in the initial leg of the 2009 Senator Manny Villar Cup set from February 20 to 22 in Baguio City.

The Villar Cup Panagbenga leg will be held in SM City Baguio, part of the city's month-long flower festival which is expected to be visited by over a million tourists.

After that, the series, shifts Quezon province (Lucena City) in March and Batangas (Lipa City) in April.

"I just hope I could continue my good run this year," said Orcollo, who ruled the Quezon City 9-Ball Championship, the All-Japan Open, the Qatar International 9-Ball Open and the Guinness Tour Guangzhou leg last year.

Following the National Open in May, the Villar Cup will fly to Davao City for the Kadayawan leg in August before it travels to Palawan in September.

Also in the hunt are Ronnie Alcano, Alex Pagulayan, Django Bustamante and Gandy Valle.

Other notable players appearing in the event are pool maestro Efren "Bata" Reyes, Lee Van Corteza, and former leg winners Warren Kiamco (Alabang), Ramil Gallego (Bulacan), Roberto Gomez (Davao) and Rodolfo Luat (Bacolod).

 

- GMANews.TV

Orcollo Vies For Villar Cup Title

Dennis Orcollo seeks to reaffirm his status as the world’s top cue artist today when he competes in the Panagbenga leg of the Senator Manny Villar Cup slated on February 20 to 22 in Baguio City.

The 29-year-old Orcollo, a stalwart of the star-studded Bugsy Promotions of businessman Perry Mariano, was the winningest Filipino pool master in 2008, having won four major tournaments and finished strong in all the events he competed in.

“I hope I could continue my good run this year,” said Orcollo, who last year ruled the Quezon City 9-Ball Chanmpionship, the All-Japan Open, the Qatar International 9-Ball Open and the Guinness Tour Guangzhou leg..

While waiting for the start of the billiards season, Orcollo engaged himself in a series of challenge matches with other top Filipino players like Francisco “Django” Bustamante, Ronnie Alcano, Alex Pagulayan and Roberto Gomez, and won most of them.

The Villar Cup Panagbenga leg will be held in SM City Baguio. It will be part of the city’s month-long flower festival, where over a million visitors are expected to witness.

After that, the series, presented by Villards: Tulong sa Pagsulong ng Philippine Sports in cooperation with the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) and sponsored by Camella Communities, will go to Quezon Province ( Lucena City ) in March and Batangas ( Lipa City ) in April.

Villar will also support the National Open slated in May, and a couple of international tournaments to be held in the country in the following months.

Then the Villar Cup will return to Davao City for the Kadayawan leg in August, before it travels to Palawan in September.

Besides Orcollo, Alcano, Pagulayan Bustamante, Gomez and Valle, other notable players vying in the event are pool maestro Efren “Bata” Reyes, Lee Van Corteza, and former leg winners Warren Kiamco (Alabang), Ramil Gallego (Bulacan), Roberto Gomez (Davao) and Rodolfo Luat (Bacolod).

Orcollo leads hunt in Villar Cup Bacolod leg

The chase for billiards honors resumes tomorrow with world No. 1 Dennis Orcollo leading the hunt in the Bacolod leg of the first Senate President Manny Villar Cup at the Garden Royal Function Hall of Goldenfields Commercial Complex in Bacolod City.

The 29-year-old Orcollo, playing out of the Bugsy Promotions stable, has already won four major tournaments this year, but is coming off a pair of heartbreaks in the international arena. He and Francisco “Django” Bustamante settled for joint third in the recent World Cup of Pool while reaching the semifinals in the Guinness 9-ball grand finals last month.

“I hope to regain my winning ways and I want to do it here in Villar Cup,” said Orcollo, who ruled the Quezon City 9-ball Championship, the All-Japan Open, the Qatar International 9-ball Open and the Guinness Tour Guangzhou leg.

But out to foil Orcollo in the fifth edition of the island-hopping series presented by Villards: Tulong sa Pagsulong ng Philippine Sports, are the other top local players, led by Bustamante and Efren “Bata” Reyes, plus a crack roster of foreign challengers headed by former World Cup of Pool winner Fu Jianbo of China.

“It will be tough but I’m confident of my chances here,” said Orcollo, runner-up to Gandy Valle in the Cebu leg of the series.

Others vying for top honors are former world champions Alex Pagulayan and Ronnie Alcano, Lee Van Corteza, and the other Villar Cup leg winners Kiamco (Alabang), Ramil Gallego (Bulacan) and Roberto Gomez (Davao).