If you are wondering just how your USPPA handicap stacks up against the top pros, the USPPA has the info. The following are samples taken from the last few rounds in Reno.

It will be easy to see why John Schmidt captured the title. His performance was in a word blistering. Some of the other scores were certainly good, while still others left lots of hope for our lower handicaps. Let's review. Remember that individual match scores do not create an average, but they are indicative of how a player is playing at the moment.

When John Schmidt met Chris Szuter in the quarterfinals on the winner's side, he shot a commanding 202, defeating Szuter 9 to 3. At the same time, Szuter, a formidable competitor could only muster a 48 for that match. We had Schmidt estimated at 175 along with players like Rafael Martinez and Nick Varner.

The hot seat match saw John Schmidt shoot a god like 330 versus Shawn Putnam's 106. Schmidt won that match 9 to 3 if you recall. Putnam's performance was actually several points lower than the average of the Pro-Am winner, Jeff Gregory (109).

How about Johnny Archer vs. Daniel Wallace on the 1 loss side? Archer shot a very respectable 144 but ran into a red hot Daniel Wallace who fires a 185 at the Scorpion, defeating Johnny 9 to 7. We would have Johnny Archer playing at an estimate of 200, along with Efren Reyes, Francisco Bustamante, and Earl Strickland.

Let's not forget our little friend from Canada, Alex Pagulayan. Alex lost early to Johnny Archer and than mounted a serious drive on the 1 loss side almost capturing the title. The first score we kept on Alex was versus Chris Szuter after Chris lost to John Schmidt. While Chris managed a 78, 30 points better than his effort against Schmidt, Alex was rolling along at a whopping 214. Szuter, who we would estimate at a 160, played well in this event but seemed to falter against superior competition toward the end.

Pagulayan next dispatched Daniel Wallace, 9 to 4 while shooting a more human 172. Wallace was not his steady self in this match, only shooting a 78.

Alex's next victim was Shawn Putnam. Putnam recovered nicely from his match against Schmidt playing at a phenomenal 220. Despite that performance he could only muster six games against an astronomical 330 hung on him by Pagulayan.

It appeared we had the ultimate final match-up with Schmidt vs. Pagulayan. It is amazing what happens to scores when both players start firing back. Schmidt decided to rejoin the human race at 172, defeating Alex 9 to 5, with Alex only able to manage a 100, some 75 points below his estimated average of 175.

John Schmidt had some phenomenal weekend. While on his honeymoon with his beautiful bride Jennifer, he manages to shoot lights out pool, win the Reno Open, and if that was not enough, before checking out he somewhat quietly ran 9 dollars into $ 700 at the crap table! Another USPPA Alum makes good. When playing regularly in the system several years ago John averaged a very respectable 130. Look what a little practice and a ton of talent can accomplish!

If anyone is interested in becoming a USPPA member or in getting a tournament going in your area, feel free to contact Tony Annigoni at 831-277-0216 or e-mail to for more information. The USPPA Pro Am Classic takes place twice a year in June and December in conjunction with the Reno Open. The USPPA Handicap and Rating System is available to all interested parties for your tournaments or leagues. The USPPA is a BCA affiliate and our system is suitable for your BCA sanctioned league. In addition to 9 Ball, the USPPA system handicaps all pocket billiard games accurately. For more information regarding the USPPA, log on to usppa.com.

Tony Annigoni