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Alex the Great

The annual Derby City Classic once again set the pool universe on tilt, and Alex Pagulayan once again made his claim as one of the best all-around players in the game.

Story by BD Staff
Photos by JP Parmentier



Alex Pagulayan

Watching Alex Pagulayan put on another vintage performance at the annual Derby City Classic, his emotions flowing like bills at the host Horseshoe Southern Indiana Casino's various ATMs, it becomes difficult to understand why the 37-year-old "Killer Pixie" doesn't play in more events each year. And why he doesn't win more often than his record indicates. Since bursting onto the pool scene with back-to-back appearances in the final of the World Pool Championship in 2003 and 2004 (winning the title in 2004), the pint-sized Filipino-Canadian has dazzled and entertained pool fans with his skill at the table and with his self-deprecating sense of humor before, during and after matches. Between daring and creative shots, Pagulayan can often be heard laughing at his occasional misfortunes and asking opponents and railbirds alike for suggestions on how to play the next shot.

After taking an unsuccessful run at the professional snooker tour in the United Kingdom in 2014, Pagulayan has played only sporadically in the U.S. in the past two years, but Derby City has been his personal domain. For the second year in a row, Pagulayan dominated the one-pocket division and finished second in the 9-ball division en route to the coveted (and rewarding) Master of the Table crown. In doing so, Pagulayan joined countryman Efren Reyes and Shane Van Boening as the only players in the 18-year history of the event to win back-to-back Master of the Table honors. Pagulayan remains the only player to have won each of the three major DCC divisions - 9-Ball Banks (2011), One-Pocket (2014, 2015) and 9-Ball (2013).

"I don't know if I'd say this is 'my' tournament," said Pagulayan, following his loss to Van Boening in the event-ending 9-ball final. "I've had a pretty good 10 days. I've gotten some good rolls. And I also played well.

"I love Derby City," he added. "It's the best one-pocket tournament, and I love one-pocket. Also, there are a lot of events to play in at one time, which is good for me." While Pagulayan has enjoyed more success than any player in the past two years, he's clearly not the only player who loves pool's annual smorgasbord. The official count of individual players who entered one or more of the various Derby City events is hard to decipher, but it's safe to say that more than 500 players posted entries in the three main divisions, with entry records set in each. In all, 1,278 entries in the three divisions signified a nearly 20 percent increase over 2015. (Having all those players crammed into one ballroom in the middle of winter, many of the players logging 14-hour days on the tables, may also have qualified the tournament room as the world's largest petri dish.)

Three divisions not enough? For the past decade, the DCC has also offered a straight pool competition in addition to a 9-ball banks ring game, countless high-stakes action match-ups and the recently added Big Foot 10-Ball Challenge, a 16-player battle on a 10-foot Diamond table. Sensory overload is an understatement, even for hardcore pool fans that consider Diamond Billiard Products' annual pool festival the second coming of Johnston City. Still, the Derby City Classic continues to grow and cement its spot as one of America's great pool tournaments.


Derby City Bank Pool Division "How about we play a little Banks" - Freddie "the Beard" Bentivegna



Brumback showed why he's Banks chairman.

Four hundred and seventy-four bankers answered Freddie's call to the 9-Ball Banks Division, and it was an impressive display of the cult following that loves the late bank legend's game. All 55 Diamond pool tables were abuzz with the sound of thumping straight-backs and sizzling side pocket shots. There is no other spectacle in pool like Bank Pool, with everyone delighting in each and every successful conversion.

Additionally, Bank Pool is a game void of luck, as every shot must be made cleanly, and the winner can only be decided by the skill of his play. After two days of continual play, the proof was in the list of survivors. All were names to be reckoned with in the pool world. Two-time champion John Brumback led the charge, followed by Shane Van Boening, Dennis Orcollo, Earl Strickland, Corey Deuel, Jayson Shaw, Jeremy Jones and Francisco Bustamante - all so familiar to pool fans that we know them on a first-name basis. The well-decorated stars were joined on the final day by Alex Olinger, a rising star from the Dayton stable of Bank Pool diehards, Billy Thorpe, a nineteen-year-old prodigy who is making a big push for pool stardom and Jesse Bowman, a name more familiar in bar table circles, but a player who possesses the all-around game of a champion.

