World Pool Championships Down to the Single Knock Out Stage

It's been a tough 5 days in the Philippines as half the field at the 2007 World 9-Ball Championships will have to try to earn a trip back to compete next year as they have been eliminated from this years event. This was the case for Canadians Tyler Edey, Ronnie Wiseman, John Morra and Edwin Montal as they did not get past the group stage.

Our hopes are with Alain Martel who is no stranger to top finishes in this event and Pilipino Canadian Alex Pagulayan who in 2004 was on top of the World earning this title!!

Keep an eye on the World Pool Championship official site for up to the minute match results!

Two great things are going on this year.

First you can bet all the matches at StanJames.com, good luck to everyone hope you pick nothing but winners!

Second you can watch the event online for free! Just download the SopCast player below and install it. When you run it the easiest way to get to the pool is by clicking on ESPN under the channel list tab. You will have to wait a minute for the channel to come in. I'm not sure what time this event is on but I would think it starts late in the day and goes through the night, there is a 12 hour time difference.

Alex Pagulayan

Personal Background

• Name: Alejandro Salvador Pagulayan
• Also Known as: Alex Pagulayan, "The Lion" and "The Killer Pixie"
• Sex: Male
• Age: 29 Years Old
• Date of Birth: Born 1978
• Place of Birth: Cabagan, Isabela, Philippines
• Country: Philippines-Canada
• Nationality: Filipino-Canadian
• Spouse: na
• Hobbies: Playing Pool, Poker, Chess and Basketball
• Sports: Billiards

Achievements:

• 2007 World Summit of Pool
• 2006 Philippine National Championship
• 2005 Philippines Snooker Team Gold Medal, SEA Games
• 2005 US Open Nine-ball Championship
• 2005 Derby City Classic Ten-ball Ring Game Champion
• 2005 SML Entertainment Nine-ball Champion
• 2004 WPA World Nine-ball Championship
• 2003 Joss Tour Grand Final Winner
• 2003 Carolinas Open Nine-ball Division, Goldsboro, North Carolina
• 2003 IBC Western Canadian Open
• 2002 World Pool Trickshot Champion

Trivia:

Early days

• Pagulayan's parents emigrated to Canada when he was 15 years old. His father managed a pool hall, so Pagulayan's exposure to the game came early. Though he was attracted to others sports, he thought his stature may not have been right. "I like a lot of sports, but with pool, you don't have to be physically tough. His main hotspot was the pool call "Loma's".

Professional career

• Pagulayan also has expertise in the pocket billiards game of snooker, and his capabilities enabled his Philippines team to win the Snooker Gold Medal at the 2005 SEA Games (held in Manila, Philippines) with teammates Joven Alba and Leonardo Andam. After the team's 3–2 win against Thailand at the Makati Coliseum, Pagulayan emerged as a triple Gold Medalist.

• Very skilled players in nine-ball have the tendency to sometimes pocket four or even five balls on the break. Pagulayan in the first rack of the semi-finals in the 2004 BCA Open, sank six balls on the break, two-thirds of the entire rack. (But note that Rodolfo Luat also performed a similar feat in a Japanese tournament.) Pagulayan's break did not include the 9 ball, and despite the six ball advantage, he lost that game (to fellow countryman Santos Sambajon).

• In 2002, Pagulayan made it to finals of the US Open Nine-ball Championship, but was defeated by Ralf Souquet, 11–13. Three years later, he got another shot for the US Open Nine-ball Championship title and won it, defeating Jose Parica in the finals, 11–6.

• In 2003, Pagulayan went on the road in the United States with Canadian pool player Ronnie Wiseman to compete in pocket billiard tournaments. They both scored a double victory at the Carolinas Open at Fast Eddie's in Goldsboro, North Carolina, with Wiseman winning the one-pocket tournament and Pagulayan winning the nine-ball event. Later in 2003, Pagulayan reached the finals of the World Nine-ball Championship. Unfortunately, he was bested by Thorsten Hohmann 10-17.

• In 2004 in Taipei, Taiwan, Pagulayan captured the prestigous World Pool Championship title, representing Canada. The score was a 17–13 victory over Pei-wei Chang in the finals.
• In 2006, Pagulayan won the first national championship of the Billiards and Snooker Congress of Philippines (BSCP), besting Gandy Valle in the finals and earning P1,000,000 (US$20,639).

• Not many pool players in the Philippines excel at or even play straight pool. For a number of years, Efren Reyes was the only Filipino player known to have made runs of 100 or more. However, at an demonstration match at the 2006 Derby City Classic in Kentucky, Pagulayan made a high run of 130, the second-highest of the event. This makes him the second Filipino player known to have run 100 balls in straight pool in controlled competition.

• In 2007, won the World Summit of Pool nine-ball championship held at the Riviera Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. American Shane Van Boening defeated Pagulayan earlier in the event, 11–4, but the veteran Pagulayan came back from the losing bracket of the double-elimination tournament chart by beating fellow countrymen Francisco Bustamante and Warren Kiamco, only to face Van Boening in the final round. The semi-finals as well as the final matches were recorded by ESPN for future broadcast, and the final match between Pagulayan and Van Boening was a race to 7. Pagulayan shot out with a strong lead, 4–1, but Van Boening managed to tie the score at 5–5. However, after Pagulayan three-fouled him, resulting in a loss of game for Van Boening, Pagulayan advanced forward and captured the title in the final game, ending the match at 7–5.
  

Personal life

• Despite his 2004 relocation to the Philippines, Pagulayan still officially has a mailing address in Canada. In March 2007, when asked where he resides in a Pool Billiards News interview, Pagulayan jokingly replied, "My suitcase. Yes. That's where I live right now – out of my suitcase!"

• Aside from pool, Alex also plays poker, chess and basketball.

