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Bustamante Blows Away Masters

Filipino star Francisco Bustamante went undefeated though a field of 45 to win the 2005 Masters 9-Ball Championship at Barry Behrman’s Q-Master Billiards in Virginia Beach, Va., July 26-31.

Bustamante beat a mixture of big names and no-names as he charged to the final. Notable matches included a 9-5 win over Santos Sambajon.

In the final, Bustamante faced Robert Ray, and Ray unexpectedly leapt to a 5-1 lead in the race-to-11 match. Bustamante, unfazed, won the next 10 games and won, 11-5.

Bustamante won $5,000 for first place; Ray took home $2,500. Eric Moore and Santos Sambajon took third and fourth, respectively.

For more in-depth coverage of this event, check the Tournaments section of September’s Billiards Digest magazine.