Only 10 could play, so in the redraw format used at Derby City, Francisco Bustamante got the bye. Young Mr. Thorpe took on the veteran Bowman and sent him home, 3-1. Brumback handed Orcollo his first loss, and Strickland sent Van Boening to the showers with his second loss. Jones sidelined Shaw with a loss and Deuel pinned one on Olinger.

With nine players remaining, the lucky bye went to Brumback, who still had not suffered a loss. Bustamante and Strickland tangled first and it was a slugfest with little regard for safeties. At 2-2 in games, Bustamante took a 4-3 lead in ball count, leaving him only one ball from victory. On his next shot he scratched in the corner, making the score 3-3 and giving Strickland ball-in-hand behind the line. He punched one straight back and left himself a cross-side for the win. Bang! Just like that it was over and Bustamante had been eliminated. A similar scenario occurred in the next match between Orcollo and Jones, as Orcollo jumped ahead, 2-0. Jones won the third game to trail, 2-1. Tied 4-4 in game four and shooting at his out ball, Orcollo scratched, giving way to Jones, who made a nice cross-corner bank to tie the match, 2-2. In the final game Orcollo jumped ahead, 3-0, and, following a scratch by Jones, drilled home the last two banks he needed to close out the match.

Thorpe had Olinger on the ropes, 2-0, but allowed him to wiggle off the hook. Ahead, 2-1, and with the ball count was 3-3, Thorpe shot for the victory, but an inadvertent scratch in the side handed the table to Olinger, who cleaned up the two balls he needed to knot the score at 2-2. With new life, Olinger blitzed Thorpe in the final game to tag him with his first loss. The last match of the round was not nearly as dramatic, as Shaw pounded on Deuel, 3-1, to send him to the pay window with his second loss.

With just six players remaining, a focused Brumback made quick work of Thorpe, destroying his hopes with a 3-0 bombardment in only 30 minutes. Olinger jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead on Orcollo. After Orcollo battled back to tie the match, 2-2, Olinger slammed the door with a 5-0 whitewash in the case game. Meanwhile, Shaw jumped ahead of Strickland, 2-0, only to see Strickland win the next two and create another one-game scenario. Shaw proved up to the task, running three and two to make quick work of the case game.

Three players remained, and only Brumback had yet to buy back in. Still, in the quirky format, Shaw drew a bye into the title match, forcing Brumback to face Olinger. Undaunted, Brumback proceeded to put on a banking clinic. In game one, Brumback fired in a pair of three-railers en route to a 5-2 win. In the second game, Brumback again unleashed his offensive game (with a key safety thrown in for good measure) to win, 5-2. The Master of the Banks strut his best stuff in a 5-0 clincher.

Having captured the Big Foot 10-Ball Challenge the night before, Shaw entered the finale loose and confident. The lefthander took the opening game, 5-4, making Brumback play from behind for the first time in the tournament. The Kentuckian made amends with a four-ball run to win the second game, 5-1. The game tightened up, with both players scratching several times in the third game. At 4-4, a safety battle ensued and Shaw slammed home the first open shot to take a 2-1 lead. Brumback controlled the fourth game, 5-2, to force a decider. The pride of Owensboro quickly took charge with three pretty banks, and converted the final two needed in the next inning, becoming the first player to win the 9-Ball Banks Division three times. (Brumback has three runner-up finishes as well.)

Afterward, a delighted Brumback gave credit to sparring partner Scott Frost. "Scott spent a week practicing with me before Derby City," the champion said. "It helped me get ready. I knew Jayson would be a dangerous opponent, but I didn't think about that during the match. I just play the ball and the table. Last year, Jayson asked me for a copy of my Bank Pool DVD and I didn't want to give it to him. I was afraid it might come back to bite me in the ass and it almost did."

"I'm not disappointed," Shaw insisted. "I'm happy to make the finals against John. He's the best after all. I was afraid he might blow me out, so I'm glad that it was a long match. I learned a lot watching his DVD. Thanks John!"
- By Jay Helfert

The Big Foot 10-Ball Challenge Shaw gains toehold in Big Foot



A focused Shaw blitzed Van Boening in the Big Foot final.

