Nov 5, 20192 min read

2019 Gulf Coast Tour Invitational

Updated: Oct 31, 2021

Not so many years ago, I used to earn invitations to the WPBA regional tour championships. The format eventually evolved into a 2-staged event - round robin then double-elimination bracket. This Gulf Coast Ladies Tour (GCLT) Invitational event was ran as such. The first two days were the round robin matches. We were divided into 8 groups of 8 ladies, a 64 player field with 58 competing this year. Those GCLT members that were ranked top 8 were seeded in their own group. At the end of day 2, match wins, games, and points were tallied. Only the top 4 from each group advanced to the 32 player double-elimination bracket. Top 2 of the 4 from each group (top 16) were seeded; 17-32 were randomly paired with the top 16.

Day 1 was pretty rough for me (inconsistent mechanics and lack of focus). I'm not certain if it was a result of the travel and time zone change. Nonetheless, I got through the day with only 1 loss. Whew!

Day 2 started with feeling sick, but once I got to the poolhall and started doing drills, I felt like a player. I worked on drills like David Sapolis' Crucifix Drill.

By the end of day 2, I earned a spot on the top 32 bracket. I won 6 out of 7 matches which were races to 5 - #2 in my group. This achievement put me in the money rounds and seeded on the 32-player bracket.

Day 3 was exciting and intense. I had a great start with a first match win. That followed with a second match loss. Here’s where things got intense. I then had 3 back to back matches on the live stream table. I got through them but was defeated in the final match of the day. So close to finishing in the top 8, but I can’t complain 😉!