Thursday, June 19, 2008 Django, Orcullo start world title hunt in Cebu
FRANCISCO “Django” Bustamante and Dennis Orcollo hope to live up to their lofty tag as the only Filipinos to top the world rankings when they compete in the Elite Professional division of the First Senate President Manny Villar Cup-Sun.Star Superbalita 9-Ball Challenge this Friday at the Trade Hall of SM City in Cebu.
They are also looking at this tournament,as a springboard in their quest to finally become a world champion.
“That’s my ultimate goal—to become a world champion,” said Bustamante, whose closest shot at realizing every pool player’s dream was when he finished runnerup to American Earl Strickland in the World Pool Championship in 2002, the year he first became world no.1.
“But I know that to do that, you have to build some sort of a momentum and that includes winning tournaments like this Villar Cup,” added the 43-year-old Tarlac native.
“So I will make the most out of this, and hopefully I would win it.”
World title
Bustamante will be seeing action in the Villar Cup for the first time, having missed the series’ first leg last month in Alabang as he competed in the World Pool Masters in Las Vegas .
The same goes for Orcullo, the current world no.1, who also feels his time has come to finally hoist a world title.
“I will use this Villar Cup as a stepping stone in achieving my dream,” said the 29-year-old stalwart of the star-studded Bugsy Promotions of businessman Perry Mariano and who is also known as the Money-Game King of the Philippines.
Orcollo is no stranger to the 9-Ball Challenge, having won the Sun.Star crown in 2003 and losing the 2005 crown to Ronato Alcano.
That tag he once again proved the other day when the trounced four-time Guinness Tour leg winner Chang Jung-lin of Taiwan, 13-5, in a challenge match with a wager of $2,500.
But both Bustamante and Orcollo know that realizing their hopes of winning the 9-Ball Challenge would be such a tall order all of the country’s world-class cue artists plus a horde of up and coming stars are vying for it and the P400,000 that goes with it.
Besides the two, the other players competing in the event are former world titlists Efren “Bata” Reyes, Alcano, defending champion Alex Pagulayan, 2007 World Pool runnerup Roberto Gomez, reigning national champion Lee Van Corteza, former Asian Games gold medalist Gandy Valle, and Villar Cup opening leg winner Warren Kiamco, among others. (PR)
