SAN MIGUEL PHILIPPINE 9-BALL OPEN

4TH ANNUAL SMB PHILIPPINE 9-BALL OPEN UNREELS TODAY IN GALLERIA

COUNTRY'S pool sharks converge today (Saturday), Aug. 4-5 when the 4 th annual San Miguel Beer Philippine 9-ball Open gets underway at the Paeng's Skybowl, Robinson's Galleria in Mandaluyong City.

The five qualifying stages with two in Metro Manila and the other three in Davao, Bacolod and Baguio City offers a total pot prize P1.350,000 where the champion gets the lion’s share of Php500,000.

Negros Billiard Stable (NBS) will parade at least seven players who are gunning for four slots to advance in the Grand Finals on September 14 to 16.

According to NBS coach/ manager Christopher Palses, his entries includes Ricky "Bai" Zerna, winner in the recently Puyat 9-ball tour, Jarry "Putol" Pelayo, Godofredo "Boy Cotabato" Ducanes, Troy "Guwapito" Danao, Panfilo "Abu Lintok" Damuag, Jech Jech "Lemon" Lemen and Russian Petiza.

Bugsy Promotion on the other hand will field Jharome "Pendong" Pena, Joven "The Shark" Bustamante, Elmer "Buddy" Kalaquian and Gandy "Sapsal" Valle.

Puyat Sports events manager Ish Caparras said that seeded in the main draw were
two-time defending champion Francisco "Django" Bustamante, Leonardo "Dodong" Didal, Mike "Choke" Takayama, Carlo "Cool" Biado, Ronato "Volcano" Alcano, Marlon "Marvelous" Manalo, Lee Vann "The Slayer" Corteza, Efren "Bata" Reyes, Alex "The Lion" Pagulayan and Jose "Amang" Parica.

The 2007 SMB Philippine 9-Ball Open is the joint initiative of Puyat Sports and Solar Sports with the continued patronage of San Miguel Beer.

Here's the other qualifying legs: Aug. 11-12, B3 Bowling Billiards and Bar, NCCC Mall (Davao City) , Aug. 18-19 Celebrity Billiards and Bar (Bacolod City), Aug. 25-26 Puyat Sports@Baguio Center Mall (Baguio City) and Sept. 1-2 AMF-Puyat Commonwealth Lanes, Ever Gotesco Comonwealth (Q.C).

PRIZE STRUCTURE:
Champion: Php 500,000
Runner-up: Php 250,000
2 semifinalists: Php 100,000 each (200,000)
5th and 6th: Php 40,000 each (80,000)
7th and 8th: Php 30,000 each (60,000)
9th-12th: Php 20,000 each (80,000)
13th-16th: Php 15,000 each (60,000)
17th-24th: Php 10,000 each (80,000)
25th-32nd: Php 5,000 each (40,000)
Total Cash Prize: Php 1,350,000

(Report from MARLON BERNARDINO).