Three Cushion Billiard News
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Raymon Groot 2025 USBA National Champion!!!
Raymon Groot wins his first USBA National Championship.
After the third day of play at the 2025 USBA three-cushion national championship at Bergan Billiards in Palisades Park, New Jersey, a small birthday celebration occurred. Happy Birthday was sung by a chorus of workers behind the front desk, and pieces of a flaky-crusted cake were passed around to the players practicing at the tables. Raymon Groot, born in Milan, Italy, raised in The Netherlands, and now playing out of the rooms in the New York area, was celebrating his 33rd birthday. The next day, he celebrated again when he bested Pedro Piedrabuena, 40 to 28, for the championship trophy.
Groot, a tall man with strawberry-blond hair and an aspiring beard, much blonder, began his march to the winner’s circle by finishing second in preliminary Group G, losing to Seung Kwon Hong, another NJ-NY player. In the knockout stage, Groot first topped John Guidali 40 to 26 with a strong 1.379 average. He then faced Hugo Patiño, the 2024 champion, in the round of 16. Highlighted by his run of 9, Groot came out on top of a defensive game, 40 to 32 in 36 innings (1.111). The quarterfinals gave Groot the chance to avenge his loss to Seung Kwon Hong. He led from the start and notched a 40-31 victory in 35 innings (1.143). In the semi-finals, the young Dutchman found himself trailing Kang Lee, the owner of Bergan Billiards, who seemed to have a home-field advantage. But the balls would not cooperate with the young Korean in the closing moments, and Groot finished strong, 40 to 38 in 31 innings (1.290). “I got a little lucky,” Groot would later explain his victory.
In the opposite bracket, Piedrabuena appeared to be on a quest to win his 13th title. He finished first in Group E with a 1.500 grand average, though he did lose to Ricardo Carranco Jr., from Los Angeles, in the best game of the preliminaries, 25 to 13 in eight innings (3.125 to 1.625). Despite the loss, Piedrabuena received a bye in the round of 32. He then topped Hernan Patarroyo, from Florida, 40 to 28 (1.379), advancing to the quarterfinals, where he matched up against Won Sik Kang, who was playing in his first USBA championship. Kang’s Cinderella run ended quickly. Piedrabuena took a quick lead and rushed toward the finish, 40 to 13 in 15 innings (2.667). With his victory in the books, Piedrabuena sat and watched the other match on his side of the bracket. The expected re-match with Carranco did not come to fruition. Carranco could not find his stoke, and John Park, from Houston, upset the Los Angeles cueist, 40 to28 in 40 innings (1.000). Piedrabuena’s high level of play continued in the semi-finals, averaging 1.538 in a 40 to 28 win over Park.
After a short break, Groot, seeking his first title, and Piedrabuena, seeking his 13th, lagged for the break. Groot won and scored. He tallied billiard on billiard and was ahead 20 to 10 on the scoreboard at the break. A small delay occurred as the players returned from the halftime. A scoring error had been made, and Charles Brown, the tournament director, adjusted the score, 20 to 9 in favor of Groot. Despite the loss of a billiard, Piedrabuena found his rhythm, scoring consistently and then closing the gap with a run of 8. Groot immediately answered with a run of 5. The players traded scores for several innings, and then the new champion closed with runs of 4 and 5 to finish, 40 to 28 in 23 innings (1.739). In an interview several days after the tournament, Groot was reflective. “I have nothing much to say. The tables and balls were in good condition, and that helped my game. The conditions were super important. I did not have to make many adjustments and the balls favored me.”
With the victory, Groot earned $4000. He also had the highest run in the finals, 9 against Patino, earning him another $200. Piedrabuena took home $3000 for second place and another $200 for highest average in a game (2.667). Park and Lee shared third place, with each taking home $2000.
The quality of play in the nationals was high. Many railbirds commented that the tournament field of 56 likely had the highest grand average for a US national tournament. The 56 players were placed in 8 groups of 7, with the top three from each group advancing to the knockout phase. Of the 24 finalists, 12 had grand averages above 1.000. Another five had grand averages above 0.900. The USBA will send four players to the PanAmerican Championship tournaments, which will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina the first week of June. The four players will play in both the individual and team tournaments. Last year, Groot was the highest place winner and qualified for the individual world championship. Piedrabuena and Patino qualified for the world team championship, where they placed eighth.