Once again, 16 of the world's best assembled to do battle in what has become one of the premier events at Derby City - the single-elimination Big Foot 10-Ball Challenge. A strong five-man contingent represented the Philippines, three of Taiwan's best entered the fray for the first time, two Canadians graced the field, the U.S. featured three stars, and three Europeans rounded out the field.

The first match set the tone for Day One, as first-timer Ruslan Chinahov of Russia faced last year's runner-up Lee Vann Corteza. Chinahov started strong, not missing anything as he stormed to a 7-1 lead in the race-to-11. Incredibly, one missed ball proved Chinahov's undoing. Corteza displayed a hot hand and climbed back into the match, pulling to within two games at 10-8. Chinahov had opportunities to close out the match in the next two games, but each time relinquished the table. At 10-10, Corteza broke and ran the final rack to steal the match.

The comebacks continued in the second match, featuring traveling buddies Dennis Orcollo and Carlo Biado. Biado forged to a 10-6 lead and was one game away from defeating his mentor. The 2013 Big Foot champion was not to be denied, however, and Orcollo authored one marvelous run-out after another to sweep the final five games and move on to round two.

In what could easily be a final match in a major championship, Alex Pagulayan took on U.S. Open champ Kevin Cheng. Cheng showed why he was the boss of the Open and powered his way to the hill at 10-7. A moment of carelessness opened the door for Pagulayan, and he immediately took command, winning the final four games and leaving a dejected Cheng in his chair to contemplate what had gone wrong.

In the last match of the day the venerable Efren Reyes took on Darren Appleton, 2015's leading money winner. In a grinding match that featured long safety battles and difficult table layouts, Reyes kept his poise to post the 11-9 win. It was the only match of a long first day that had not gone to a deciding game.

The second half of round one was played on day two, with the two-time defending champion Shane Van Boening leading off against 2014 runner-up Niels Feijen. After some spotty play by both players, Van Boening caught fire and turned a meager 6-4 lead into a convincing 11-5 win.

Prematch gossip questioned 51-year-old Francisco Bustamante's ability to hang with world No.1 Pin-Yi Ko, but the still-dangerous Bustamante answered with a virtuoso performance, shooting a tourney best .940 to down Ko, who also played at a solid .900 pace, 11-8.

In a match-up of top young players, Scotland's Jayson Shaw took on young Canadian, John Morra. The two traded racks until reaching 4-4, when Shaw went on a run, reeling off six quick racks in only 20 minutes to reach the hill, 10-4. It was a stunning run that had the crowd buzzing with delight. To his credit, Morra drew back to 10-7 before Jayson put the finishing touches on the proceedings to win, 11-7.

The last match of the day pitted road mates Justin Bergman and Skyler Woodward, at 22, the youngest player ever to compete in this event. The added difficulty of the monster 10-foot Diamond table was apparent, as both youngsters missed long shots and errant banks. Woodward maintained his poise, however, and managed an 11-5 win.

Each match in the final eight was worth a minimum of $4,000, and it started with Shaw against Woodward. For all practical purposes, the match was over early, as Shaw continued with the form that catapulted him over Morra a day earlier. Running through racks in record time, Shaw reminded some of the late "Machine Gun" Lou Butera. Shaw shot and immediately raced to where the cue ball would stop. As soon as it did, he got down and fired again. The result was an 11-4 thrashing.

Compatriots Orcollo and Corteza were up next and Orcollo looked the more comfortable of the two, racing out to a 9-4 lead with solid .900 play. Corteza battled back, winning the next three games, but it was too little too late, with Orcollo taking the final two racks.

The second round also saw an exhibition by The "Old Guard" of Philippine pool -Reyes vs. Bustamante. The legends didn't disappoint, with a match featuring all aspects of high level pool: good safety play, excellent kick shot escapes and nice shot making under pressure. Reyes, seemingly inspired to be playing his old friend, turned in a 'tour de force' performance. The "Magician" pulled out all the stops and delighted the crowd with his clever and ingenious play on the way to an 11-7 victory.

