Friday, July 13, 2007 Pagulayan heads RP team in Guinness
FILIPINO fans are pinning their hopes on former World Pool champion Alex “The Lion” Pagulayan to end the country’s drought as the fourth leg of the 2007 Guinness 9-ball tournament starts today in Singapore.
Last year, when the tour was still know as the San Miguel 9-Ball Asian tour, all four legs were won by Filipinos, something that has not happened in even just one leg in this year’s series.
Aside from Pagaluyan, three other Filipino cue masters will see action—the reigning WPC 9-ball and 8-ball champion Ronato “Volcano” Alcano, hotshot rookie Roberto “Superman” Gomez and 2006 IPT 8-ball runne-up “Marvelous” Marlon Manalo.
For Pagulayan to end the drought in the tour, he needs to bring his A game as he is grouped with Taiwanese hotshot and tour leader, Chang Jung-Lin, in Group A. Pagulayan will face Lin in today’s opener at 7 p.m.. Indonesia’s Muhammad Zulfikri completes the group.
Leader
Alcano, on the other hand, is in Group D along with Eric Tan of Singapore and Nitiwat Kanjanasri of Thailand. Alcano is scheduled to play Tan at 12:45 p.m.
Gomez is in Group B along with Dharminder Singh Lilly of India and Jimmy Jusman of Indonesia, while Manalo is in Group F along with Ricky Yang of Indonesia and Ricky Chew of Singapore.
Gomez will play Lilly at 2:30 p.m., while Manalo will play Yang at 12:45 p.m.
Chang currently leads the tour’s Order of Merit with 155 points, ahead of former world champion Chao Fong-Pang of Taipei is at second with 120 points, while another Taiwanese, Yang Ching-Shun, is third with 105 points.
Alcano and Indonesia’s Yang is tied with 90 points, Taipei’s Wu Chia-Ching, Lee Van Corteza, India’s Darminder Singh Lilly and Singapore’s Bernard Tey have 80 points each, while Au Chi Wai of Hong Kong rounds up the top 10 with 65 points. (RCM)
