INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines -- A trio of top-eight results including a runner-up finish in the 9-ball competition boosted Filipino Francisco “Django” Bustamante to the all-events Master of the Table crown Saturday in the 10th Derby City Classic in Louisville, Kentucky.

Bustamante pocketed a bonus prize of $30,000 and succeeded compatriot Efren “Bata” Reyes, who took the title last year on the strength of a victory in the one-pocket event.

Playing under the banner of Puyat Sports like Reyes, Bustamante was a quarterfinalist in the 9-ball bank play, a semifinalist in the one-pocket and finished second to Germany’s Ralf Souquet in the 9-ball.

Souquet, the 2006 World Pool runner-up to Ronnie Alcano, bested Bustamante, 7-2, in the sudden-death finals.

The Filipino, who needed to prevail over the German twice to win the title, whipped Soquet in the first race-to-7 set of the finals, 7-2, after bagging seven straight racks.

According to a report on www.azbilliards.com, Bustamante clinched the Master of the Table title after scoring his 11th win in the 9-ball tournament, over former US Open 9-ball champion Gabe Owen.

Owen finished second overall while another American, Larry Nevel, wound up third.

Bustamante earlier won over Ron Beard, Norman McKinley, Josh Roberts, Curtis Dehart, Mika Immonen, Gus Briseno, Nevel, Jose “Amang” Parica, Alex Pagulayan and Mike Dechaine.

His only loss came at the hands of John Schmidt in the 13th round, forcing him to exercise his “buy-in option” to return into the tournament.

Rodolfo “Boy Samson” Luat broke the news of Bustamante’s victory through Shirley Mananap of Puyat Sports.

The off-form Reyes and the United States-based Santos Sambajon were the only other Filipinos who saw action in the Classic. Marlon Bernardino, contributor