Django leads cast in San Miguel Asian nine-ball

SINGAPORE — Billiards nine-ball action returns to Singapore when current world No. 1 player Francisco Bustamante meets the challenge from a field of 32 top Asian players for the first leg of the five-city San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour 2004 at Pool Haven in Clarke Quay.

Bustamante, former World Pool Champions Efren "Bata" Reyes and Chao Fong-Pang from Chinese Taipei, will lead the cast of players also seeking qualifying points towards the World Pool Championships in July. The Tour is the only ranking tour in Asia for players to qualify to the World Pool Championships. All the action will be seen live on STAR Sports at 7 p.m. Feb. 28 and 4:30 p.m. , Feb. 29 (Singapore/Hong Kong time).

Adding to the stakes will be a prize money purse of $50,000 up for grabs at this weekend’s Singapore leg and on each subsequent stop of the San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour in Ho Chi Minh City (March 13-14), Hong Kong (April 17-18), Taipei (May 7-9) and Manila (May 29-30). The main draw includes 32 top Asian players from 13 countries/regions.