Tommy Kennedy came from the loss side of an Open event on his own Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour on Saturday, April 14, and defeated hot seat occupant, Denny Singletary, in the finals. Singletary would go on, the next day, to win the tour stop's Amateur event. The $1,000-added events ($500 each), hosted by Zingale's Billiards in Tallahassee, FL drew 25 (Open) and 19 (Amateur) entrants. While the Open event featured Kennedy's return from the loss side to win, the Amateur event featured some headline matchups, outside the realm of its top winners. First among these was a 5th/6th place match between room owner Mike Zingale and his father, Jim. The other story was about 11-year-old Landon Harris, who, though finishing in the four-way tie for 9th, turned a few heads with back-to-back, double hill victories against much older opponents (Brandon Posey and Dylan Clark). The seeds for the Zingale family match in the Amateur event were sown among the winners' side final four, when son, Mike, was sent west by Singletary 6-3. J.R. Rossman, in the meantime, who had been eliminated by Kennedy in the Open event the day before, faced and defeated Huyen (pronounced "win") Cam 6-1. In the hot seat match, Singletary and Rossman battled to double hill before Rossman prevailed to deny Singletary his second hot seat occupancy of the weekend. Cam moved to the loss side and picked up Joe Davis, while Mike Zingale ran into his father, Jim. Davis defeated Cam 5-2, and the younger Zingale defeated the elder Zingale by the same score. Davis then dropped the younger Zingale into fourth place in a double hill match, only to be dropped himself into third place by Singletary, whose 5-1 victory put him into the finals for the second time. He won it this time, defeating Rossman 9-4 to capture the Amateur title. It was a set of three, 7-5 victories among the final four winners that left Singletary in the hot seat in the Open event on Saturday. Kennedy was sent west by Jimmy Garza, Singletary sent Stoney Stone over, and finally, in the hot seat battle, Singletary sent Garza to the semifinals. Kennedy moved over and picked up Rossman, while Stone drew Arthur Hynh. Kennedy and Stone picked up where they'd left off, defeating Rossman 6-2 and Hynh 6-4, and turning to face each other in the quarterfinals. Kennedy finished Stone's day 6-4, and then in a 'vengeance is sweet' moment completely shut out the man who'd sent him to the loss side (Garza) in the semifinals. He completed his three-match, loss-side winning streak with a 9-6 win in the finals that secured the event title. Ashleigh Harrel picked up $50 as the top female finisher in the Open event, and John Amiss picked up $50, as well, as the oldest player in the event. The elder Zingale won a $50 prize for being the oldest player in the Amateur event. Two women - Tracie Majors and Jessica Fincher - split a $50 prize as top finishers in the Amateur tourney, while 11-year-old Landon Harris picked up $25 as the top finishing junior. Tour director Tommy Kennedy thanked Mike Zingale and his staff for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Tiger Products, Mueller Recreational Products, David Adams, Ed Cabrera, Simonis Cloth, Cliff Manning of Manning Custom Cues, Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, and Harris Cue Company.
- by Skip Maloney - AzB Staff - 2012-04-18
AZBilliards.com

At the end of four rounds of play at the Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour stop on the weekend of February 25-26, Johnny Archer had yet to give up a single rack. He gave up 11 over the next 27 games - four in the battle for the hot seat and seven in the finals - to capture the $1,000-added event that had drawn 34 entrants to a new (and future) venue for the tour, Danny's Billiards in Baxley, GA. Tour director Tommy Kennedy sat this one out, which might otherwise have led to a re-match against Archer. The week prior, Archer had defeated Kennedy in the finals of the Andy Grubs Memorial Event at Starcade Billiards in Fort Walton Beach, FL. With 34 players filling out a 64-player bracket, most of the first round action entailed 'byes.' Archer opened play with shutouts over Mike Matsie, Tom Godwin and J.R. Rossman, which moved him among the winners' side final four to face Bret Hawes. Rod Rentz, in the meantime, faced Chad Royal. Archer chalked up his fourth straight shutout, over Hawes, to move into the hot seat match versus Rentz, who'd sent Royal west 7-3. Archer gave up his first four racks in a 7-4 win over Rentz, which left him in the hot seat, awaiting John Swope, who would win seven straight on the loss side to meet him in the finals. On the loss side, with two victories behind him, Swope defeated Gregg Sheffield and Billy Ray, both 7-3, to pick up Hawes. Royal drew Jay Wideman (singled out by Kennedy for what was described as an "outstanding performance"), who won a double hill match over Mark Taber to move into the money rounds, and then won a second double hill battle against J.R. Rossman to meet Royal. Royal ended Wideman's bid 7-5 and moved into the quarterfinals versus Swope, who'd downed Hawes 7-4. Swope then defeated Royal by the same 7-4 score and downed Rentz 7-5 in the semifinals. If Hallmark hasn't created a sympathy card for a pool player who's won seven matches on the loss side and then has to face "The Scorpion," Johnny Archer, in the finals of an event, they should. Swope put up a fight in the extended, race-to-9 finals, but Archer prevailed 9-7 to capture the title. Prizes were awarded to the top junior, lady and senior player on the tour stop. Mikey Watson picked up the $25 prize for top junior, Lindsay Hunkele took home $25 as the top female, and P.C. Oliver, who finished just out of the money, won $50 as the top-finishing senior. Tour Director Tommy Kennedy thanked Danny Stell and his staff at Danny's Billiards for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Tiger Products, Mueller Sporting Goods, David Adams, Simonis Cloth, Cliff Manning of Manning Custom Cues, Andy Gilbert Custom Cues, and Robert Harris Custom Cues. - by Skip Maloney - AzB Staff - 2012-02-28
AZBilliards.com