The final four players (left to right): Pedro Piedrabuena 2nd, Raymon Groot champion, John Park, 3rd, Kang Lee 3rd.
Live Stream!
Live Stream by CaromSports
https://www.youtube.com/@iralee3c
Live Stream by USBALive
https://www.youtube.com/@USBALive2025
Sponsors: Predator CRM, Royal Pro, Aramith, CaromSports, J Workshop Billiards, Spinhound, Bergen Billiards, USBA
Final Results are Posted
Carlos Mario Villegas Leads the Field After the Qualifications
Groot Defeats Patino
The Final 8 are John Park vs Ricardo Carranco, Won Sik Kang vs Pedro Piedrabuena, Tae Kyu Lee vs Kang Lee, Raymon Groot vs Seung Kwon Hong.
The Final Eight (left to right): Won Sik Kang, Tae Kyu Lee, John Park, Pedro Piedrabuena, Ricardo Carranco Jr., Raymon Groot, Kang Lee, Seung Kwon Hong.
First Rounds of the Qualifications.
Henry Ugartechea defeats Hugo Patino.
The players from Florida!
Final List of Players updated April 23, 2025
2025 National Qualifiers
Click Here for Information on the 2025 National Qualifiers
Schedule of National Qualifiers
February 4, 2025 Palisades Park, NJ Bergen Billiards Link to Info Completed
February 6, 2025 Flushing, NY Carom Cafe Billiards Link to Info Completed
March 8, 2025 Modesto, CA The Billiard House Link to Info Completed
March 27, 2025 Milpitas, CA Jimmy's Billiards Link to Info Canceled
March 28–29, 2025 Tacoma, WA Elks Lodge #174 Link to Info Completed
March 29, 2025 Lauderhill, FL Carom Billiards Link to Info Completed
April 3, 2025 Palisades Park, NJ Bergen Billiards Link to Info Completed
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Hugo Patiño during the last round of the Qualifications.
Pedro Piedrabuena in his match against Egypt's Sameh Sidhom.
USA Advances to 1/4 Finals in Viersen
The USA finished 2nd in Group D and advances to the 1/4 Finals. The Netherlands topped the Group with 5 match points followed by the USA with 3 match points. Spain finished 3rd and Egypt 4th. The USA had a 1-1-1 Win-Draw-Loss record with their win coming in the last round against Egypt. They opened the tournament with a loss against the Netherlands and followed with a draw against Spain. Pedro drew his matches with Dick Jaspers and Sameh Sidhom and won his match against Ruben Legazpi. Hugo started with 2 losses but finished in style with a win in the last round to keep the team alive. An excellent showing so far from Team USA!
Pedro Piedrabeuna (left) and Hugo Patiño (right) will play in the UMB World Championship for National Teams.
Pedro and Hugo to Represent USA in Viersen World Team Championship
The UMB World Championship 3-Cushion for National Teams will take place March 13 to 16, 2025 at the Festhalle in Viersen, Germany. Pedro Piedrabuena and Hugo Patiño will be representing the USA and are in Group D for the Qualifications along with the teams of The Netherlands, Spain, and Egypt.
Qualification Groups
Group A: Turkey | Germany | Colombia | Portugal
Group B: Korea | Japan | France | Mexico
Group C: Vietnam | Belgium | Sweden | Jordan
Group D: Netherlands | Spain | Egypt | USA
The USA’s first opponent will be The Netherlands where Pedro will face Dick Jaspers and Hugo will be matched against Jean Paul De Bruijn. The first matches begin on Thursday, March 13th.
Matches will be streamed live on Soop, the official broadcast channel of the UMB:
https://billiards.sooplive.co.kr
Full information and results can be found on the UMB website:
https://www.umb-carom.org/PG344L2/Union-Mondiale-de-Billard.aspx
and on UMB Cuesco/Five&Six:
http://umb.cuesco.net/competition/info?idx=188
In 2024 the USA team of Hugo Patiño and Raymon Groot finished on the podium in Viersen winning the bronze and hopefully this year the team can have continued success.
Go USA!
