Fuller and Hughes Fly High at Poison Lone Star Tour Season Opener
Bill Fuller bested Darryl Amos in the finals of the 78-player, open 9-ball division, at the Poison Lone Star Billiards Tour, Season Opener, held at Big Tyme Billiards in Spring, Texas. Fuller defeated Amos, 6-5, to capture his first-ever, Tour victory. Ricky Hughes took down Kevin Frauenberger in the 85-player, amateur 9-ball division, 5-4, 4-3, marking a first-time win for the veteran player.
On January 7th-8th, 2023, title sponsor Poison by Predator Cues, sponsors Predator Cues, Alamo Billiards, Outsville Billiards, and Team Straight Pool Eye, facilitated another successful event for players across Texas. Well over 100 competitors, including 30 Gulf Coast Tour women, participated in the first event of the Tour season, held at the popular Big Tyme Billiards in Spring, Texas. Big Tyme provided twenty-four, 7’ bar tables for tournament play, all covered with Predator Arcadia Reserve, tournament blue cloth, in a non-smoking environment. Predator sponsored the Arcos II ball sets used on each table, and Accu-Racks were provided by Outsville Billiards for discussion-free racking.
In the open 9-ball division, winners’ side final eight, Andy Yim defeated Mike Fay, 6-5, and Bill Fuller overwhelmed Abdul Waheed, 6-3. Darryl Amos made quick work of Daniel Forster, 6-3, while Jim McCary shut out Russell Warren, 6-0. In the following round, Fuller sent Yim west, 6-5, while Amos ousted McCary, 6-4. Hot seat action witnessed Fuller slip past Amos, 6-5. On the west side, down to the final eight players in the event, Waheed eliminated Fay, 5-3, and McCary, 5-1, while junior phenom, Kyle Yi, dusted off Ricky Hughes, and Yim, by the same score, 5-2. Yi went on to beat Waheed, 5-3, but fell to Amos, 5-4, earning a well-deserved third place, and his highest finish to date. Amos earned himself a rematch with Fuller, and a shot at his first-ever, Tour victory. In the final set, both players were determined to earn a place in Tour history. Out of the gate, Fuller came on strong, but Amos answered back, game for game. A relentless Fuller captured the hill game, marking his first, open division win on the Poison Lone Star Tour.
In the amateur 9-ball division, winners’ side final eight, Eric Hsu defeated Chad Reece, 5-3, while Chris Ramoz detoured Steve Siarski, 5-1. Will Felder denied Jim McCary, 5-3, while Ricky Hughes took down Daniel Coffman, 5-1. In the following round, Hsu shut out Ramoz, 5-0, while Hughes sent Welder to the left, 5-2. In the hot seat match, Hughes came on strong, ending Hsu’s winning streak, 5-2. On the west side, and in the final eight, Frauenberger eliminated Forster, 4-1, and Felder, 4-2. Brandon Tang ended Victor Rojas, 4-2, but fell to Ramoz, 4-1. Frauenberger took out Ramoz, 4-3, and Hsu, 4-1, to reach Hughes. In the finals, Frauenberger slid past Hughes the first set, 5-4. In overtime, Hughes returned the favor, edging out Frauenberger, 4-3, to capture his first, Tour victory.
The Tour would like to thank all the players who traveled from out of town to participate in the season opener. San Antonio had a great showing, with competitors Megan Hardin, Johnny Perez, Leonard Vinthaxay, Chad Selsor, Zachary Runalls, and Ruben Hernandez in attendance. Corpus Christi players Cesar Garcia, Cesar Garcia, III, Daniel Coffman, Russell Warren, and Devon Brandt also made the long trek to Spring, to compete in the first event of the season.
The next event will be held February 4th-5th, at Big Tyme Billiards in Spring, Texas.
For more information, visit www.LoneStarBilliardsTour.com.
Amateur Payouts – Total $5,360
1st Ricky Hughes $700/$1,100
2nd Kevin Frauenberger $480/$800
3rd Eric Hsu $330/$500
4th Chris Ramoz $190/$300
5th-6th Will Felder, Brandon Tang $80/$150 ea
7th-8th Daniel Forster, Victory Rojas $50 ea
9th-12th Jim McCary, Daniel Coffman, Steve Siarski, Chad Reece $35 ea
13th-16th James Costello, Dee Clayton, Mike Fay, Ryan Bridgwater $25 ea
Open Payouts – Total $4,670
1st Bill Fuller $760/$950
2nd Darryl Amos $540/$645
3rd Kyle Yi $345/$400
4th Abdul Waheed $200/$150
5th-6th Andy Yim, Jim McCary $80/$50 ea
7th-8th Mike Fay, Ricky Hughes $60 ea
9th-12th Russell Warren, Victor Rojas, Johnny Griffin, Daniel Forster $40 ea
13th-16th Brian Murphy, James Costello, Rick Johnson, Tim Smith $35 ea