Pulpul Shows He Belongs Among Elite

Last year, Demosthenes Pulpul, an unknown player from Cagayan de Oro, Philippines, surprisingly barged his way into the Final Four of the World Ten Ball Championship. This year, the man fondly called by his peers and friends as “Plong-Plong” has secured yet another Final Four seat in the Philippine Open.

In front of a large crowd at the SM Megamall and tens of millions watching on live national and international TV, Pulpul proved that he belongs among pool’s elite. He ran roughshod over Taiwanese Lu Hui-Chan, 9-1, in a performance that left many in awe. He attacked the 10-ball rack with a highly effective break and nearly flawless pocketing and position play.

The Filipino jumped the gun early on his rival, taking a commanding 7-0 lead. Although Lu managed to break into the scoring column, he couldn’t make a run. Once Pulpul returned to the table, he raced farther ahead again, wrapping up the match on the 10th rack.

“My break was good and effective,” said Pulpul in Filipino. “And I was more relaxed than my opponent. He looked a little flustered because he was playing on TV.”

Earlier in the day, Pulpul beat the last female player in the tournament, Kelley Fisher of the United Kingdom. And he did so in the same decisive fashion. Fisher, who was unbeaten up to that point, went down 9-2.

In five matches, Pulpul has lost a total of 14 racks, with no opponent winning more than four racks against him. His other victims were: Elvis Calasang (9-3), Kok Keong (9-4), and Mario Tolentino (9-4).