The pro billiards tour is a series that includes the world championships and major events. The tour hosted the first ever billiards tournament. In 2006, however, the tour was facing serious financial problems and had to end major events. In 2007, the tour revived itself by staging the IPT Ultimate 8-Ball.
Stauch's involvement at billiards
Shari Stauch was a professional pool player for 20 years before retiring in 2004. In addition to her playing career, Stauch helped develop the billiards industry by co-founding Pool & Billiard Magazine with Harold Simonsen. She was awarded the Women's Professional Billiard Association's Sportsperson of Year in 1995. She has also been awarded five WPBA President's Awards. She was inducted into WPBA Hall of Fame in 2007.
Billiards is a game with a rich history. It has been played by many people, from commoners to royalty, hustlers and presidents. The game was originally played on a northern European lawn in the 15th century. It evolved into the modern style that we know today.
IPT Ultimate 8-Ball
The IPT Ultimate 8-Ball first event took place in Los Angeles in June 2008. In the beginning, a match was planned between Alex Pagulayan and Karl Boyes from England. Pagulayan’s manager called the IPT management to seek out an alternative player. As a result, Tony Robles was invited to fill in for Pagulayan. Robles accepted the invitation and flew to L.A. during the night. In thrilling and close matches, he defeated Karl Boyes. The prize money for the two players was $5,000 and $1,000, plus expenses.
The IPT Ultimate 8-Ball, the world's largest pool tour, will be held across five cities in 2006. In 2006, the IPT will award more than $8,000,000 in prize money. The North American Open 8-Ball Championship boasts a record-breaking prize pot of $2,000,000 and a staggering first-place reward of $350,000.
Women's Professional Billiards Association
Women's Professional Billiards Association (WPBA) is a professional pool tour that caters to women. The Women's Professional Billiard Alliance was founded in 1976. The WPBA is a professional pool tour for women. Madelyn Whitlow (founder), Palmer Byrd (founder), and Larry Miller are its members.
WPBA was founded in Britain as a billiards club. It sponsored tournaments for both amateurs and professionals. In the early years, the association ran amateur competitions and junior competitions. Its members included Joyce Gardner, Thelma Carpenter and Ruth Harrison. Gardner won seven tournaments out of fourteen, while Carpenter and Harrison took home three and four, respectively. Harrison broke the record at 197 in 1937 which is still an outstanding record for women's pool.
Jim Bakula's influence over women's pro-billiards
Jim Bakula has had a profound influence on women playing billiards since the 1980s. Bakula was the General manager of Brunswick's Billiard Division. He advocated for inclusion of women in all events. Bakula became president of the Billiard Council of America (BCA), and appealed to them for funding the WPBA through grant funding. The Women's Pro Billiard Tour was eventually created.
The future of the pro-billiards tour
The future prospects of the professional billiard tour are uncertain. The PBT, a fringe professional sport, is looking for stability, and Don Mackey is one of the people attempting to help it get there. Camel cigarettes was the sponsor of the 1996 PBT tour. The company later parted ways with Mackey and began its own tour.
It's been ten year since the inaugural event, the Gulf Coast Women's Regional Billiard Tour. The prize pool was $12,330. The tour has added additional events to the Gulf Coast and required venues with at most twenty tables. Many Texas-area venues were left out of the running. However, the new tour's presence was good for the game and for the venues.