CueSports International, Henderson, NV
The winners’ side of the bracket is filled with heavy hitters after the first day of competition was complete at the 2016 US Open 8-Ball Championship at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Thorsten ‘The Hit Man’ Hohmann, Rodney ‘The Rocket’ Morris and the legendary Francisco Bustamante remain on the A-side of the bracket, along with Vilmos Foldes, Amar Kang, Jesse Bowman, Rory Hendrickson, Josh Roberts and Matt Edwards.
The 63-player field was pared to 28 by the time the final rounds finished Saturday night.
Some of those making early exits from the field included Mike Massey, Ernesto Dominguez, Sal Butera, Jason Klatt and Hunter Lombardo.
The B side of the bracket is filled with champions, including Alex Pagulayan, John Schmidt, Shane ‘The South Dakota Kid’ Van Boening, who won the 2016 US Open 10-Ball Championship Friday and Mike “Fireball” Dechaine, the runner-up in the 2015 US Open 8-Ball Championships.
Van Boening , who plays Greg Harada Jr. at 10 a.m. Sunday, was beat 7-9 in the tournament’s first round by Taylor Anderson. Van Boening plays Greg Harada Jr. at 10 a.m. Sunday. John Schmidt, Mr. 400, put Pagulayan in the loser’s bracket in a second-round match. Schmidt was sent to the left side of the bracket the following round by Amar Kang.
The US Open 8-Ball Championship is a true open tournaments. Any player willing to put up the entry fee is allowed to play and the championships traditionally attract the top players in the world. The tournament is being played with Cyclop balls on 7-foot Diamond tables covered with Simonis Cloth.
The 2016 US Open 8-Ball & 10-Ball Championships are being held in conjunction with the 40th BCAPL National Championships, which is taking place through July 30 at The Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. The event features more than 5,000 amateur players representing 47 states, nine Canadian provinces and 11 countries, competing in approximately 40 divisions, on 300 Diamond pool tables. The annual tournament will also include about 50 exhibitors. The Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino is the official host venue. Other sponsors include Viking, Kamui, Omega Billiards, Cyclop, Diamond, Simonis, and Predator.
General admission for spectators not participating in the amateur tournaments is $25 per person per day. Day passes are available at the CSI registration desk in the rotunda outside the Pavilion. Event VIP seats are available for $200 and are available online at http://www.playcsipool.com/2016-vip-seats.html.
To view tournament brackets, go to ctsondemand.com.
For more information, photos, or to set up interviews, contact Mary Coffman, CSI Marketing Manager at 509-308-9814 (cell); or by email at [email protected].
CUTLINE: The legendary Francisco ‘Django’ Bustamante is among the undefeated players at the 2016 US Open 8-Ball Championships at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The tournament continues through Monday.
CSI is the parent company of the BCA Pool League and the USA Pool League. CSI also produces independent events like the US Bar Table Championships, US Open 10-Ball Championship, US Open 8-Ball Championship, and much more. For more information, visit www.playcsipool.com or call CSI at p702-719-POOL.
CueSports International (CSI) ◊ 2041 Pabco Rd., Henderson, NV 89011 ◊ 702-719-7665 ◊ 866-USA-POOL