The final round of eight match-up pitted old rivals Pagulayan and Van Boening, but what looked to be a real shootout fizzled as Van Boening turned on the afterburners and blitzed Pagulayan, 11-4. It was a dominating performance by the player many think is the world's best at rotation games.

The first semifinal match featured the old school versus the young gun. In the early going, the cagey Reyes tied Shaw up in knots, making him shoot his way out of spots he was uncomfortable with. The plan worked for a while, with Reyes scratching and clawing his way to a 5-4 lead. Then the roof caved in. Shaw found a shot he liked and went to work, winning games in rapid fire style, his superior shot-making on display once again. Shaw stormed to a 9-5 lead, eventually winning, 11-7.

The Accu-Stats arena was packed in anticipation of the war between rivals Van Boening and Orcollo. With tension between the bitter enemies palpable, play suffered in the early going, with each player missing opportunities. Orcollo raced off to a 5-0 lead before the wheels fell off. One miss after another by the jittery Orcollo allowed Van Boening to tie the match, 5-5. The pair traded misses and games until it reached 9-9, where Orcollo appeared to be running out to reach the hill. Instead, he flubbed an easy 7 ball to hand the game to Van Boening. Taking full advantage of the gift, Van Boening broke and ran through the final rack for an 11-9 win and a chance to win his third consecutive Big Foot title.

The two best players all week met in the finals and traded run-outs until reaching 3-3. Shaw then went on one of his patented tears, reeling off five quick games to jump ahead, 8-3. The mercurial lefty sliced and diced his way through rack after rack. Van Boening failed to find an adequate response and Shaw coasted to an 11-5 victory. "It feels great to win against the best players in the world," Shaw proclaimed. "I really like the 10-foot table now that I have an extension on my cue. It was nice to beat Shane, since he just beat me in the Make It Happen event last month." "I don't feel bad about second in the Big Foot," Van Boening said. "There are many good players here and I can't win every time. I like playing Jayson. He's a friend of mine. And I love playing on the 10-foot table. You need all your skills here!"
- By Jay Helfert

Derby City Classic One-Pocket Division Back-to-back for Pagulayan



Fiejen (right) had to hand it to Pagulayan (left), who once again proved that he is the best one-pocket player in the world.

One-pocket is the toughest division in the Derby City Classic. It overlaps the end of the Banks division, the beginning of the 9-Ball division, and events such as the Big Foot Challenge, the Straight Pool Challenge and the finals of American Rotation. The better players get worked like dogs, and, with the painfully dry air in Caesars Horseshoe Southern Indiana, many have what sounds like kennel cough to prove it.

But, hey, it's a de facto world championship, and a critical step toward the Master of the Table title and an additional $20,000. The players are willing to endure the grueling schedules, the sore throats and the long matches - one of which, courtesy of Jose Parica and Shane Winters, clocked in at a record-setting eight hours.

The early rounds of the 2016 edition were exciting for a number of reasons, not the least of which was Jayson Shaw. The Scot had been splitting time between 9-Ball Banks and the Big Foot Challenge (and playing phenomenally in both), and seemed to ride that momentum in his One-Pocket matches.

Meanwhile, American Mosconi Cup team member Skyler Woodward was eliminated in the fourth round, as was former DCC One-Pocket champion Cliff Joyner. The fifth round began the money rounds, and one-pocket specialist Richie Richeson eliminated former U.S. Open 9-Ball champion Rodney Morris, while James Baraks eliminated DCC former 9-Ball Banks and Master of the Table John Brumback. Jesse Bowman eliminated Danny Smith, which was likely okay with Smith, who was more or less living upstairs in the Action Room, battling Omar Alshaheen.

In the sixth round, ageless Jose Parica handed Josh Roberts his first loss, and Tony Chohan, after a six-year hiatus, rebounded from a 2-1 deficit to eliminate former DCC Master of the Table Shannon Daulton. Efren Reyes - former champion of everything and the crowd's sentimental favorite - went to the hill against former DCC One-Pocket champion Scott Frost, and in the final game made an amazing cut shot to win the match.

