Three Cushion Billiard News
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Bida Em 6 Years Anniversary
Tournament Results
The Bida Em 6 Years Anniversary Toutnament will be held over the July 4th weekend in Arlington, Texas. David Nguyen and Texas 3 Cushion Billiards is helping to promote the tournament. There are 96 players for the field with many of the top USA players participating.
Below is the schedule for the first two days.
Looks like an exciting tournament and matches will be streamed on YouTube Texas3CushioBilliards.
Best of luck to all the players.
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George Aronek Passes at 98
George Aronek (left) at the 1996 Sang Lee International Open.
by Charles Brown
George Aronek, former USBA President and a great ambassador for 3-cushion billiards passed on Saturday, June 28 at the age of 98. In a post on AZBilliards Bill Smith, a longtime friend of George, stated that George died in his sleep in a nursing home after contracting COVID.
I first met George at the 1996 Sang Lee International Open Tournament held at Sang Lee’s room in Jackson Heights, NYC. George was tournament director and he was inputting the results on charts that he had hand drawn. Everything he was doing was precise, meticulous, and beautifully done—all by hand. He knew his stuff and he made everyone comfortable.
George Aronek (left) at the 1996 Sang Lee International Open.
Not long after that I found myself in the role of tournament director and was responsible for running tournaments and providing results charts. Bewildered as how to proceed, I remembered that week of watching George and resolved that I could use his methods as my model. He would be my mentor. So, I got myself a big piece of poster board and some markers and, although I knew the charts would never be as beautiful as the ones George had made, I was determined to make them clear and legible and keep them up-to-date. But, more importantly, the real lesson I learned from George was that I needed to be fair, kind, open-minded, and to approach everything (and everyone) in a friendly and warm-hearted manner if I wanted to succeed as tournament director and ensure the success of future USBA events, just like I had observed George had handled it a couple of years before at the S.L International.
Results Chart. 2016 USBA National Qualifier at the Burbank Elks Lodge 1497. Hand drawn by George Aronek (signed G.A. in bottom right corner). Courtesy: Professorqball.com.
Since then the results charts I use have evolved to spreadsheets and now databases (designed by others) that are mostly automatic. The real point is that any success I have had as tournament director has been built on the traditions and foundations laid by many that came before me, and, hopefully I have made some small improvements which is only natural as time progresses. George Aronek provided a solid foundation for me—I only needed to observe him for a short time to understand how things should be done.
B&W photo (c. 1968) of Masako Katsura on a visit to San Francisco aiming a straight-rail massé at Palace Billiards. Seated to her left is Robert Byrne. Seated at extreme left is George Aronek. Courtesy: The Billiard Archive.
George Aronek was a good friend with Allen Gilbert and you could often see them together at events. He was instrumental in the development of the BFUSA and subsequently the USBA. As a former president, tournament director, player, and promoter of 3-cushion, George was a prominent figure throughout the history of the game in the USA and will be remembered by many for a long time to come.
Here's a post from Lefty Gilbert which shows a photo of George Aronek playing billiards just 2 weeks prior.
George Aronek signature. Courtesy: The Billiard Archive.
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2025 Panamerican Championship May 31st to June 6th in Argentina
Livestream, Results, and Schedule on the CPB Facebook Page
Team USA (L to R): John Park, Seung Kwon Hong, Raymon Groot, and Pedro Piedrabuena. Photo: El Profe de Billar (Link to El Profe de Billar).
Overview of the venue for the 2025 Panamerican Championships.
Team Tournament
Colombia Wins the 2025 Panamerican Team Championship
Colombia A with Pedro Gonzalez and Huberney Catano.
USA Takes Silver Medal in the Panamerican Team Championship
USA A with Raymon Groot and Pedro Piedrabuena.
The final of the Team competition.
USA A Advances to the Finals along with Colombia A
USA A Advances to the Semifinals With Win Over USA B
Pedro Piedrabuena Finishes in 11 Innings
USA Team A and USA Team B Both Advance and Face Each Other in the Opening Round of the Final
Alejandro Santiago of México is the 2025 Panamerican Champion
Alejandro Santiago of México wins the final to become the 2025 Panamerican Champion. He scored 50 points in 27 innings against Luis Sobreyra, also from México, who scored 33 points in 26 innings. Congratulations to México!
Huberney Cataño Knocks Out Pedro Piedrabuena
June 3rd Results
Pedro Piedrabuena Wins Against John Park in the Round of 32
SK Hong Loses to Pedro Gonzalez
Park, Hong, and Piedrabuena Advance, Groot Misses Out
June 2nd Results
Seung Kwon Hong, John Park, and Raymon Groot Win Their First Matches
Playing their first matches in the evening of June 2nd, Seung Kwon Hong, John Park, and Raymon Groot all racked up wins to make it an impressive day for Team USA. Seung Kown Hong and John Park both finished in 18 innings and Raymon Groot finished in 21 innings. Add to that Pedro's 3 matches from earlier in the day of 12, 14 and 18 innings it gives Team USA a grand average for the day of 1.782 (180 points in 101 innings). Go USA!
Pedro Piedrabuena shooting in his 3rd match.
Pedro Piedrabuena Scores 30 in 12, 14, and 18 Innings
Pedro won his first two matches scoring 30 points in 12 and 14 innings in decisive fashion. He could only tie in his 3rd match against Alejandro Santiago of Mexico, both players finishing in 18 innings.
Pedro in action in Argentina.
Team USA in the background.
Qualification Groups for USBA Players
USA Players Qualification Groups.
The Qualification Groups for the USBA Players are as follows: John Park (USA) in Group A along with Luis Angel Martinez (COL), Cristian Rubilar (CHI), and Carlos Ochoa (MEX); Pedro Piedrabuena (USA) in Group B along with Alejandro Santiago (MEX), Fernando Moreira (URU), and Eduardo Vahedzian (ARG); Raymon Groot (USA) in Group J along with Marco Sobarzo (CHI), Mathias Moscoso (PER), and Manuel Torreira (DOM); Seung Kwon Hong (USA) in Group K along with Miguel Guixe (URU), Mauro Salvador (ARG), and Tirso Gonzalez (DOM).
The 2025 Panamerican Championships will be held in Argentina again this year beginning May 31st and continuing through June 6th at the Boedo Billar Club (Av Medrano 468, Caba, Argentina). USA players will compete in the Individual (Máxima Masculina) and the Team (Equipos) competitions. The results at the Panamerican Championship decides in part which players and teams are eligible to compete in the World Championships, both Individual and Team.
4 USBA Players to Compete in Argentina
Raymon Groot (USBA National Champion), Pedro Piedrabuena, John Park, and Seung Kwon Hong will compete at the Panamerican Championship.
Here is a PDF of the offical announcement (in Spanish).
Here are the Inscriptions as of May 25th.
Best of Luck to Team USA!
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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