Steven Kelley claimed the 'official' first-place win and earned his debut entry into the AZBilliards database after recording a tournament payout at last week's Q City 9-Ball Tour stop in Inman, SC. Held on August 29 as a $250-added event hosted by Action Billiards, the tournament featured 26 entrants who opted out of playing for the final match to split the top two prizes between Kelley and runner-up Mike Vinesett.
Kelley advanced through several matches, including victories over Scott Green, Onyx Stinson, Rob Hart, Daniel Bradley, David Honeycutt, and Kaleb Hixon before meeting Vinesett in a straight-four race that he won 4-2 to secure the hot seat match win. Meanwhile, Mike Vinesett also had an undefeated run, defeating Sebastian Martinez, Steven Fair, Kirk Hixon, and Kaleb Hixon along his path to reach Honeycutt for their final head-to-head encounter where Kelley took advantage of a single bead on the wire to close out 4-0 in the hot seat match.
The event concluded with Vinesett winning the championship by defeating David Honeycutt 4-1, resulting in an official split between the two competitors who both finished undefeated and earned cash payouts for their performances. Tour director Herman Parker thanked sponsors including BarPoolTablesnet and Federal Savings Bank, while organizers announced that Action Billiards will host another $250-added event at the same venue this coming Saturday, September 5th.
What do you think about players splitting top prizes when they both finish undefeated?