Fisher, Cha and Kjorsvik poise with their new-found hardware that they picked up at the Women's Pro 9-Ball at the Galveston World Classic.

Taking an early lead at 4-0 in this race to 9, Cha seemed to be very much in control of the match. However, in the winner break format, you can never count Fisher out. Fisher finally got a good look at the table and closed Cha’s lead to 6-5. It would be all Cha from that point on as she went on to win 10 games in a row, closing out the first set 9-5 and running thru the beginning of the second set 6-0. It looked as if Cha would shut Fisher out in the second race, which was a race to 7, but she had an unfortunate scratch on the 9ball to give Fisher her only game in that set. Yu Ram Cha won her first major title in the U.S. and pocketed $6,000 for her efforts this week as Fisher would take home $3,000 for second.

Although there were only two matches in the One-Pocket division, they were matches that will surely be remembered. Cliff Joyner defeated the aggressive, John Macias in the first match of the day and would wait to see which former one-pocket champion he would face next in the semi finals. On the winners’ side, Shannon Daulton played a near perfect match as he and Efren Reyes executed one magnificent shot after another in their quest for the hot-seat. Shannon was well on his way to a shut out but in game 3 when both players were tied at 7 balls, Daulton missed a bank on the final ball which had a little too much speed which opened up a tough cut shot for Reyes. Reyes made it look effortless as he cut in his final ball to close Daulton’s lead to 2-1. Daulton went on to win the match 3-1 and will face the winner of Efren Reyes and Cliff Joyner on Thursday.

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View the Galveston World Classic FREE LIVE STREAM

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See the See the player stats

On the Amateur side, local favorite, Nick Hood, has a great tournament but would have to settle for 4th place as he was eliminated by Josh O’Neal of Tennessee. O’Neal would go on to face another Houston local, Shane Manaole, and was eliminated in 3rd place. Manaole would have his shot at revenge on Justin Hall in the finals as Hall was Manaole’s only loss which happened in the finals of the winners’ bracket. This final match which was worth a $5,000 difference in prize money, would be no different than their first meeting as Justin Hall put Manaole away to earn his first major title and $10,000 for first place. Manaole would have to settle for $5,000.

In preparation for the Open 10-Ball event that will begin on Wednesday, the Open 8-Ball event was a marathon of matches as many players finished up to 6 matches on Tuesday. The final four on the winners side will match up Wednesday morning. Ronnie Alcano will face Larry Nevel and Roberto Gomez will play Goh Takami. Top players who are already eliminated include Stevie Moore, Mika Immonen, Ronnie Wiseman, Shannon Daulton, Raj Hundal, Charlie Williams, Jeremy Jones, Earl Strickland, Oscar Dominguez and Warren Kiamco.

The challenge match for Wednesday is Gabe Owen versus Scott Frost in a race to 6 format in one pocket.

From the first game, Van Boening came out of the gate fearlessly firing balls in on the 4 ¼ inch pocket 9 ft pool table like it was the size of a pinball machine. Through the first 10 games, Van Boening made few errors and kept the challenger from the Philippines in his chair.

Van Boening’s reluctance to allow Orcollo to the table was capped out by a 23 to 24 mph break. With big-breakers Bustamante and Bryant playing on Saturday night, the highest clocked break was around 23 mph. The Propool.com rating saw Van Boening shooting a .954 while Orcollo stumbled in at .829.

The lop-sided match was a race to 15 and the final score reflected was 15-3.

View the Galveston World Classic Tournament Brackets

View the Galveston World Classic FREE LIVE STREAM

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See the odds on the Orcollo vs Van Boening match

The Women’s finals will be aired Tuesday night starting at 7 pm CST. The one pocket action will start Tuesday afternoon at 1 pm with a rematch of Cliff Joyner and Brandon Shuff. The afternoon’s second match up is the winner of the winner’s side of the one pocket and features Efren Reyes versus Shannon Daulton.

The Men’s Amateur 8-Ball tournament kicked off today as play continued in the Women’s 9-Ball Open, the Men’s Amateur 9-Ball, and the One Pocket Open.

Several matches caught the eye of the viewing public but none gathered the crowds like Efren Reyes versus Jose Parica. The match, though short-lived and exciting, was the highlight of the afternoon. Reyes prevailed by a score of 3-0.