By the seventh round, the field of 402 players had been winnowed down to 46. No easy draws. Jeremy Jones gave Reyes his first loss, while Frost was eliminated by Evan Lunda.

Through the eighth round, only Justin Bergman, Mike Davis, Corey Deuel, Shannon Murphy and Shaw remained unbeaten. As always, a few players not known for one-pocket made surprising runs, including U.S Open Champion Yu Hsuan Cheng and former world 9-Ball champions Darren Appleton and Niels Feijen.

Eliminated in the 10th round were Baraks, Bergman, Carlo Biado, and Shane Van Boening. With eight players left, attention turned to 2015 champion, Alex Pagulayan. Could Pagulayan pull off another win?

Pagulayan responded to the questions in the 11th round by knocking out his countryman, Dennis Orcollo. Deuel eliminated Davis and, in a shocker, Niels Fiejen eliminated an exhausted Reyes. Shaw, appearing unbeatable in any sport involving a cue, won the first two games in his match with Shannon Murphy. But Murphy caught his own gear and won the next two games. Murphy punctuated his comeback with an 8-0 win in the decisive rack. Murphy's good fortune continued in round 12, as he drew the precious bye. With just five players remaining, Deuel exited courtesy of Pagulayan. In a match-up of eagle-eyed 9-ballers, Feijen and Shaw displayed moments of both brilliance and blunder. Between go-for-broke banks and incredible shots, each player suffered through unthinkable scratches and mental mistakes. In the end, Feijen claimed the match, 3-1, although it could be argued that he simply accepted a match that Shaw gave away. With just three players remaining, Pagulayan drew the bye, leaving Feijen to battle Murphy. Feijen's edge in shot-making ability and experience at this level of play was stark contrast to local favorite Murphy's experience at banks and one-pocket. The players split the first four games, during which Murphy, although comfortable in his element, seemed to know that some of his attempts were poor choices. Feijen, on the other hand, seemed constantly baffled, approaching nearly every shot with the intensity of somebody defusing a bomb. At hill-hill, Feijen defused the bomb to move on to the final.

The finale clearly favored Pagulayan. He has won all three divisions of the Derby City Classic, he's last year's One-Pocket champ, and he banks like somebody born in the Kentucky region of the Philippines. The final opened with Feijen breaking, Pagulayan taking a smart scratch and Feijen shooting a dead ball from the stack. With Feijen leading, 7-6, Pagulayan missed a difficult shot, handing the opener to Feijen.

In game 2, Feijen attempts an uncharacteristically foolish shot, and Pagulayan runs out for the win.

Pagulayan began to put his full arsenal on display in the third game, and it appeared to wear Feijen down. During a protracted safety battle (with the clock nearing 2:00 a.m.), the score stood at -2 to -4, advantage Pagulayan. Waking many in the audience, Pagulayan finally banked in the eighth ball to take the game and reach the hill.

Not surprisingly, following Pagulayan's break in the fourth game, Feijen attemped a difficult (i.e., crazy and desperate) cut shot, bringing the cue ball around three rails for position, almost. Pagulayan calmly ran seven balls, eventually winning the game, the match and his second straight DCC One-Pocket title.

"Right now, one-pocket is probably my best game," Pagulayan said afterwards. "That's because my shot-making ability is okay, but it's really not even in the top 50.

"The game is different today, though," Pagulayan continued. "It's not like the old days, where you had to fight for shots. Today, if you give a straight-shooter one shot, that's all it takes. It's not one or two balls at a time. You can't play old one-pocket anymore."

"Alex is the best one-pocket player in the world," opined hall of fame player Danny DiLiberto, himself a great all-around player and respected match commentator. "He plays the game right. He doesn't shoot many wrong shots. There are a lot of really straight shooters out there who did well because they shoot so straight. But they don't know the game and, in the end, you've got to know the moves."
- By J.D. Dolan

DCC 9-Ball Division Van Boening nabs another DCC crown.



In danger of being left out of the winner's circle, Van Boening responded in 9-ball.

There is always a great deal at stake in the Derby City Classic 9-Ball Division, which traditionally closes the books on the annual pool rodeo. For starters, 9-ball has long been considered the glamour division, with the game's top players far more recognizable than most of the bank pool and one-pocket aficionados who emerge once a year from neighboring states in the Mid-South to battle in the high-profile setting.

