The pro billiard tour consists of a series tournaments that include the world championships as well as major events. The tour hosted the first ever billiards tournament. The tour became financially troubled in 2006 and stopped holding major events. The IPT Ultimate 8 Ball was held in 2007 to revive the tour.
Stauch's involvement in billiards
Shari Stauch played professionally for 20 years in pool before retiring in 2004. Stauch co-founded Pool & Billiard Magazine together with Harold Simonsen. This was in addition to her playing career. She was named Sportsperson of the Year by the Women's Professional Billiard Association in 1995 and is a five-time WPBA President's Award winner. In 2007, she was inducted into the WPBA Hall of Fame.
Billiards has a long and rich history. There have been many players, from royals to commoners to hustlers to presidents. It was first played as a lawn game in Northern Europe in the 15th century and evolved into the style we know today.
IPT Ultimate 8-Ball
The IPT Ultimate 8-Ball's first event was held in Los Angeles, California in June 2008. An original match was set up between Alex Pagulayan (Filipino player) and Karl Boyes (English player). Pagulayan's manager approached the IPT to find an alternative player. Tony Robles was then invited to replace Pagulayan. Robles accepted this invitation and flew from Chicago to L.A. on the evening. He beat Karl Boyes in an exciting and close match. The prize money for the two players was $5,000 and $1,000, plus expenses.
The IPT Ultimate 8-Ball Pool Tour is the largest pool tour anywhere in the world. It will be held in five different cities in 2006. In 2006, IPT will be giving away more that $8 million in prize money. The North American Open 8-Ball Championship will have a record-breaking prize fund of $2 million and an unprecedented first-place prize of $350,000.
Women's Professional Billiards Association
Women's Professional Billiards Association hosts a professional pool competition for women. WPBA was started in 1976 as Women's Professional Billiard Alliance. This association features competitive women's pool players. Madelyn Willow, Palmer Byrd, Larry Miller are the founding members.
WPBA was an original British billiards association. It sponsored tournaments open to amateurs as well as professionals. In its early years, the association sponsored amateur competitions and junior contests. Joyce Gardner and Ruth Harrison were members of the association. Gardner won seven of 14 tournaments she entered, and Carpenter and Harrison won four each. Harrison broke the record of 719 in 1937, which still stands as a record for women’s billiards.
Jim Bakula's influence upon women's pro-billiards teams
Jim Bakula's influence over women in billiards dates back to 1980. Bakula was the General Manager of Brunswick's Billiard Division and advocated for women's sections in events. Bakula was later elected president of The Billiard Congress of American (BCA). He appealed for grant funding to the WPBA. This led eventually to the creation the Women's Pro Billiard Tour.
Future of pro billiards tour
The future prospects of the professional billiard tour are uncertain. Don Mackey, a fringe professional sports, is working to ensure stability for the PBT. Camel cigarettes was the sponsor of the 1996 PBT tour. The company later parted ways with Mackey and began its own tour.
It's been ten year since the inaugural event, the Gulf Coast Women's Regional Billiard Tour. The prize pool was $12,330. Since then, the tour has added events to the Gulf Coast. Venues must have at minimum twenty tables. Many Texas-area rooms were left out of contention. The new tour proved to be a boon for both the game and the venues.