Match Coverage

Parks Wins U.S. Amateur Championship

Brian Parks of Bakersfield, Calif., defeated Joseph Cole of Pelham, Ala., 11-10, in the finals of the 2009 U.S. Amateur Championship.  The hill-hill battle was a nail-bitter, much to the delight of a large audience of spectators.

The players split the 8-Ball set 4-4.  In 9-Ball, they continued to trade wins through the first 8 games.  Parks gained a narrow edge with consecutive wins in the 9th and 10th games of 9-Ball.  The 20-year-old Cole responded well under pressure, coming back to win the next two games and sending the match hill-hill.

In the 13th and final game of 9-Ball, it was Parks, the seasoned West Coast shooter, winning his first U.S. Amateur Championship title.   Cole finished as Runner-up and is no doubt a name you’ll be hearing more in the future.

Defending champion Travis Gunn of Hewitt, Texas, finished in 3rd Place, losing only to Parks and Cole.  Dean Vince of Wesley, Chapel, Fla., finished 4th.  Daniel Gambill of Hickory, N.C., and 2008 Runner-up Chris Walls of High Springs, Fla., tied for 5th Place.

Win Puts Parks in Final; Sends Champ Packing

Brian Parks defeated Travis Gunn 7-5 to advance to the final round of the Men’s Division.  Parks will face Joseph Cole for the U.S. Amateur Championship title.

Gunn, the defending champion, finished in 3rd Place.

Youth Over Wisdom

The young gun versus the wiley veteran.  The winner moves on to the final, the loser left with work still to be done.  In a Sunday matinee, Joseph Cole defeated defending champion Travis Gunn.

The  highly anticipated match-up, which drew a substantial audience, began in the 9-Ball set.  Cole took the first two games, before Gunn cut that lead in half with a win of his own.  Cole took the next game, but again Gunn battled right back, winning two games and tying the match at 3-3.  Cole would close out the set with two more wins and a 5-3 lead.

Once in the 8-Ball set, Cole took the first game.  Gunn showed poise and chiseled away at the deficit, winning the next two games to pull within one.

In the 12th game, Cole made a miraculously kick shot to pocket the 8-ball and the match 7-5.

Cole will now await his opponent in the finals.  Gunn will face the winner of the Brian Parks/Dean Vince match, with the winner advancing to the final. 

Gunn One Win Away from the Finals

Defending champion Travis Gunn is just one win away from a spot in the finals and a shot at back-to-back titles.  Gunn defeated Daniel Gambill 7-1 Sunday afternoon.

The match began in the 8-Ball set with Gambill getting on the board first.  It was all Gunn from there however, as he won seven games in a row for a 7-1 victory.

Gunn will face Joseph Cole in the next round.  Gambill moves to the one-loss bracket.

Cole Hands Walls First Loss

Young Joseph Cole continues to look impressive in this year’s U.S. Amateur Championship.  Cole defeated last year’s Runner-up Chris Walls 7-1 Sunday afternoon.

The two began in the 8-Ball set with Cole jumping out to a 3-0 lead.  Walls secured his only win of the match in the fourth game.  Cole closed out the 8-Ball set with a win and a 4-1 lead.

Cole then dominated in the 9-Ball set winning 3 straight games for an convincing 7-1 win.

Cole moves on to play the winner of the Travis Gunn/Daniel Gambill match.  Walls moves to the one-loss side to compete against Brian Parks of Bakersfield, Calif.

Sessions Wins U.S. Amateur Championship

Betty Sessions of Coyner, Ga., wins the U.S. Amateur Champion after a victory over Mark Rakin of Daly City, Calif.

Sessions continued to be strong in the 9-Ball set, jumping out to an early 3-1 lead before Rakin could win her first game.  The players traded victories in the next two games, and then Sessions rattled off four straight wins.  Rakin closed out the 9-Ball set with a win, but trailed 8-3.

On-the-hill to begin the 8-Ball set, Sessions decided her three year wait was long enough,  and she closed out the match 9-3, to take home her 1st U.S. Amateur Championship.

She moves on to compete in the WPBA’s U.S. Open next year.  Rakin finishes at the Runner-up after an impressive performance in her first U.S. Amateur Championship competition.

Sessions Gets a Shot at Redemption

Betty Sessions advanced to the finals of the Ladies Division to compete against Mary Rakin of Daly City, Calif., following a 5-4 win over Michell Monk. 

Rakin has gone undefeated in her first U.S. Amateur Championship appearance.  Sessions impressive event resume includes two 3rd Place finishes, and a Runner-up finish in ’07.

Session will look to avenge an earlier loss to Rakin just two rounds earlier.  Monk finishes in 3rd Place.

Clash of Champions

Former U.S. Amateur Champions Michell Monk (’06) and defending champion Amy Chen met late Saturday night, with one player heading home, and one moving on.

Monk entered the match on a torrid pace since being bumped to the one-loss bracket by Samm Diep.  She went on to oust Dee Dee Copeland, Lara Rossignol, Katie Cowan and Shauna Kirsch.  After moving to the one-loss bracket, Chen defeated Diep to setup the showdown of former champs.

The match began in the 8-Ball set, with Monk winning all three games.  The switch to 9-Ball didn’t slow her down a bit.  She took the first two games for a 5-0 victory.

Monk moves on to face Betty Session, while Chen finishes tied for 5th Place.

Rakin Advances to the Finals

Junior champion Mary Rakin of Daly City, Calif., advanced to the finals of the Ladies Division with a 5-1 win over Betty Sessions.  Sessions moves to the one-loss bracket where she’ll face Michell Monk – the winner of that match will advance to the final.

Rakin and Sessions began in the 8-Ball set, where Sessions sometimes struggles.  Rakin won all three games of 8-Ball before the match went to the 9-Ball set.

Rakin took the first game of 9-Ball before Sessions got on the board in the second game.

Needing only one game, Rakin closed out the match in the sixth game for a 5-1 win.

Defending Champion Suffers First Loss

Defending Women’s Division Champion Amy Chen suffered her first tournament loss late Saturday afternoon.  It was Chen’s first loss ever in U.S. Amateur Championship competition – ending a string of eight consecutive matches won.

The showdown between Chen, and Sessions, who finished in 3rd Place in ’08, began in the 8-Ball set.  Unlike her prior match again Lara Rossignol, Sessions took two of three games in the 8-Ball set.

In the 9-Ball set Sessions was again in the zone, winning three straight to secure a strong 5-1 over Chen.

Sessions Turns It Up a Notch

Atlanta-area players Lara Rossignol and Betty Sessions went head-to-head early Saturday afternoon.  Rossignol looked like she was on a fast track to victory, winning all three games in the 8-Ball set.   But she probably knew better than to count Sessions out, especially with the match moving to 9-Ball.

Sessions was nearly flawless in the 9-Ball set.  She mounted a fierce comeback, winning five straight games for a 5-3 win.

Sessions advances to a showdown with last year’s champion Amy Chen.  Rossignol shifts to the one-loss bracket where she’ll face former champion Michell Monk.

Lea Upsets Rowell in 1st Round

In an early round upset, Robert Lea of Conyers, Ga., defeated former champion U.S. Amateur Champion David Rowell ('00).  Lea's only other U.S. Amateur Championship performance came in 1999 where he placed 65th.

The match in the 8-Ball set with Rowell scoring the first win, but Lea would take the next four games for a 4-1 lead.  In the 9-Ball set, Rowell again took the first game, but Lea rebounded to take the next two.  Down 6-2, Rowell put together a string of three victories, but Lea ultimately took the match in the 12th game 7-5.