Bustamante defeated Bryant in the first challenge match at the Galveston World Classic.

View the Galveston World Classic Tournament Brackets

View the Galveston World Classic FREE LIVE STREAM

View the Galveston World Classic image gallery

See the odds on the Strickland vs. Reyes match

The match ups for Sunday start at 1 PM CST for the live stream. The featured match is Efren Reyes versus Earl Strickland which kicks off at 8 PM CST.

The One-pocket event drew 88 players, including an extensive list of Philippino stars, top professionals from around the globe and well known road players. The depth of talent at this event rivals that of the Derby City Classic with almost all former DCC Champions in attendance including Efren Reyes, Francisco Bustamante, Alex Pagulayan, Shane Van Boening, John Schmidt, Larry Nevel & Jose Parica. First round matches are now complete and there are already a number of must-see matches slated for tomorrow. Matches include Efren Reyes vs. Jose Parica, Shane VanBoening vs. Francisco Bustamante, Ernesto Dominguez vs. Tony Chohan, Gabe Owen vs. Santos Sambajon Jr. and Shannon Daulton vs. Rodolfo Luat.

The Women’s Open 9-Ball event is comprised almost entirely of WPBA pros including Allison Fisher, Gerda Hofstatter, Monica Webb, Iris Ranola and Vivian Villarreal. With $10,000 in first place prize money and 29 women in attendance, there are already a number of top professionals who have been sent to the 1-loss side. Monica Webb came from behind to defeat Iris Ranola in the first round and Vivian Villarreal put away Gerda Hofstatter to secure her spot in the second round of the winner side.

The Amateur 9-Ball event drew 135 players and a slew of top regional players. Still on the winners side are Former Oklahoma State 8-Ball Champion Shane McMinn, Former Texas BCA State 8-Ball Champion Sean Black, top Fast Eddies Tour player James Davis Sr., and last week’s Texas Open 9-Ball Championships Runner-up Justin Hall.

The FREE online steam will begin Saturday, September 12th at 1PM with the Efren Reyes and Jose Parica followed by Ronnie Alcano vs. Sylver Ochoa who defeated Danny Harriman today in a hill-hill thriller. The live stream and image galleries can be found at Inside POOL Magazine Video.

The Galveston World Classic web site will provide live scoring, image galleries, tournament brackets, and live streaming of the event.

The event will feature the top billiard professionals and thousands of amateur players vying for $1,000,000 in prizes in 11 events. Some of the top professional players that will be competing are Efren Reyes, Earl Strickland, Francisco Bustamante, Johnny Archer, Nick Varner, Jeremy Jones, Gabe Owen, and Charlie Bryant. Many of these players will also be performing in special nightly challenge matches.

Louie Vickio of Taylor Road Productions said, “The Predator Group is an outstanding company with an almost unparalleled history of supporting the sport of billiards. We’re extremely honored to welcome Predator and Poison as the official pool cues and grateful that they have chosen to continue their support of billiards with the Galveston World Classic.”

The Galveston World Classic event will be STREAMED LIVE and FREE at the event web site, The Galveston World Classic and will be aired throughout Asia with 11 hours of programming on ESPN Star.

Predator and Poison Cues are the official cues of the Glaveston World Classic.

The Galveston World Classic will also be aired on the VERSUS network in a weekly time slot during November and December this year. The air times are listed below:

Wednesday November 11 6-7pm EST
Wednesday November 18 6-7pm EST
Wednesday December 2 6-7pm EST
Wednesday December 9 6-7pm EST
Wednesday December 23 6-7pm EST

To find the VERSUS channel for your cable provider, use this tool:

Versus channel finder

Poison Cues is the official cue of the Galveston World Classic.

About Taylor Road Productions
Taylor Road Productions is the producer and promoter of the Galveston World Classic from September 11-20, 2009 at Moody Gardens in Galveston, TX. The Galveston World Classic features over $1,000,000 in prize money, will be streamed live online for free, and will be televised in dozens of countries.

The vision of the company is to produce pool and billiard events that promote the sport to a new level by large cash prizes, televised events and high profile events for all to experience. The company web site is The Galveston World Classic.