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UMB Bogotá World Cup
The schedule of play is posted here on the UMB website:
Matches are streamed live on Soop:
Full information on the UMB Website:
Information is also available on Cuesco:
Tune in and cheer for our players!
DAY 2
Groot Draws With Crespo To Advance
Raymon Groot shooting to even the match.
Raymon Groot draws with Carlos Crespo both scoring 30 points in 31 innings. Both players scored a total of 60 points in 52 innings averaging 1.153, however, Groot wins the tiebreak with his high run of 10 compared with Crespo's 9. That puts Groot in 1st place in Group B so he will advance to the next round.
Groot Wins First Match In Fine Style
Raymon Groot about to score his 2nd point in a run of 10 to pull ahead in the match.
Raymon Groot scored 30 points in 21 innings to win his first match against Lucas Egert from Germany. Egert started with 5 in the first inning, ran 7 a few innings later but Groot kept scoring steadily keeping the match close. In the 12th inning it was 20-16 in favor of Egert when Groot managed to string together a run of 10 to take the lead at 26-20. From there Groot chipped away at the scoreline with single point innings but Egert could do no better allowing Groot to cross the finish line. Groot will face Spain's Carlos Crespo in his next match. Crespo also won his first match (against Egert) in 21 innings but Groot's run of 10 puts him 1st in the standings over Crespo for now (Crespo had a 9). The two will meet later in the day.
Victor Cuzzi on day 2.
Day 2 was not as fortunate as the first for Victor Cuzzi (the only USBA player to advance from the first day) who was defeated in his two matches, but overall a good showing from the talented player from Florida.
DAY 1
Victor Cuzzi Advances To The Next Round
No Luck For Other USBA Players
USBA Players (top to bottom): Victor Cuzzi, Seung Kwon Hong, John Park, Jovanny Ceballos and Edward Gomez.
Matches Begin & Edward Gomez Joins USBA Players In Bogotá
Edward Gomez is the 7th USBA player to compete in Bogotá.
Edward Gomez has now joined the USBA players competing in Bogotá. He was paired in the first round with S. K. Hong. Both players are regulars at Bergen Billiards in New Jersey, the site of the 2025 USBA National Championship coming up in April. S. K. Hong prevailed winning 30-21 in 31 innings.
Top L to R: Hugo Patiño, Raymon Groot, Seung Kwon Hong. Bottom L to R: Victor Cuzzi, John Park, and Jovanny Ceballos.
The UMB Bogotá World Cup kicks off the 2025 season beginning February 24th and running through March 2nd. Six players from the USBA will compete: Hugo Patiño, Jovanny Ceballos, Victor Cuzzi, Raymon Groot, Seung Kwon Hong, and John Park. Patiño will begin play in the PQ Round on the 26th. Groot starts a day earlier on the 25th in the PPQ Round and the rest of the players start in the PPPQ Round on the 24th, the first day of the tournament.
The schedule of play is posted here on the UMB website:
Matches are streamed live on Soop:
Full information on the UMB Website:
Information is also available on Cuesco:
Tune in and cheer for our players!
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2025 USBA National Qualifier Results
The three winners at Bergen Billiards (left to right): Seung Kwon Hong, Sang Ho Kim, and Won Sik Kang.
Bergen Billiards | April 3, 2025
Seung Kwon Hong, Sang Ho Kim, and Won Sik Kang Qualify for the Nationals
Bergen Billiards, the host of the 2025 USBA National Championship, held a second qualifier on April 3. Twelve players competed to qualify for the Nationals in 3 Groups. Matches were played to 25 points. Seung Kwon Hong prevailed in Group A winning his 3 matches with an average of .824. Young Ha Choi was a standout in the Group despite losing his first round match to Seung Kwon 25-24. Young Ha won his 2nd match in 26 innings and then posted the best game of the tournament in the final round scoring 25 points in 9 innings (2.778 average). His grand average was 1.276, the best overall.
Bergen Billiards during the Qualifier on April 3rd.
In Group B, it was Sang Ho Kim who went undefeated finishing his matches in 16, 25, and 30 innings for an overall grand average of 1.056. 2nd in the Group was Edward Gomez losing only to Kim. Gomez avereged 1.054 overall with a best game of 25 points in 13 innings (1.923 average).
