Austin’s Jennifer Kraber went undefeated in a 32-player field, to capture the seventh stop on the 2019 Gulf Coast Women’s Regional Billiards Tour. In the final, Kraber overcame Ellen Robinson, 7-4, earning her second, Tour title.
On August 3rd-4th, 2019, sponsors Cyclop Pool Balls, Poison by Predator Cues, APA of North Harris County, Vapor Fiend, Outsville Billiards, and venue, Skinny Bob’s Billiards in Round Rock, Texas, facilitated a successful event for the women of the Gulf Coast Tour, producing a $1,640 payout, for the two-day, big table 9-ball event. This was the seventh stop of the 2019 season, held at the renowned, Austin-area, billiards hotspot. The Tour would like to thank owners John and Sue Cielo, and staff, for hosting a first-class event. The final stop will be the annual “Breast Cancer Awareness Event”, October 12th-13th, at Big Tyme Billiards, 100 Cypresswood Drive, in Spring, Texas.
On her way to the winners’ side final four, Jennifer Kraber defeated Loretta “The Gem” Lindgren, Toni “Copperhead” Esteves, 7-0, and former champ, Michelle Cortez, 7-5, while Michelle Abernathy bested newcomer Liana Butler, 7-1, Stacie Putnam, 7-3, and Canadian player, Heather Hatt. Kim “Texas Heat” Pierce ousted Gail “Thunder” Roles, 7-1, Liz Galvan, 7-3, and Tam Trinh, 7-5, while Ellen Robinson tagged Mille Aicinena, 7-2, Ruth Paine, 7-5, and Yvonne “The Casher” Asher, 7-4. On the west side, following a second round loss to Asher, Teresa “Princess of Pool” Garland eliminated new member, Laveta Butler, 5-4, Paine, 5-3, and Cortez, 5-2, reaching the final eight, and the money. Lindgren lost her first match to Kraber, but came alive on the one-loss side, taking out Melissa Smith, 5-3, Galvan, 5-1, San Antonio’s Marilina Nieves, 5-3, and Hatt, 5-4. Rounding out the final eight, Asher dusted off Dallas’ Angie Payne, 5-4, and Trinh ended Aicinena, 5-3. On the winners’ side, Kraber denied Abernathy, 7-5, and Robinson passed Pierce, 7-3. Kraber made quick work of Robinson, 7-3, securing her first hot seat, in her first event of the year. Dueling on the west side, Lindgren slid by Garland, 5-4, but fell to Pierce, 5-1, while Asher overwhelmed Trinh, 5-2, losing in turn to Abernathy, 5-3. While Pierce pushed past Abernathy, 5-2, she hit a road block with Robinson, 5-2.
With that victory, Robinson earned a shot at redemption. Kraber, vying for her second title, Robinson, her third, the stage was set, and the champions teed off. In the first set, Kraber came out firing, and no matter her attempt to remain competitive, Robinson fell short in the first set, 7-4. Congratulations to Jennifer Kraber, on her second, Gulf Coast Tour 9-ball title.
Look at that smile! We don’t think anyone could be happier than Marilina Nieves, who clenched her first second chance 9-ball event. In the final, she defeated BCA Champion, Kim Sanders, in the first set, 3-2. Booking a different kind of win, but a win nonetheless, Dennis Hadley scored a stunning, Poison Arsenic3-2 playing cue in the weekend raffle. His wife, Tracie, took home over one hundred dollars in Jamberry products, donated by Jamberry rep and Gulf Coast Tour player, Michelle Abernathy.
The Tour would like to acknowledge Board of Directors Celeste Espinosa, Kim Pierce, Ruth Paine, and Toni Esteves, who attended, and assisted with running the event, and official event photographer and Tour player, Mille Aicinena, who snapped nearly four hundred player photos. New members at the seventh stop included Diana Cardona, Liana Butler, Laveta Butler, Jennifer Kraber, Heather Hatt, Melissa Smith, Angie Payne, Michelle Cortez, Alex Lavarro, and Gina Tsoumpas. The final stop will be the annual “Breast Cancer Awareness Event”, October 12th-13th, at Big Tyme Billiards, 100 Cypresswood Drive, in Spring, Texas.
Finally, the Gulf Coast Tour $5,000 Added Invitational 9-Ball Event will be held October 31st-November 3rd, at Skinny Bob’s Billiards in Round Rock, Texas. This event will be a culmination of sixty-four of the best, female, regional tour pool players in the country. The event will be played on fourteen (14) 9’ Brunswick Gold Crown tables. This will be a non-smoking tournament, featuring mini bar table 9-ball tournaments on Friday and Saturday night, and a final thirty-two player auction on Saturday night. This Invitational is presented by Vapor Fiend, www.onlinevapestore.com, and will offer free live streaming. For more information, visit www.GulfCoastWomensTour.com.
Payouts
1st Jennifer Kraber $600
2nd Ellen Robinson $400
3rd Kim Pierce $280
4th Michelle Abernathy $170
5th-6th Loretta Lindgren, Yvonne Asher $65 ea
7th-8th Teresa Garland, Tam Trinh $30 ea