Rich $.5 million purse staked in Bata Cup

MANILA, Philippines - A rich purse of $500,000 will be up for grabs in the Efren “Bata” Reyes Cup, an international tournament slated to be launched early next year in Quezon City.

The event will be in honor of Reyes, the sport’s living legend, and will be presented by the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) in cooperation with Bugsy Promotions, Puyat Sports and Runout Promotions.

“Besides honoring the greatest player who has played the game, we’re also living up our tag as the best billiards-playing nation in the world and our country being the epicenter of the sport,” said BMPAP president Vic Rodriguez.

The tournament is expected to attract all the best cue artists in the world as apart from the prestigious title, the top prize of $150,000 will also go to the champion.

He will then have a shot at playing against Reyes and a $50,000 bonus prize.

The 55-year-old Reyes, known in the pool world as the Magician, is the acknowledged icon of the sport and is considered to be one of the all-time greats in the game.

His winning the World Pool Championship in 1999 catapulted billiards as one of the most popular sports among Filipinos.

He then won dozens of other titles, including the US Open, World 8-Ball Championship, million-dollar IPT World 8-Ball Open Championship and the inaugural edition of the World Cup of Pool with bosom buddy Francisco “Django” Bustamante as his partner.