Orlando,Florida- The Ozone Billiards US Amateur Open is back and will bring forth some of the best amateur talents around the country. The event starts on August 5 until August 9,2009 at Corner Pocket Billiards in Orlando, Florida. The Ozone Billiards US Amateur Open is presented by Mezz Cues and will coincide with The Mezz Classic pro events. This 4th installment of this amateur extravaganza will feature 7 total tournaments with 9-Ball and 8-Ball disciplines, with divisions in Open, Women, Seniors, and Mixed Doubles. No Pros, No Semi-Pros, No Top Rated Amateur players will be allowed to play. These amateur events are created for the true amateur players, and even certain known amateurs are not allowed to play in the events to offer fair chance for anyone to win. This event has been a pre-cursor of amateur players turning into professionals later on and is regarded as a major stepping stone for up and coming talent.
Yu Ram Cha & Ryan Stone are former winners of the Ozone Billiards US Amateur Men's Open Division
Ozone Billiards has had a history of supporting professional tours and events on ESPN, but now has turned its focus on regional tours, up and coming players, and amateurs. And of course Ozone still sponsors major pro events and is the presenting sponsor of the Mezz Classic.
"We are always looking to try new things, and we see the importance and benefits of supporting not only major pro events, but the smaller events as well. We know it's a tough economy now, but we want to do what we can to support and promote the sport on all levels." said Shawn Gargano, President of Ozone Billiards. Ozone Billiards will help bring in such names to the Mezz Classic like Mika Immonen FIN, Charlie Williams USA, Raj Hundal IND, Rodney Morris USA, Thorsten Hohmann GER and many more pro stars!
Amateurs that have won the Ozone Billiards US Amateur Open and moved onto professional status are no longer eligible. Previous winners of the amateur events include Julio Delpozo of Orlando, Matt Tetrault of New Jersey, Liz Lovely of Ohio, Stephanie Mitchell of Tampa,FL, Dominic Jentsch of Germany, Ryan Stone of Ohio, and Yu Ram Cha of Korea. Jentsch and Stone have been moved upto professional class and even women's champ Yu Ram Cha, who won the 82 man field of the men's US Amateur in 2007 at tender age of 19, can no longer play in the men or women's events and has since moved onto becoming one of the world's elite players currently ranked #6 in the Women's Pro Tour.
Shanelle Loraine will be vying in the US Amateur Women's Open
John Rousseau will take another shot at the Seniors Divisions of the US Amateur Open as well as the Mixed Doubles with Shanelle Loraine
Previous years have always drawn over 100 players nationwide and this year should prove no different as Orlando is one of the top destination spots in the country as well as a hot spot for poolplayers in Florida with its central location.
Players will be playing for $3000 1st place in the 8ball and $4000 1st place in the 9-Ball with full fields, and minimum guarantees of $1000 for 1st in the 8-Ball Open and $1500 minimum for the 9-Ball Open despite any field size.
The amateur events will have great quality equipment on 9 ft professional tables. No coins needed to play matches as there will be a $20 registration and green fees all inclusive in every entry fee in all divisions. Players may also choose to play in multiple divisions with no scheduling conflicts.These events are open to all true amateurs(men or women) and no membership fee is required . There is also a Mixed Doubles 9-Ball so now men and women can travel and play together on one team, as well as play in their individual singles events .
Complete Updated Ineligible List of Players can be found at http://www.dragonpromotions.com/ineligiblelist.html
Eligible players are determined by the following:
are not ranked in the top 50 in the BCA or the top 20 in WPBA
-have never been ranked in top 16 in WPA rankings
-have never won a men or women's major U.S. pro tournament
-have never won 1st or 2nd at a pro event in any country outside the USA
-have never finished in top 16 in any male pro tournament sanctioned by the current governing body of pro pool at that timenever been ranked in or have never won 1st or 2nd in the finals on these following men's tours: FL Tour, Northeast Tour, Pro Senior Tour,
-We will use our discretion on certain players depending on their skill level and amount of 1st and 2nd place finishes in regional tours such as but not limited to: Kings Bay Promotions Amateur Tour, the Super Billiards Expo Amateur Open, Planet Pool Tour, Fast Eddies Tour, Stan James Canada Tour, New England 9 Ball Series
-Have not been Men or Women Players of the Years or finished #1 Ranked for the Year on any major U.S. recognized regional tour DP reserves right to use our own judgment as well if a player is deemed fit or unfit to play in the US Amateur Open events
This event is designed for non-full time playing amateurs who do not play pool for a career. Note that below does not all apply to women. Click "Amateur Eligibility" to read Dragon Promotions Amateur Events Eligibility. Besides that list, the organizers of the event reserve the right to use their judgment if they deem a player not eligible for the event. Players who are not sure if they would be able to play should contact Dragon Promotions prior to the event. Questions on Amateur event call 1-407-782-4978 email at dpamateurevents@gmail.com
Ozone Billiards has been providing pool players with top quality billiard products for more than eight years. Its commitment to customer service has helped Ozone Billiards grow to be one of the largest retailers of billiard supplies in the United States. For more information about Ozone Billiards and its product lines, visit www.ozonebilliards.com
Ozone Billiards US Amateur Open Events Aug 5-7: Open 8-Ball 1st Place $3000 ($1000 minimum guaranteed) Limited to 200 Players
Aug 5-7 : Women's 8-Ball Open 1st Place $1000 ($300 minimum guaranteed) Limited to 64 Players
Aug 5-7: Seniors 8-Ball Open (must be 50 years old and up-bring ID) Limited to 64 Players
Aug 7-9: Open 9-Ball 1st Place $4000 ($1500 minimum guaranteed) Limited to 200 Players
Aug 7-9 : Women's 9-Ball Open 1st Place $1250 ($500 minimum guaranteed) Limited to 64 Players
Aug 7-9 : Seniors 9-Ball Open
(must be 50 years old and Must-bring ID)
1st Place $1400 ($500 minimum guaranteed) Limited to 64 Players
Aug 9 : Mixed Scotch Doubles 9-Ball Open (1 Man & 1 Woman per team) 1st Place $1000 ($500 minimum guaranteed) Limited to 32 Teams
The amateur event will be at same venue and next to the pro event. Tickets can be bought in advance at www.dragonpromotions.com Amateur event players can also purchase tickets to watch the pro event at the door .
Best Western East Orlando Suites 1-407-282-3900 $59.99
Group Code: Mezz Classic Pool Tournament