Won Sik Kang finished on top in Group C winning his three matches averaging .893. The battle for 2nd place in Group C was closely contested between Jim Shovak and Wilmar Rivera with Shovak winning their final round match 25-24.
Overview at Bergen Billiards.
Carom Billiards | March 29, 2025
Hernán Patarroyo, Jovanny Ceballos, Victor Cuzzi, and Julian Molina Qualify for the Nationals
The group of players for the qualifier at Carom Billiards in Florida.
Eighteen players competed at Carom Billiards in Florida to qualify for the Nationals. There were 3 groups of 6 players with the top 2 from each group advancing plus the 2 best 3rd place fininshers for a single elimination final. Matches were played to 25 points in the qualification groups. Julian Molina led Group 1 with a 5-0 record and 1.025 average. Camilo Medina finished 2nd with 1 loss. David Ramirez finished on top in Group 2 averaging .977 winning all his matches. Jovanny Ceballos and Hernan Patarroyo were 2nd and 3rd both with 3-2 win-loss records. In Group 3 it was Victor Cuzzi at the top also 5-0 followed by Nayiv Ramirez in 2nd Julio Rincon in 3rd.
The four qualified players (left to right): Victor Cuzzi, Jovanny Ceballos, Hernán Patarroya, and Julian Molina.
30 point matches were played in the final knockout stage where Julian Molina won against Julio Rincon 30-12 at the top of the bracket. Victor Cuzzi prevailed over Nayiv Ramirez 30-25 in the closest match of the final. Jovanny won against Camilo 30-13 and Hernan got the best of David Ramirez 30-13.
Congratulations to all the players for a succesful qualifier in Florida!
Elks Lodge #174 | March 28 to 29, 2025
Jesus Quinonez, Ertan Tarhan, and Salvador Hernandez Qualify for the Nationals
Sixteen players competed at the Tacoma Elks at the end of March. Ertan Tarhan finished in first place at the USBA National Qualifier in Tacoma with Rod Jr finishing second in a very close final tournament match. Unfortunately, some players who qualified for the USBA National Championship will not be able to attend so it will be Jesus Quinonez, Ertan Tarhan, and Salvador Hernandez representing the Pacific Northwest at the Nationals this year.
The Billiard House | March 8, 2025
Jose Soria and Tony Padilla Qualify for the Nationals
The Billiard House in Modesto, California, the site of the 2024 USBA National Championshp, qualified two players for the 2025 tournament: Jose Soria and Tony Padilla. Ten players competed in the qualification tournament held on March 8.
Carom Café Billiards Billiards | February 6, 2025
Young Kyu Lee and Young Gull Lee Qualify for the Nationals
For the second qualifier of the season, 10 players competed in 2 Groups of 5 at Carom Café Billiards in Flushing, NY. The winner of each group qualified based on W/L, Total Points, Head-to-Head. Young Kyu Lee led the way in Group A with a 4/0 Win/Loss record to secure his qulification spot. Bassem Salem finished 2nd at 3/1. In Group B it was Young Gull Lee who qualified with a record of 3/1. For 2nd place there were 3 players at 2/2 and Raymon Groot prevailed with the most points followed by Sang Jin lee and Eric Kwon.
Bergen Billiards | February 4, 2025
Quoc Tuan Vo, Oscar Pardo, and Kang Lee Qualify for the Nationals
Thirteen players competed in the first USBA National Qualifier for the 2025 season at Bergen Billiards, the host room for the National Championship. Players were divided into 3 groups of 4 or 5 players and the winner of each group qualified based on W/L, then average. Matches were played to 25 points. In Group A it was Quoc Tuan Vo who dominated with 3 wins averaging 1.271 finishing his matches in 16, 19, and 24 innings. Group B had 5 players and Oscar Pardo and Kenny Je both finished with 3 wins and 1 loss. Pardo's average of .850 placed him first above Je who averaged .730. Kang Lee, the host and owner of Bergen Billiards went undefeated in Group C with a grand average of 1.339. He finished his second round match in 9 innings averaging 2.778. It was his first time playing a match with no open innings.
More results coming soon as qualifiers are completed!