About The Predator Group
The Predator Group is makers of Predator and Poison Cues. Predator Cues has led the billiard industry’s technological evolution since Predator Cues inception in 1994. Predator Cues is committed to innovation and has created a legacy of high performance billiard products, all supported by scientific discovery and proven results. Greater accuracy, more consistency so you spend more time running out.

The event will feature the top billiard professionals and thousands of amateur players vying for $1,000,000 in prizes in 11 events. Some of the top professional players that will be competing are Efren Reyes, Earl Strickland, Francisco Bustamante, Johnny Archer, Nick Varner, Jeremy Jones, Gabe Owen, and Charlie Bryant. Many of these players will also be performing in special nightly challenge matches.

As the official pool ball, Aramith pool balls will be the balls featured on the pool tables at the Galveston World Classic. Aramith pool balls will also be featured on the televised pool table at the event, which will be streaming the event at the Ustream channel, Inside POOL Magazine Video.

Bobby Rone of Taylor Road Productions said, “Aramith is a great company with a long history of supporting the sport of billiards. We’re honored to welcome them as the official pool balls and grateful for their continued support with the Galveston World Classic.”

Yves Bilquin of Saluc said, “We are pleased and excited to support the Galveston World Classic event. We feel that Taylor Road Productions is helping take this sport to the next level and we’re honored to be contributing.”

The Galveston World Classic event will be STREAMED LIVE and FREE at the event web site, The Galveston World Classic and will be aired throughout Asia with 11 hours of programming on ESPN Star.

The Galveston World Classic will also be aired on the VERSUS network in a weekly time slot during November and December this year. The air times are listed below:

Wednesday November 11 6-7pm EST
Wednesday November 18 6-7pm EST
Wednesday December 2 6-7pm EST
Wednesday December 9 6-7pm EST
Wednesday December 23 6-7pm EST

To find the VERSUS channel for your cable provider, use this tool:

Versus channel finder

About Taylor Road Productions
Taylor Road Productions is the producer and promoter of the Galveston World Classic from September 11-20, 2009 at Moody Gardens in Galveston, TX. The Galveston World Classic features over $1,000,000 in prize money, will be streamed live online for free, and will be televised in dozens of countries.

The vision of the company is to produce pool and billiard events that promote the sport to a new level by large cash prizes, televised events and high profile events for all to experience. The company web site is The Galveston World Classic.

About Saluc
Callenelle is a small village in the Walloon region of Belgium, close to Tournai, Mons (Belgium) and Lille (France). Founded in 1923, Saluc was at that time a chemical industry specialised in tannery products. After 1950, this industry died out and Saluc made a conversion to the billiards balls.

Today, Saluc produces and distributes billiard balls under the registered trademark Aramith in more than 85 countries, and has a market share of 80 % worldwide.

The company is also specialized in the production of industrial balls used in all kind of applications, as well as in 9 pin bowling balls and trackballs. The exportation represents 98% of its activity.

One of the major strengths of the company is its upstream integration: Saluc has its own chemical plant, to produce the phenolic resin which gives the exceptional characteristics to the finished products. This integration allows the price optimization and quality insurance.

The event will feature the top billiard professionals and thousands of amateur players vying for $1,000,000 in prizes in 11 events. Some of the top professional players that will be competing are Efren Reyes, Earl Strickland, Francisco Bustamante, Johnny Archer, Nick Varner, Jeremy Jones, Gabe Owen, and Charlie Bryant.

As the official cloth, Simonis Cloth will be the cloth featured on the pool tables at the Galveston World Classic. Simonis cloth will also be featured on the televised pool table at the event, which will be streaming the event at the Ustream channel, Inside POOL Magazine Video.

Bobby Rone of Taylor Road Productions said, “Simonis Cloth is a champion of the pool player and billiards in general. It’s their dedication to professionals and amateurs that has kept this sport alive and kicking. We all see the enormous support that they thanklessly provide year after year and we feel that they are one of the best friends billiards has ever known. We applaud them for their continued support of billiards and we are extremely grateful for stepping up to support the Galveston World Classic.”

The Galveston World Classic event will be STREAMED LIVE and FREE at the event web site, The Galveston World Classic and will be aired throughout Asia with 11 hours of programming on ESPN Star.