World Pool Championships Starts Today

So it's that time of year again and several Canadians are over in the Philippines trying to be crowned World 9-Ball Champion. Alex Pagulayan, Brady Gollan, Alain Martel, Edwin Montal, Tyler Edey, Ronnie Wiseman and John Morra join 121 other players from around the world in competition this week. Good luck to all our friends!!

Two great things are going on this year.

First you can bet matches on StanJames.com, good luck to everyone hope you pick nothing but winners!

Second you can watch the event online for free! Just download the SopCast player below and install it. When you run it the easiest way to get to the pool is by clicking on ESPN under the channel list tab. You will have to wait a minute for the channel to come in. I'm not sure what time this event is on but I would think it starts late in the day and goes through the night, there is a 12 hour time difference.

Pagulayan and Morra Match Up

Las Vegas, Nevada home of the World Sumit of Pool has been host to many Canadians over the las two days including Alex Pagulayan and John Morra who found themselves in a meeting a few rounds into the A side. Early results have Alex taking this one over the young man who has idolized him.

Morra upset veteran Mika Immonen 11-8 but was not the onlyu JR making waves while 13 year old Austin Murphy schooled the older Walter Glass 11-4. Pagulayan won over Hemmah, Bustamante won 11-7 over Robles, Moore won a close 11-9 over Jones in a near 3 hour match battle, and Van Boening continues his dominance with 11-7 victory over fellow South Dakota native Lee Heuwagen.

Alex Pagulayan vs Shane Van Boening Rematch Tonight

The scene was set, it was the Derby City Action Room in Louisville Kentucky. The players were ready, the game was made.

Alex Pagulayan played Shane Van Boening a race to 21 in 10 ball last night and into this morning with over 10k on the line. I was lucky enough to check out theactionreport.com last night and watch their live video feed of the action as it happened. When I started watching Shane was up 13-7 after an early 6-2 lead. Alex mounted a come back to get the match to 14-12 and then found himself out paced as Shane brought the score to 20-15. Alex with the heart of a Lion did not quit and though he brought the match to 20-20 and made an amazing kick shot to have an open shot to win the match he was left with a bank. Unfortunately for his fans Alex came up short shooting the bank and would have been safe except the bank hit the horn of the side pocket and hung in the corner for Shane to make the routine run out.

It was truly one of the best fought back and forth matches I have ever watched and tonight they have scheduled a rematch, you can watch the stream for $15 which you can purchase and connect to through out friends at theactionreport.com.

User DeadPoke on AZBilliards posted this funny moment from just before the match last night, anyone the knows Alex can totally see him saying this and them laughing.

Top Players Featured in this Weekends Stan James Event at Shooters

Jim Wych takes his Stan James 9-ball tour to Shooters in Scarborough this weekend. Room owner John White is welcoming the players with brand new cloth making for excellent playing conditions for Canadas best. Aside from that Shooters has a great menu at great prices and players and spectators alike will be treated to excellent service.

So whats the action going to be like?

Well it should start up Friday night as local players and those ariving from across Canada go to get a little practice in before the event. We have seen some great matches on the Friday evening at past events and this should be no different.

Who will be there?

Originally Alex Pagulyan was scheduled to compete in this event but will no longer be attending. However this event will showcase an awesome field of players ready to battle for the cash and the points. Here's a quick rundown of other notable names, Alain Martel, Edwin Montal, Luc Salvas, Danny Hewitt, Erik Hjorleifson, Jason Klatt, and John Morra.

For a current list of players scheduled to be there visit the tours title sponsor StanJames.com.

If you desire more detailed information about this Tour please call Tour Director Jim Wych at 905-469-8303 for more details. Details are also available at the CBSA website: www.cbsa.ca

If your interested in placing some bets on your favourite players it's very easy.

1. Go to www.stanjames.com and sign up for an account.
* Accounts are free and you get a bonus equalling your first bet up to $50.
2. After your registered click on Pool from the list on the left.
3. Check out the lines and place your bets.

Good luck players and betters!

Red-hot Pagulayan rules Japan 9-Ball Open

Former World Pool champion Alex Pagulayan demolished Taiwanese Ro Li-wen, 9-6, Sunday to win the 17th Japan 9-Ball Open in Tokyo, Japan.

Pagulayan, a native of Cabagan, Isabela, but who is now based in Toronto, Canada, captured the top prize of 1.5 million yen (about P675,00) in clinching his first major title this year.

The 2004 world pool champion had eliminated compatriot and defending champion Antonio Lining, 9-6, to reach the finals.

Pagulayan, also the 2005 US Open champion and 2006 BSCP national titlist in Manila, beat Naoyuki Ooi of Japan in the quarterfinals, 9-6, after hurdling fellow Filipino Rodolfo Luat in the round of 16, 9-5.

Ro Li-wen secured the other title slot at the expense of fellow Taiwanese Kuo Po-cheng, 9-6.

Lining made it to the semifinals by ousting Ramil Gallego, 9-5, after surviving Dennis Orcollo, 9-6, in the round of 16.

Also reaching the round-of-16 were Kuo Po-Cheng of Chinese-Taipei, Naoyuki Ooi, 17-year-old Hayato Hijikata and Mekari Tomoki of Japan and former world No. 1 Francisco “Django” Bustamante and Roel Esquillo of the Philippines.

Other Filipinos who saw action were Efren “Bata” Reyes, double world champion Ronato Alcano, Lee Van Corteza, Jharome Peña and last year’s runner-up Dondon Razalan.

Advancing to the quarterfinals in the ladies division were Japanese Akimi Kajitani, Kawahara Chihiro, Yukawa Keiko, Fuke Miyuki, Sone Kyoko and Shimizu Kazuko and Lai Hui-shan of Chinese-Taipei.