Next in Line

Corteza has impressed in America with deep runs at Derby (above) and the U.S. Open. (Photo by Sam Gray)

The real action in the latter part of the 1990s was back in Manila, in places such as the legendary Farmer's Plaza poolhall, where greats like Efren Reyes, Bustamante, Rodolfo Luat and dozens of other top talents gathered nightly for huge money games. After hanging around the scene for a few years, Corteza found a new stake horse who put him up against players just outside the realm of Bustamante and Reyes.

"I started playing the best players like [Antonio] Lining, [Warren] Kiamco, Snooky Villanueva," Corteza said. "And I won a lot at that time."

But Corteza wanted more out of pool than just winning money games. His talent caught the eye of the national association, which gave Corteza a coveted spot on the Philippines' team to the Asian Games in 1998. He again played for Team Philippines in the 1999 South East Asian Games and won gold in 8-ball and 9-ball.

For the next few years, Corteza's career continued on a steady trajectory upward. Longtime pool patron Aristeo Puyat briefly managed him and helped Corteza get entries into the 2002 and 2003 World Pool Championships, where he placed 33rd and 17th, respectively. "I was a good player then, but I [didn't] have enough experience in big tournaments," Corteza admitted.

He would prove himself in grand style in 2004 when he captured the Manila leg of the prestigious San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour. Playing in front of the home crowd, and with a live audience of millions watching around Asia, Corteza took down heroes Reyes and Bustamante for the title.

For Corteza, the timing couldn't have been more perfect. The Philippines was no longer just about Reyes and Bustamante and Jose Parica and Luat. There were hordes of other talents waiting to burst out and claim their stake on the international scene. Corteza was among the leaders of this wave. But the rush to superstardom got derailed.

A local promotional company signed Corteza, along with several other rising players such as Orcollo, Marlon Manalo and Antonio Gabica. The players received a signing bonus and a coveted monthly salary. But the company never promoted any tournaments and wouldn't allow its players to play in other events. Within months, the other players bolted to other managers. Corteza, afraid of being sued and with some misplaced sense of loyalty, wanted to honor the contract. Stuck in no man's land, he missed out on big events. Finally, with the help of a lawyer, he got out of the contract after a year of relative inactivity.

With the World Pool Championship having come to the Philippines in 2006 and the burgeoning International Pool Tour promising hefty paydays, Corteza was in danger of missing out on the fun. Although he had won the All Japan Open in 2006, he still had no proper backing to finance the type of career of which he felt he was worthy. Early in 2007, desperate for help in getting his career back on track, Corteza contacted businessman Jonathan Sy, who at the time was managing nearly two dozen pool players.

"He called me up," said Sy, a successful sugar trader from the island of Negros. "He needed help because his career wasn't going anywhere. He needed the right backing. And I needed a marquee player."

Sy recalled backing Luat, his best player at the time, countless times against Corteza in money games and having little to show for it. "I'd always been impressed with Lee Vann's game," Sy said. "I backed Luat versus him so many times in money games, and I think Luat only won once. I was impressed by his shot-making. I said to myself, 'If this guy gets the right backing, he can go places. He'll make the people of the Philippines proud.'"

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