|
The first
annual Pro World Championship Singles and Doubles took place April 18-22 at the
Sands Regency Casino Hotel in Reno, Nevada. Nearly every top rated player was
on hand, providing five days of intense and exciting competition. One of the
highlights for everyone in attendance were the boards. Having another six
months to cure since they were used at the NASC™ last fall, the boards
played exceptionally well.
Being that the dates for the WCT™ were
announced only six months prior to the event, we were not sure what kind of
response the tournament would get. As it turns out, the event went very well.
Both events were close to full and we are confident that the 2002 event will be
even better. The dates for the 2002 WCT™ are April 2-7. Players that
entered the tournament this year will have the first opportunity to enter the
2002 event.
The one disappointment was that there were not as many
spectators as we expected. Those that did show up to watch had the opportunity
to play on two action boards that were set up in the next room. There was also
a warm-up board for tournament players to throw weights on. Next year, in an
effort to increase the spectator turnout, there will be four action boards set
up and some type of tournament (probably a draw partners) for those who come to
watch the main events.
As far as the tournament action goes, it was the
team of Diana Hagen and Dan Hitt prevailing in the Open Doubles, going through
the tournament without losing a match en route to victory. They beat the team
of Darrol Nelson and Dan Hitt in the finals to claim the title. Third place
went to John McDermott and Bill Melton.
In the Round Robin Singles,
there were 21 players, meaning that everyone played 20 games. Coming out on top
was Darrol Nelson, with a record of 17 wins and 3 losses. Tied for second/third
place with 14 wins and six losses were Dan Hitt and Bobby Voorhis. There was a
three way tie for fourth/fifth/sixth. Those spots went to Chuck Norris, Larry
Pearson and Al Pease with 13-7 records. John McDermott finished seventh with a
record of 12-8. Rounding out the top ten were Diana Hagen and Hal Perry who
finished 11-9.
Although Darrol pulled away from the rest of the field on
the final day, fourteen of the remaining nineteen players were in contention to
finish in the money going into the final three rounds of play. When it was
over, the players were enthusiastic about the way the tournament went and were
already looking forward to next year. Because those who participated this year
will have the first opportunity to play in the 2002 WCT™, there may be
only three spots open in that event. Visit the Tournament Information section
of our web site often for all the latest information.
|
