Corr Takes Inaugural WPBA Satellite Event

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Corr Takes Inaugural WPBA Satellite Event
WPBA Satellite Tour / Bristol, TN

by Lea Andrews

Karen “The Irish Invader” Corr, who was undefeated after two days of play at Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN, came back from a late loss Sunday to capture first in the WPBA Satellite Tour’s inaugural event. The $10,000-added event, held July 10-12, drew 64 talented ladies, pros and amateurs alike, 12 of whom returned for Sunday’s play.

Corr, who had given up only eight games upon reaching the final four on the winners’ side, allowed Monica Webb only five games, moving on to the hot seat match against Gerda “G-Force” Hofstatter, who on her way had knocked aside Line Kjorsvik, Ewa Laurance, and Julie Kelly. Corr turned out to be the last in the string of pros whom Hofstatter would defeat, and Corr joined the one-loss side with a score of 9-7.

On the left side of the bracket, Kelly Fisher, who on Saturday had gotten up 6-1 on Kelly before falling 9-7, was ousted by Allison Fisher 7-4. A. Fisher, though, was next pitted against BCA Hall of Famer Laurance, who was coming off of a hill-hill victory over Val Finnie. On a roll, Laurance held Fisher to five games, but she couldn’t get past Webb, who was trying to push her way to the finals. Meeting Webb in the one-loss quarterfinals was Kelly, who’d gotten past Kim Shaw 7-3. Kelly managed only two games, though, and it was time for Webb to try to exact her revenge on Corr. Taking the first three racks in the race to 7, Webb seemed Hofstatter’s likely opponent in the finals, but when nothing fell on the break for Webb in the fourth rack, Corr began her comeback. In a seven-game streak that included excellent cue-ball control, great safety play, and three break and runs, Corr moved on to the finals.

Having won seven straight games to get there, it seemed that Corr had adopted the same simple strategy in the single race-to-11 finals: Don’t let an opponent make a 9 ball. And for the first nine racks, she didn’t. In the tenth rack, though, Hofstatter cleared the table with ball in hand on the 1 ball to put herself on the board 9-1. But she’d hit the string for the last time, as Corr, coming out on top of the safety battles that followed in the next two racks, emerged the first-ever winner of a WPBA Satellite Tour event.

WPBA Satellite tournament brackets

Karen “The Irish Invader” Corr, who was undefeated after two days of play at Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN, came back from a late loss Sunday to capture first in the WPBA Satellite Tour’s inaugural event.

Results:
1st Karen Corr $3,000
2nd Gerda Hofstatter $2,050
3rd Monica Webb $1,500
4th Julie Kelly $1,250
5th Kim Shaw $1,000
Ewa Laurance
7th Allison Fisher $800
Iris Ranola
9th Kelly Fisher $600
Val Finnie
Line Kjorsvik
Briana Miller
13th Denise Belanger $450
Morgan Steinman
Chelsea Hardwick
Brittany Bryant
17th Megan Smith $300
Tracie Hines
Janet Atwell
Tiffany Nelson-Crain
Stephanie Mitchell
Liz Ford
Liz Lovely
Belinda Calhoun
25th Liz Taylor $200
Lisa Davids
Sueyen Rhee
Julie Mason-Comitini
Mai Scheick
Tina Larsen
Karen Webb
Emily Duddy