Lombardo Hunts Down the Win
KF Cues Tour / Palm Harbor, FL
by Lea Andrews
Hunter Lombardo went undefeated through a powerful open field to take first in the KF Cues Tour stop the weekend of June 13-14, while Dan Whitten took home first in the amateur division. The $1,000-added open event drew 30 players to Strokers in Palm Harbor, FL, with 49 players participating in the amateur event.
Lombardo was joined in the winners side final four by Julio Aquino, whom he sent west after a hill-hill battle, and by Adam Wheeler, who notched a solid 7-1 win over Louis Altes.
On the one-loss side, Mike Davis was making a bid for a faceoff with Lombardo, whod earlier put him on the left side of the bracket. Davis followed up a 7-6 win over tournament director and house pro Tony The Sniper Crosby, whod found the one-loss side after a hill-hill run-in with Wheeler, with a 7-2 win over Neil Fujiwara and a 7-3 win over Altes. Davis then met up with Richard Broumptom, whod ridden a 7-2 win over Dan Lavoie to a 7-4 win over Aquino. Davis, though, was unstoppable, and he shut out Broumpton to get to the one-loss semifinal match, where he met Wheeler, whod fallen hill-hill to Lombardo after being up 5-3 and 6-4.
Both men were fighting for a chance to avenge a loss to Lombardo, but it was Davis who closed it out, earning his ticket to the finals with a 7-1 win.
In the final match, a single race to 9, Lombardo got off to a good start, leading 5-3 and 7-4, and though Davis rallied at that point, it wasnt enough. Lombardo clinched first with 9-7 win.
On Sunday, a field of 49 descended on Strokers to vie for first in the $700-added amateur event. Custom case maker Dan Whitten, who plays out of Strokers, went undefeated to meet up with Bobby Moore in the single race-to-8 finals. Moore, who had fallen 7-0 to Whitten in the quarterfinals, made his way back to him with a 5-4 win over Jeff Mabry and ultimately, a 5-2 win over Mike Gerardo, whod fallen to Whitten in the hot seat match. Whitten wasnt about to let his winning streak go at that point, though, and he took first with an 8-6 win.
Hunter Lombardo went undefeated through a powerful open field to take first in the KF Cues Tour stop the weekend of June 13-14, while Dan Whitten took home first in the amateur division.
1st Hunter Lombardo $700
2nd Mike Davis $500
3rd Adam Wheeler $300
4th Richard Broumpton $200
5th Louis Altes $100
Julio Aquino
7th Neil Fujiwara $75
Dan Lavoie
