From Dennis Walsh
ABP General Attorney
www.abp-players.com
abppropool@gmail.com
7 July 2011
ABP Pro Players Not Attending the 2011 US Open
Chicago, Illinois- It is with regret that the general professional body of the Association of Billiard Professionals will not be attending the 2011 US Open 9-Ball Championship promoted by Mr.Barry Behrman. Nor will these ABP pros attend the Masters 10-Ball or any event promoted by Mr.Behrman because of monies owed to players and lack of secure funds of prize money before each of his events.
One of the goals of the Association of Billiards Professionals is to provide a platform where touring professionals can pursue the sport they love as a full time career and achieve reasonable financial success. To that end discussions have been ongoing since last year with representatives of the US Open and representatives of the ABP.
Repeated attempts by the ABP organization to obtain guarantees that the prize money will be in place have been refused and therefore it is with regret that the Association and its members have decided to neither support nor attend the 2011 US Open 9-Ball Championship. Notwithstanding the Association’s deep respect for Barry Behrman for his contribution to pool these many years, the players simply cannot commit their time and their expenses for an uncertain payday.
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"As a former US Open 9-Ball champion, it's painful to not be able to attend this year, as it is always great to play in it. However, the ABP and its goals are more important than my personal goals, and we need to start taking the necessary steps to pave the way for the future of the game and its up and coming stars."- Rodney Morris, ABP Board of Directors
"It is with sadness that I must withdraw from one of my favourite tournaments ever. In doing so, I hope the sacrifices we are making raises the standard of the elements that our beautiful sport lacks. The ABP's goals are to the benefit of the sport and to restore the confidence of cooperation between players, associations and promoters alike. I stand behind this vision fully. " - Mika Immonen, ABP Board of Directors and Two time US Open 9-Ball Champion.
"The US Open is the greatest and most prestigious event on American soil. I am truly sorry we cannot attend this event. But we have an obligation to protect all players now and in the future. I am hopeful in the future all things will be worked out so all players can participate in all great and safe tournaments." - Johnny Archer, President of the ABP.
Regardless if this is a BCA or WPA Sanctioned event, the following ABP Professional Players will not attend:
This list will be updated as more pro members join and may choose to not participate.
| 1. Johnny Archer USA 2. Mika Immonen FIN 3. Efren Reyes PHI 4. Francisco Bustamante PHI 5. Darren Appleton ENG 6. Shane Van Boening USA 7. Rodney Morris USA 8. Alex Pagulayan PHI 9. Dennis Orcullo PHI 10. Thorsten Hohmann GER 11. Lee Van Corteza PHI 12. John Schmidt USA 13. Corey Deuel USA 14. Huidji See NED 15. Mike Sigel USA 16. Nick Varner USA 17. Buddy Hall USA 18. CJ Wiley USA 19. Tony Drago MLT 20. Raj Hundal ENG 21. Karl Boyes ENG 22. Imran Majid ENG | 23. Marcus Chamat SWE 24. Roberto Gomez PHI 25. Carlo Biado PHI 26. Warren Kiamco PHI 27. Antonio Lining PHI 28. Jundel Mazon PHI 29. Shawn Putnam USA 30. Mike Davis USA 31. Stevie Moore USA 32. Oscar Dominguez USA 33. Charlie Williams USA 34. Dennis Hatch USA 35. Jeremy Jones USA 36. Allen Hopkins USA 37. Scott Frost USA 38. Ernesto Dominguez MEX 39. Kim Davenport USA 40. Rob Saez USA 41. Tony Crosby ENG 42. Art Wiggins USA 43. Tommy Najar USA 44. |
| * Mike Sigel USA * Nick Varner USA * Buddy Hall USA * CJ Wiley USA * Ralf Souquet GER * Niels Feijen NED * Darren Appleton ENG * Tony Drago MLT * Chris Melling ENG * Mark Gray ENG * Thomas Engert GER * Raj Hundal ENG * Imran Majid ENG * Marcus Chamat SWE * Karl Boyes ENG * Scott Higgins ENG * Huidji See NED * Oliver Ortmann GER * David Alcaide ESP * Efren Reyes PHI * Francisco Bustamante PHI * Alex Pagulayan PHI * Dennis Orcullo PHI * Lee Van Corteza PHI * Roberto Gomez PHI * Carlo Biado PHI * Warren Kiamco PHI * Antonio Lining PHI * Jundel Mazon PHI * Shane Van Boening USA * Mika Immonen FIN * Johnny Archer USA * Shawn Putnam USA * Rodney Morris USA * Mike Davis USA * Thorsten Hohmann GER | * John Schmidt USA * Corey Deuel USA * Stevie Moore USA * Oscar Dominguez USA * Charlie Williams USA * Dennis Hatch USA * Jeremy Jones USA * Allen Hopkins USA * Scott Frost USA * Ernesto Dominguez MEX * Tony Robles USA * Ronnie Wiseman CAN * Kim Davenport USA * Tony Crosby USA * Jeremy Sossei USA * Tommy Kennedy USA * John Morra CAN * Rob Saez USA * Ben Zimmer USA * Larry Phlegar USA * Chris Szuter USA * Art Wiggins USA * Brian White USA * Jeff Crawford USA * Bill Mccollum USA * Jeff Beckley USA * Bill Incardona USA * Stefano Palinga ITA * Tommy Najar USA * Corey Harper USA * Ron Park USA * James Barraks USA * Justin Daniels USA * Dan Wallace USA * James Roberts USA * |
Annual membership is $100 to join the ABP. This membership is separated into a fund that will be used to pay all the expenses acquired for creating and maintaining a players association. The ABP is a non-profit group where the ABP’s 11 board members are volunteering their time and effort to help change the sport for the better.
| * Johnny Archer- Atlanta, GA * Mika Immonen- Helsinki, FIN * Rodney Morris- Honolulu, HI * Shane Van Boening- S. Falls, SD * Thorsten Hohmann- Fulda, GER * Mike Davis - Tampa, FL | * Stevie Moore - Columbia, SC * Oscar Dominguez - Los Angeles, CA * Shawn Putnam- Atlanta, GA * Charlie Williams - Orlando, FL * John Schmidt - Wheeling, WV * |
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