Taylor Road Productions, promoters of the Galveston World Classic, is pleased to announce that Simonis Cloth is the official cloth of the Galveston World Classic.

The Galveston World Classic will also be aired on the VERSUS network in a weekly time slot during November and December this year. The air times are listed below:

Wednesday November 11 6-7pm EST
Wednesday November 18 6-7pm EST
Wednesday December 2 6-7pm EST
Wednesday December 9 6-7pm EST
Wednesday December 23 6-7pm EST

To find the VERSUS channel for your cable provider, use this tool:

Versus channel finder

About Taylor Road Productions
Taylor Road Productions is the producer and promoter of the Galveston World Classic from September 11-20, 2009 at Moody Gardens in Galveston, TX. The Galveston World Classic features over $1,000,000 in prize money, will be streamed live online for free, and will be televised in dozens of countries.

The vision of the company is to produce pool and billiard events that promote the sport to a new level by large cash prizes, televised events and high profile events for all to experience. The company web site is The Galveston World Classic.

About Simonis Cloth
Simonis is the oldest company in the billiard industry and the only textile mill in the world dedicated solely to the production of cloth for pool, carom and snooker. Our specialization enables us to maintain the precision and consistency that have become the reference standards for the industry.

Still under the direction of the Simonis family (currently managed by Marc Simonis), our craftsmen in Verviers, Belgium have spent generations raising the weaving of premium quality worsted wool cloth to an art form, ultimately developing superior table coverings that have defined the needs of carom, pool and snooker. To this day, the distinctive quality of Simonis cloth has never been duplicated.

Simonis has always been and we remain the innovators to the billiard industry, and we have always been the standard to which all other cloths try to compare. Manufacturing superior quality cloths since 1680, and with more industry firsts than virtually all other billiard cloth manufacturers combined, you can rest assured that Simonis will remain at the forefront of billiard cloth manufacturing and technology, and will continue to provide the truest playing cloth.

Simonis cloth delivers the most accurate play. For generations, Simonis has focused on what makes for the most accurate, most consistent play and we have woven it into our cloth.

Shane Van Boening and Dennis Orcollo are two of the best players in the world. Both players have been heralded as the heir to the throne as the best player in their respective countries. This challenge match will pit these two straight-shooting, hard playing, all-around champions with one representing the Philippines and the other representing the U.S., in an all-out war to get the cash. The format will be ten-ball, race to 15, with the winner breaking.

The challenge matches will feature some of the world’s top professionals competing during the evening hours of the Galveston World Classic. Currently, two other challenge matches have been announced. Saturday, September 12, 2009 Francisco Bustamante will face off against Charlie Bryant and on Sunday September 13, 2009, Earl Strickland will lock horns with Efren Reyes in what proves to be an epic battle. More matches will be announced shortly.

Taylor Road Productions is pleased to announce a $5,000 challenge match between Van Boening and Orcollo to be held on Monday, September 14, 2009 at 8pm CST.

Bobby Rone of Taylor Road Productions said, “I think that this is going to be a great match. I admire both players’ skills and we’re thrilled to bring this match to eveyrbody. I have no idea who is going to win, but I know it’s going to be one heck of a match and a great one to watch.”

The entire Galveston World Classic event will be STREAMED LIVE FOR FREE at the event web site, http://www.theworldclassic.com and will be aired throughout Asia with 11 hours of programming on ESPN Star and 5 hours of programming on the VERSUS network.

See the odds on the Galveston World Classic

About Taylor Road Productions
Taylor Road Productions is the producer and promoter of the Galveston World Classic from September 11-20, 2009 at Moody Gardens in Galveston, TX. The Galveston World Classic features over $1,000,000 in prize money, will be streamed live online for free, and will be televised in dozens of countries.

The vision of the company is to produce pool and billiard events that promote the sport to a new level by large cash prizes, televised events and high profile events for all to experience. The company web site is http://www.theworldclassic.com

The tournament, which will take place September 11-20 at Moody Gardens in Galveston, Texas, brings together top billiard professionals and thousands of amateur players as they compete in eleven events for a chance to win $1,000,000 in prizes. Top professional players who will be competing include Efren Reyes, Earl Strickland, Francisco Bustamante, Johnny Archer, Nick Varner, Jeremy Jones, Gabe Owen and Charlie Bryant.