Additionally, the 9-ball division usually has a significant impact on the Master of the Table race. With one-pocket and 9-ball banks already completed, the battle for the coveted title and its $20,000 reward usually crystalizes early in the 9-ball competition. The top contenders heading into the 9-ball event were one-pocket winner Alex Pagulayan and Jayson Shaw, who surprised everyone (including himself) with top-four finishes in both one-pocket (fourth) and 9-ball banks (second). Holland's Niels Feijen, by virtue of his runner-up finish in one-pocket, was within striking distance, as were perennial all-around threats Dennis Orcollo and Shane Van Boening.

Finally, the 9-ball division at Derby City was tabbed by Matchroom Sport as a points event in the race for spots on Team USA for the 2016 Mosconi Cup. Several players, including Oscar Dominguez and Rodney Morris, showed up in Elizabeth City solely to compete the 9-ball division.

They weren't alone. A record 406 players ponied up for the rotation game and the requisite chaos commenced. The unique "buy-back" employed at the DCC differentiates it from standard double-elimination events. Players pay a modest ($160) entry fee for the event. Once they lose a match, the have a one-time option to buy back into the next round for $100. Because of the buy-back option, the event doesn't run on a standard double-elimination brackets sheet. Instead, rounds feature redraws. And because buy-backs can create an odd number of players in a round, some players receive byes deep into the tournament.

The field itself was stacked, with the always-lethal Filipino contingent (Efren Reyes, Francisco Bustamante, Orcollo, Lee Vann Corteza, Jeffrey Ignacio and Pagulayan) leading the charge. Double world champion Pin-Yi Ko, brother Ping-Chung and reigning U.S. Open 9-Ball champion Kevin Chang carried Taiwan's hopes, while European stalwarts Ralf Souquet and Thorsten Hohmann of Germany, and the Dutch trio of Feijen, Nick van den Berg and Alex Lely figured to make a statement.

The division's biggest surprise, however, may well have been the performance of the Russian entrants. Under the tutelage of celebrated former Team Europe coach Johann Ruijsink, Russians Ruslan Chinahov, Konstantin Stepanov, Fedor Gorst and Andrey Seroshtan hit the U.S. in fine form and did significant damage in the 9-ball division. Rising star Chinahov posted the best finish among the Russians, placing seventh, but all four recorded finishes in the top 17.

Given the format - race-to-nine, winner breaks, rack your own balls and 1 ball on the spot - the 9-ball division customarily features its share of upsets, and the 2016 edition didn't disappoint. Surprisingly, after displaying laser focus through the first week of the DCC, Shaw appeared distracted and disinterested in 9-ball, which figured to be his best chance for a win. Shaw has been vocal about his determination to rule the 9-ball roost in 2016 and earn a spot on Team Europe in the Mosconi Cup. But he fell behind Canadian John Morra, 7-1, and eventually lost 9-4. Shaw's buy-back was barely worth the effort, as Tony Chohan bounced the Scot unceremoniously from the tournament in the next round. Not only did the early exit clear Shaw from the 9-ball division, it also all but assured his elimination from contention for the Master of the Table title.

For as difficult as the Derby City rules make it for the top 9-ball players to avoid missteps, the cream still tends to rise to the top in the annual event. Sure enough, after four days, the final three unbeaten players were Pagulayan, Van Boening and Ignacio, with Orcollo still clinging to life with just one loss.

Ignacio was quickly dismissed after back-to-back losses to Van Boening and Orcollo. Orcollo dealt Pagulayan his first loss with a dramatic, 9-8, win.

Pagulayan secured the Master of the Table title with his own case-game victory over Van Boening, leaving all three players with one loss.

The circumstance necessitated a re-draw, with Pagulayan earning a bye into the title match. Of course, that was bad news for Orcollo, who was forced to face Van Boening. America's top player has dominated the fiery Filipino over the past few years, and the Derby City semifinal proved to be no different. The match seesawed early, with Orcollo maintaining a 7-6 lead. Van Boening turned the tables to tie the match, 7-7, then ran out the final two racks for a 9-7 win.

