The pro-billiard tour includes a series of tournaments including the world championships or major events. The tour hosted the first ever billiards tournament. In 2006, however, the tour was facing serious financial problems and had to end major events. In 2007, the IPT Ultimate 8 Ball was staged, and the tour was resurrected.
Stauch's participation 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 awarded the Women's Professional Billiard Association's Sportsperson of Year in 1995. She has also been awarded five WPBA President's Awards. She was inducted into WPBA Hall of Fame 2007
Billiards has a long tradition. Players have included royalty, commoners, hustlers, and presidents. The game was originally played on a northern European lawn in the 15th century. It evolved into the modern style that we know today.
IPT Ultimate 8 - Ball
In June 2008, Los Angeles hosted the first IPT Ultimate 8-Ball event. Originally a match between English player Karl Boyes and Filipino player Alex Pagulayan was scheduled. However, Pagulayan's manager contacted the IPT's management for an alternative player. Tony Robles was therefore invited to step in for Pagulayan. Robles accepted the invitation to fly to L.A. that night. He beat Karl Boyes in an exciting and close match. The prizes for both players were $5,000 and $1,000. Plus expenses.
The IPT Ultimate 8-Ball will be held worldwide in 2006 in five cities. In 2006, IPT will distribute more than $8,000,000 worth of 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
The Women's Professional Billiards Association is a professional pool tour 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, and Larry Miller were the founders of this organization.
WPBA was founded in Britain as a billiards club. It sponsored tournaments for amateurs and professionals. In the early years, the association ran amateur competitions and junior competitions. Joyce Gardner, Thelma Carver and Ruth Harrison were the members. Gardner won seven of the fourteen tournaments she entered, while Carpenter and Harrison won four and three, respectively. Harrison broke Harrison's 1937 record of 193, which remains a record in women’s billiards.
Jim Bakula has a significant influence on women who play pro billiards
Jim Bakula was a pioneer in women's billiards, and his influence dates back to the 1980s. Bakula was the General Manager of Brunswick's Billiard Division and advocated for women's sections in events. Later, Bakula was elected President of the Billiard Conference of America (BCA). This appealed at them to grant funding for the WPBA. This eventually led to the creation of the Women's Pro Billiard Tour.
Future of the 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, which sponsored the PBT's 1996 touring, was sued by Mackey. It later split with Mackey and started 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. The tour has added additional events to the Gulf Coast and required venues with at most twenty tables. This left many Texas-area rooms out of the running. However, this new tour was a great addition to the game and venues.