Efren "Bata" Reyes will be playing in the 8-Ball, One-Pocket and 10-Ball tournaments at the Galveston World Classic, which has just secured 5 hours of programming on VERSUS.

The complete Galveston World Classic schedule on VERSUS follows (subject to change):

Wednesday, November 11 at 6-7 p.m. ET
Wednesday, November 18 at 6-7 p.m. ET
Wednesday, December 2 at 6-7 p.m. ET
Wednesday, December 16 at 6-7 p.m. ET
Wednesday, December 23 at 6-7 p.m. ET

Bobby Rone of Taylor Road Productions said, “We feel that this is a huge step forward for billiards. We look forward to the opportunity to increase the visibility of billiards by showcasing the Galveston World Classic to a national television audience.”

About Taylor Road Productions
Taylor Road Productions is the producer and promoter of the Galveston World Classic from September 11-20, 2009, at Moody Gardens in Galveston, Texas. The Galveston World Classic features over $1,000,000 in prize money, will be streamed live online for free, and will be televised in dozens of countries.

The vision of the company is to produce pool and billiard events that promote the sport to a new level by large cash prizes, televised events, and high-profile events for all to experience. The company website is http://www.theworldclassic.com.

About VERSUS
VERSUS celebrates real competition across all platforms (VERSUS.com, VERSUS on Demand and VERSUS HD). Now in more than 75 million homes, the network is the national cable home of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the IndyCar® Series as well as best-in-class events such as The Tour de France, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and Professional Boxing. The network also offers collegiate sports featuring nationally-ranked teams from top conferences such as the Pac-10, Big 12, Mountain West and Ivy League. VERSUS features the best field sports programming on television and is a destination for sports fans, athletes and sportsmen to find exclusive, competitive events and original programs, such as Sports Soup and FANARCHY, that audiences can’t find elsewhere. VERSUS, a wholly owned company of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK), is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.

Taylor Road Productions is pleased to announce that the Women’s Open 9-Ball at the Galveston World Classic has been sanctioned by the Women’s Professional Billiard Association (WPBA) today. The event will be one of 4 professional and 7 amateur events staged at the Galveston World Classic, which will be held September 11-20, 2009. The Women’s Open 9-Ball tournament will run September 11-15, 2009.

The Women’s Open 9-Ball was rescheduled to permit the top WPBA players to attend and compete for the $10,000 first place prize. This latest move to sanction the event is one more effort by Taylor Road Productions to guarantee a fantastic inaugural Galveston World Classic.

Taylor Road Productions is pleased to announce that the Women's Open 9-Ball at the Galveston World Classic has been sanctioned by the Women's Professional Billiard Association (WPBA) today.

Anne Craig, WPBA Office and Event Administrator, said of the Galveston World Classic, “I know many of our players, both Pros and Amateurs alike, have expressed keen interest in participating in Galveston World Classic. We look forward to seeing live web coverage featuring the best in the world, including those top WPBA Exempt Professionals who compete in the Women’s 9 Ball Division. Many thanks go out to Robert Rone and Louis Vickio of Taylor Road Productions for the hard work and dedication to promote such a major event.”

The Galveston World Classic event will be STREAMED LIVE and FREE at the event web site, and will be aired throughout Asia with 11 hours of programming on ESPN Star.

Bobby Rone of Taylor Road Productions said, “I think that sanctioning the event with the WPBA is important because it shows our dedication to supporting the women players by providing them a tournament with a larger prize fund in which all can play. We feel that the players will appreciate the payday and the fans will ultimately appreciate Taylor Road Productions making sure that the women pros have a chance to be in attendance.”

About Taylor Road Productions
Taylor Road Productions is the producer and promoter of the Galveston World Classic from September 11-20, 2009 at Moody Gardens in Galveston, TX. The Galveston World Classic features over $1,000,000 in prize money, will be streamed live online for free, and will be televised in dozens of countries.

The vision of the company is to produce pool and billiard events that promote the sport to a new level by large cash prizes, televised events and high profile events for all to experience. The event web site is http://www.theworldclassic.com