Determined to leave the Horseshoe with his eighth division title, Van Boening unleashed his mighty break and run-out skills in the final match. He left Pagulayan seated and speechless, blitzing to an 8-0 lead. Despite having second place and the Master of the Table crown locked up, Pagulayan continued to fight, grinding through four racks before missing a relatively easy shot. Van Boening closed out the 9-4 win, earning his fourth title in the DCC 9-Ball Division and the $16,000 top prize.
- By Mike Panozzo

Playing It Straight



Orcollo's 104 broke open the title match.

For a decade, Chicago-area pool players/fans/benefactors, Dennis Walsh and Bill Maropulos, have secured a small space on the second floor of the Horsehoe Casino ballroom in an effort to perpetuate interest in their favorite game, straight pool. Over four days, players can use what little time they have away from the bustle of the Derby City Classic's primary divisions to challenge themselves to a long run in the George Fels Memorial Derby City Straight Pool Challenge. A posted entry fee ($100) gets each player a dozen attempts to establish a high run. At the end of those four days, the players with the eight highest runs face off in a single-elimination, race-to-125 bracket. To their credit, Walsh, a Chicago attorney, and his pool-loving friends added $12,000 to the 2016 event, which drew a record 68 players. (Walsh and friends also log 18-hour days supervising the action on a pair of tables.) The top three runs on each day are rewarded with bonuses, with the highest daily run good for $300. Given that players are already thrown between big-break 9-ball matches, short-stroke one-pocket matches and go-for-broke bank pool matches, the shift to the delicate nuances of straight pool makes 150-ball runs all the more impressive. And there were plenty!

While the usual suspects - former 14.1 champions like Thorsten Hohmann, Mika Immonen and John Schmidt - cranked out the requisite monster runs, it was Filipino Lee Vann Corteza who rolled out the event's biggest run. His final-day 225 was just two balls shy of Jayson Shaw's record 227, recorded in 2015.

Corteza's hot hand cooled off in the opening round of the single-elimination final, however, as American Davis got the better of him, 125-93. In other quarter-final action, Stepanov toppled Archer, 122-101, Orcollo beat Immonen, 125-109, and Schmidt ousted Hohmann, 125-13.

In the semi-finals, Orcollo authored a 79-ball run en route to a 125-14 win over Davis, while Schmidt bested Stepanov, 125-81, despite the Russian's 80-ball run.

Orcollo dominated the finale as well, breaking away with a 104-ball run in the seventh inning. The Filipino, who also won the event in 2014, closed out the match in the 10th inning, 125-53, earning the $5,000 top prize.

2016 Derby City Classic Horseshoe Casino Southern Indiana

9-Ball Banks 1. John Brumback $10,000 2. Jayson Shaw $4,800 3. Alex Olinger $2,500 4. Dennis Orcollo $1,900 4. Earl Strickland $1,900 4. Billy Thorpe $1,900

One-Pocket 1. Alex Pagulayan $12,000 2. Niels Feijen $6,000 3. Shannon Murphy $4,000 4. Corey Deuel $2,700 4. Jayson Shaw $2,700 6. Mike Davis $1,725 6. Dennis Orcollo $1,725 6. Efren Reyes $1,725

9-Ball 1. Shane Van Boening $16,000 2. Alex Pagulayan $7,250 3. Dennis Orcollo $5,300 4. Jeffrey Ignacio $4,000 5. Lee Vann Corteza $3,000 5. Jason Klatt $3,000 7. Pin-Yi Ko $2,100 7. Scott Frost $2,100 7. Ruslan Chinahov $2,100 7. Francisco Bustamante $2,100

Big Foot 10-Ball Challenge 1. Jayson Shaw $16,000 2. Shane Van Boening $8,000 3. Dennis Orcollo $4,000 3. Efren Reyes $4,000

George Fels Straight Pool Challenge 1. Dennis Orcollo $5,000 2. John Schmidt $3,200 3. Konstantin Stepanov $1,800 3. Mike Davis $1,800

Master of the Table Alex Pagulayan $20,000 Shane Van Boening $2,500 Dennis Orcollo $2,500

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