Alejandro Salvador "Alex" Pagulayan (born June 25, 1978) is a Filipino-born Canadian professional pool player. His nickname is "the Lion", given to him by Paul Thornley, Canadian snooker player whom he credits as his mentor. Pagulayan is considered one of the best pool players of all time[1] as well as one of the best one-pocket player of all time.[2][3] He was born in Cabagan, Isabela, Philippines and was raised in Toronto, Canada. Pagulayan represented the Philippines in the mid-2000s and in 2012, he began carrying the Canadian flag in international tournaments again.
He is known for his relaxed demeanor during competition, and is a crowd favorite, well liked because of his humorous interaction with the audience and entertaining impressions of other players.[4]
Early years
Alex Pagulayan was born in the town of Cabagan in Isabela, Philippines. He emigrated to Canada when he was 16 years old. His father managed a pool hall, so Pagulayan was introduced to the game at an early age. Though he was also attracted to other sports, he thought his physique may have been unsuitable for them. He has said, "I like a lot of sports, but with pool, you don't have to be physically tough." His main training venue was Loma's pool hall.[5]
Professional career
Pagulayan has experience in the game of snooker other than Pool, helping the Filipino team to win the Snooker Gold Medal at the 2005 SEA Games (held in Manila, Philippines) with teammates Joven Alba and Leonardo Andam. After the team's 3–2 win against Thailand at the Makati Coliseum, Pagulayan emerged as a triple gold medalist.[6]
Very skilled players in nine-ball have the tendency to sometimes pocket four or even five balls on the break . Pagulayan in the first rack of the semi-finals in the 2004 BCA Open, sank six balls on the break — two-thirds of the entire rack. Pagulayan's break did not include the 9 ball, and despite the six ball advantage, he lost that game (to fellow countryman Santos Sambajon).[7]
In 2003, Pagulayan went on the road in the United States with Canadian pool player Ronnie Wiseman to compete in pocket billiard tournaments. They scored a double victory at the Carolinas Open at Fast Eddie's in Goldsboro, North Carolina, with Wiseman winning the one-pocket tournament and Pagulayan winning the nine-ball event.[9] Later in 2003, Pagulayan reached the finals of the World Nine-ball Championship but was beaten by Thorsten Hohmann 10–17.[10]
In 2006, Pagulayan won the first national championship of the Billiards and Snooker Congress of Philippines (BSCP), besting Gandy Valle in the final and earning P1,000,000 (US$20,639).[12]
Not many pool players in the Philippines excel at or even play straight pool. For a number of years, Jose Parica and Efren Reyes were the only known Filipino players to have made a run of 100 or more. However, at a demonstration match at the 2006 Derby City Classic in Kentucky, Pagulayan made a high run of 130, the second-highest of the event.[13] This made him the third known Filipino player to have run of 100 balls in straight pool competition.
In 2007, Pagulayan won the World Summit of Pool nine-ball championship held at the Riviera Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. American Shane Van Boening defeated Pagulayan earlier in the event, 11–4, but the veteran Pagulayan came back from the losing bracket of the double-elimination tournament chart by beating fellow countrymen Francisco Bustamante and Warren Kiamco, only to face Van Boening in the final round. The semi-finals as well as the final matches were recorded by ESPN for future broadcast, and the final match between Pagulayan and Van Boening was a race to 7. Pagulayan shot out with a strong lead, 4–1, but Van Boening managed to tie the score at 5–5. However, after Pagulayan three-fouled him, resulting in a loss of game for Van Boening, Pagulayan advanced and captured the title in the final game, ending the match at 7–5.[14][15]
On May 11, 2008, Pagulayan defeated Mika Immonen in the Matchroom Sports production of the World Pool Masters in a thrilling final match held at the Rivera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the race to 8, Immonen maintained a strong lead against Pagulayan with a score of 6 to 3, but due to an illegal break when he failed to send the required number of balls past the headstring, Pagulayan took advantage of this error by winning the next three games in a row, with the eventual title going to Pagulayan. "I feel like I did when I won the World Championship," said Pagulayan flexing his biceps and performing a running man dance for the cameras directly after sinking the 9 ball for the match win. "I think I've finished in every place here except first," he said. Pagulayan was a finalist in the 2006 World Pool Masters, but lost to German Ralf Souquet.[16]
"The Lion" Pagulayan beat Joven Bustamante on June 15, 2008, to win the P 300,000-Magnificent 7 Winner-Take-All 9-Ball Invitational second qualifier in Mandaue City, Cebu for the December grand final. He was set for the June, 2nd leg of the Sen. Manuel Villar Cup in Cebu City.[17]
Alex Pagulayan, 30, received the $15,000 check, as he defeated Dennis Orcollo, 11–6, to win the 4th leg of the Guinness 9-Ball Tour at the Velocity at Novena Square, Singapore. Pagulayan beat the 2005 world title winner, Wu Chia Ching, 9–6, while Orcollo defeated Yang Ching-Shun, 9–8. Orcollo settled for the runner-up purse of $6,000.[18][19]
In 2011, Alex Pagulayan defeated Floyd Ziegler 6–0 to win the final of the 2011 Canadian Amateur Championship, in his return to competitive snooker, he successfully defended the title in 2012 and became a Canadian citizen.[20]
In 2016, Pagulayan was crowned champion of the 2016 Canadian 9-Ball Championship held in Quebec, Canada after he tumbled John Morra in the championship match, 15–6. Pagulayan would remain undefeated in all of his matches, including a semi-finals victory over Alain Martel in the tournament.[21]
Pagulayan filed a libel and P 6 million damages action with Pasig Regional Trial Court on July 14, 2008. He sued Yen Makabenta and Ernesto Fajardo, the officials of the Billiards and Snookers Congress of the Philippines (BSCP) who had accused him of "sharking" (distracting his opponent to win, at the Singapore leg Guinness 9-Ball Tour), in addition to being a "disgraceful loser" and a "liar".[22]
Switch to Canada
In 2012 Pagulayan began representing Canada in international competitions. His agent reportedly said during the 2012 World Cup of Pool that Pagulayan encountered fewer "political obstacles" in representing Canada[23] while the pool player himself said that he switched to representing Canada due to competition with other Filipino players. He made the move to continue his professional career, which he stated was his livelihood. At the 2012 World Cup of Pool, he, along with partner John Morra, finished in the Round of 16, and was eliminated by Filipino pair Francisco Bustamante and Efren Reyes.[24]
Personal life
Despite his 2004 relocation to the Philippines, Pagulayan still officially has a mailing address in Canada. In March 2007, when asked where he resides in a Pool Billiards News interview, Pagulayan jokingly replied, "My suitcase. Yes. That's where I live right now – out of my suitcase."[25]
Aside from pool, Alex also plays poker, chess and basketball, and is friends with poker star Daniel Negreanu. He is a big fan of the band Texas.
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↑ Terrado, Reuben (September 4, 2012). "Reason behind Pagulayan switch". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Archived from the original on July 1, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
↑ Lozada, Mei-Lin (September 7, 2012). "'The Lion' still a Pinoy at heart". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Archived from the original on July 1, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
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