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Early
days
Pagulayan's parents emigrated
to Canada when he was 13 years
old. His father managed a pool
hall, so Pagulayan's exposure
to the game came early. Though
he was attracted to others sports,
he thought his stature may not
have been right. "I like
a lot of sports, but with pool,
you don't have to be physically
tough. His main hotspot was
the pool call "Loma's"
Professional career
Pagulayan also has expertise
in the pocket billiards game
of snooker, and his capabilities
enabled his Philippines 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.
Pagulayan (center) and Francisco
Bustamante (left) at the 2004
US Open Nine-ball Championship
signing autographsVery 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. (But note
that Rodolfo Luat also performed
a similar feat in a Japanese
tournament.) Pagulayan's break
did not include the 9 ball,
and despite the six ball advantage,
he lost that game (to fellow
countryman Santos Sambajon).
In
2002, Pagulayan made it to finals
of the US Open Nine-ball Championship,
but was defeated by Ralf Souquet,
11–13. Three years later,
he got another shot for the
US Open Nine-ball Championship
title and won it, defeating
Jose Parica in the finals, 11–6.
Ronnie Wiseman, Keith McCready,
and Pagulayan (left to right)
at the 2003 Carolinas Open in
Goldsboro, North CarolinaIn
2003, Pagulayan went on the
road in the United States with
Canadian pool player Ronnie
Wiseman to compete in pocket
billiard tournaments. They both
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. Later in
2003, Pagulayan reached the
finals of the World Nine-ball
Championship. Unfortunately,
he was bested by Thorsten Hohmann
10-17.
In
2004 in Taipei, Taiwan, Pagulayan
captured the prestigous World
Pool Championship title, representing
Canada. The score was a 17–13
victory over Pei-wei Chang in
the finals.
In
2006, Pagulayan won the first
national championship of the
Billiards and Snooker Congress
of Philippines (BSCP), besting
Gandy Valle in the finals and
earning P1,000,000 (US$20,639).
Not
many pool players in the Philippines
excel at or even play straight
pool. For a number of years,
Efren Reyes was the only Filipino
player known to have made runs
of 100 or more. However, at
an demonstration match at the
2006 Derby City Classic in Kentucky,
Pagulayan made a high run of
130, the second-highest of the
event. This makes him the second
Filipino player known to have
run 100 balls in straight pool
in controlled competition.
In
2007, 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 forward and captured
the title in the final game,
ending the match at 7–5.
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!"
Aside
from pool, Alex also plays poker,
chess and basketball.
Achievements
2007 World Summit of Pool
2006 Philippine National Championship
2005 Philippines Snooker Team
Gold Medal, SEA Games
2005 US Open Nine-ball Championship
2005 Derby City Classic Ten-ball
Ring Game Champion
2005 SML Entertainment Nine-ball
Champion
2004 WPA World Nine-ball Championship
2003 Joss Tour Grand Final Winner
2003 Carolinas Open Nine-ball
Division, Goldsboro, North Carolina
2003 IBC Western Canadian Open
2002 World Pool Trickshot Champion
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