Monday, June 09, 2008 Pagulayan: The magnificent among 7 By Edri K. Aznar Sun.Star Staff Reporter
ALEX “The Lion” Pagulayan won a grueling marathon against Joven Bustamante, 100-91, in a come-from-behind fashion to rule the Magnificent Seven 9-ball Billiard Invitational Tournament at the Bravio Sports and Resto Lounge last Saturday.
Bustamante was ahead of Pagulayan, 78-72, but the momentum turned to the side of the 2004 WPA World Pool champion, who narrowed the lead to just a rack, 84-83, resulting into a neck-to-neck battle of two top cue masters competing for a large sum of P300,000.
At 87-all, Bustamante played a safety on the one, but Pagulayan, a master of trick shots, used two cushions to hit the one and turn the tide of the match in his favor as he took the lead.
Pagulayan won three successive racks increasing his lead to 92-88.
Compounding Bustamante’s woes was his three crucial erros that allowed Pagulayan to move to 98-90.
Sensing victory and getting uplifted by the roar of the crowd cheering on him, the 2002 World Pool Trickshot Champion finished off Bustamante winning three straight racks to 100.
Pagulayan said that he didn’t expect the victory after being down at the start against a world class billiard artist like Bustamante.
“I just got lucky in the end. Joven’s very tough. He’s very competitive,” Pagulayan told Sun.Star Cebu of his dramatic come-from-behind win over Bustamante.
Aside from taking the Magnificent Seven crown, Pagulayan will be back in Cebu on June 20 to 22 to defend his crown in the first Senate President Manny Villar Cup-Sun.Star Superbalita 9-Ball Challenge at the Atrium in SM City Cebu.
He will be playing along other seeded cue artists—the legendary Efren “Bata” Reyes, former world no.1 Django Bustamante, Dennis Orcullo, reigning national title-holder Lee Van Corteza, Warren Kiamco, Rodolfo Luat, Joven Bustamante, 2005 Superbalita champion Ronnie Alcano, 2007 World Pool runnerup Roberto Gomez, former Asian Games gold medalist Gandy Valle, Jharome Pena, Carlo Biado, Ramil Gallego, Ricky Zerna, Antonio Lining, Elmer Haya and Benson Palce.
“I’m not expecting anything. I’ll just come to play,” Pagulayan said of his upcoming tournament.