Last weekend (January 8), Mike Davis got into the hot seat on the Tiger Southeast Open 9-Ball Tour and was defeated in the finals by Tommy Kennedy. This week, on January 14, Davis took a different route, to a different, preferable outcome. It was Davis this time who was sent to the semifinals, from whence he returned to defeat hot seat occupant, Justin Hall, in the finals. The $1,000-added event drew 22 entrants to Hammerheads in Holiday, FL. Davis and Kennedy met in this one, as well; among the winners' side final four. Davis sent Kennedy west 9-6 and advanced to the hot seat match against Hall, who'd defeated James Roberts 9-3. Hall got into the hot seat on the heels of a decisive 9-2 victory over Davis in their first of two. Kennedy moved over to face Jason Richko, who'd gotten by Mark Walthen 7-3 and shut out Bill Delisle to reach him. Roberts picked up Louis Altes, who'd defeated Jose Del Rio 7-4 and Art Seamen 7-3. Kennedy and Altes moved into the quarterfinals with identical 7-3 victories over Richko and Roberts. Altes then prevented a Kennedy/Davis rematch with a 7-3 defeat of Kennedy in those quarterfinals. Davis allowed Altes only a single rack in a semifinal victory that gave him a second shot at Hall. Hall took an early, three-game lead, 5-2, before Davis settled in to win eight in a row to reach the hill first in the extended, race-to-11 finals. Davis scratched on the subsequent break, opening the door to a three-game run by Hall. An unforced error by Hall in the 19th rack, though, gave Davis the chance he needed. He finished the rack to capture the event title. - by Skip Maloney - AzB Staff - 2012-01-16
AZBilliards.com

Tommy Kennedy likes to play from behind. He doesn't recommend it as a strategic option, but for him, being behind in a tournament or individual match tends to focus him in ways that large leads don't. He utilized this preference to return from the semifinals of the first 2012 stop on his Tiger Southeast Open 9-Ball tour, on Sunday, January 8, and defeat hot seat occupant, Mike Davis, who'd sent him to the semifinals. The $5,000-added event drew 47 entrants to Veteran's Billiards in Port Charlotte, FL. From among the winners' side final four, Kennedy sent Danny Green west with a commanding 11-1 victory that included seven 9-balls on the break (which failed to count, since they failed to enter either the side pocket or the corner pockets from which he broke). Davis, in the meantime, prevailed in a double hill battle that sent Stoney Stone to the loss side. In their first of two, Davis defeated Kennedy 11-9, and sat in the hot seat awaiting his return. Green moved over to pick up Justin Hall, who'd defeated Steve Giedraitisz 9-7 and Han Berber in a double hill match. Stone drew Josh Lewis, who'd gotten by Trey Jankowski 9-5 and Ray Linares 9-6. Green and Stone made short work of their first, loss-side opponents; Green eliminating Hall 9-6, Stone defeating Lewis 9-2. Stone defeated Green 9-4 in the quarterfinals that followed, and then fell to Kennedy by the same score in the semifinals. Kennedy's 'plan' (coming from behind) was in full swing. Davis opened the single race to 13 finals with two in a row, and Kennedy responded with four racks that gave him the lead. Davis tied it up, and Kennedy responded with four to go up 8-4. Davis came right back with four of his own to tie things at 8-8, but they'd prove to be the last four games he'd win. Kennedy won the next five, with a couple of 'break and runs' for good measure to secure the event victory. "When I'm either even or down, I play better, because I bear down more," said Kennedy the next day. "When it got to 8-8, I figured, OK, it's a race to five now, and I just took advantage of the opportunities when they presented themselves." At the conclusion of the tournament, Mike Davis was presented with a Tiger Southeast Open 9-Ball 'Greatest Attitude' award, which added a trophy with that achievement inscribed on it to his second place winnings "He was really happy about the award," said Kennedy. "He'd told me that he'd gotten trophies for winning tournaments before, but never anything like that."
- by Skip Maloney - AzB Staff - 2012-01-09
AZBilliards.com