by R. Case
Thirty-four women competed in the Ladies Spirit Tour 2008 Season, which was held at Hammer Heads Billiard Lounge in Holiday, Florida, March 15-16th. Owners of Hammer Heads, Dan and Nora LaVoie added $1200 to the event, bringing the total purse to $3150, plus the Qualifier spot for the WPBA Great Lakes Classic. The event drew WPBA pros Monica Webb, Helena Thornfeldt, Tiffany Nelson, Tracie Hines, and Debbie Schjodt. Thanks to Iwan Simonis, Inc., Sterling Gaming, Fury Cues, Tiger Products, and other fantastic sponsors, players and spectators won awesome billiard prizes throughout the event.
On the 2nd day of the event, the final twelve returned to battle it out for the $720 first place money and the WPBA Qualifier spot for the Great Lakes Classic. On the winners’ side, Helena Thornfeldt was slated to play Stephanie Mitchell, with Amy Poulter matched against Monica Webb. The one-loss side saw Denise Khidirian vs. Michell Monk, Leslee Davis-Blaikie vs. Autumn Duncan, Tracie Hines vs. Tiffany Nelson, and Emily Wilmoth vs. Debbie Schjodt.
Emily Wilmoth sent pro Debbie Schjodt home, but couldn’t continue the winning streak against pro Tiffany Nelson. By making her way past Denise Khidirian & Autumn Duncan, upcoming star Michell Monk secured her claim to the paid entry for the WPBA Great Lakes Classic. After beating Stephanie Mitchell in a double-hill game, she was the last amateur standing against the Pros, but could not collect her game against Nelson, while Helena Thornfeldt and Monica Webb battled for the title of Queen of the Hill.
After sending Thornfeldt to play Nelson for third, Webb waited patiently undefeated. It was Nelson who wanted the challenge of the match with Webb for First place. In a true double-elimination format, Nelson had her sights on beating Webb twice. The first match was a test of patience with safety plays, but Nelson won that match with a score of 7-5. The second match, however, would not prove as easy for Nelson, as Webb claimed the Season Opener with a score of 7-2.
Payouts:
1st = $720 Monica Webb
2nd = $570 Tiffany Nelson
3rd = $430 Helena Thornfeldt
4th = $300 Plus Qualifier Michell Monk
5/6th = $185 Stephanie Mitchell, Amy Poulter
7/8th = $100 Autumn Duncan, Emily Wilmoth
9/12th = $75 Leslee Davis-Blaikie, Tracie Hines, Denise Khidirian, Debbie Schjodt
13/16th = $65 Janis Sessions, Helene Caukin, Margie Soash, Bettina Chase