Francisco Bustamante
Encyclopedia
Francisco Bustamante is a Filipino
professional pocket billiards
(pool) player from Tarlac
, and the 2010
World Nine-ball Champion., nicknamed "Django", after the lead character of the film of the same name
, and sometimes also called "Bustie", especially in the United States
.
He never completed high school and has been concentrating in pocket billiards from 12 years of age. He quoted:
After some success in the Philippines, Bustamante moved to Germany where stayed for more than a decade, competing in a number of tournaments in Europe.
With his win in Tulsa, Bustamante locked up the 1998 Camel Pro Billiards Series year-long point fund's top spot. He then finished the season in record breaking style, winning the Columbus 10-Ball Open and becoming the first player to win three Camel titles in one season. His Columbus 10-Ball title also completed the first ever Camel trifecta, with titles in each of the three games contested on the Camel Pro Billiards Series: eight-ball, nine-ball and ten-ball. Known for his style at the table and behind-the-back shots, Bustamante is one of the best Filipino players of the game along with fellow Kapampangan Efren Reyes
, Marlon Manalo
and Ronato Alcano
. He also holds the world record for having the most powerful break shot.
In 1999, Bustamante finished 3rd place in the WPA World Nine-ball Championship
after losing to Efren Reyes who later won it. Months later, he won the International Challenge of Champions
. He won that tournament again three years later.
The next year, Bustamante won the Motolite 9-ball Tournament, an event held in the Philippines, at the expense of Antonio Lining
. The victory earned him $30K which was the largest first prize offered in a Philippine-held tournament at that time (this was later surpassed when Alcano won $100K in the 2006 WPA World Nine-ball Championship which was held in that country).
The year 2002 was probably the coldest year for Bustamante, especially considering his experience at the World Pool Championships. While the tournament was still going on, Bustamante was most shocked when he received a phone call from his wife informing him that his daughter, who was less than a year old, had died. Devastated by this, Bustamante strongly considered forfeiting his contention at the tournament to return to the Philippines but some people around convinced him to go on.
On his way to the final, Bustamante bested Antonio Lining
in the last 16, Efren Reyes
in the quarter finals and Ching Shun Yang in semis. In the final, he met Earl Strickland
, the 2-time winner of the tournament. Bustamante was leading most of the time and could have won the title. At one point, he went for a jump shot but missed. Strickland returned to the table and won a few rack in a row to win the match 17-15.
His loss in the finals of the World Championship was most definitely a big blow to him due to the fact that his lack of focus on the match cost him the tournament. Later on, however, Bustamante regained momentum and began winning more tournaments.
Bustamante won the Peninsula Nine-ball Open, Gabriel's Las Vegas International Nine-ball tournament, the IBC Tokyo Nine-ball International and the All Japan Nine-ball Championship. He even won the Sudden Death Seven-ball
tournament and dedicated the victory to his daughter, whom he had tragically lost. With such a string of victories, he became the AZBilliards 2002 Player of the Year.
Bustamante also won the tournament called the World Pool League
in 2004 where he defeated the then world nine-ball champion Alex Pagulayan
. He reached the finals of that event in 2001 but was bested by Steve Knight of Great Britain.
In 2007, he was undefeated in the United States Pro Tour Championship held at the Normandie Casino in Los Angeles, California
.
For 2007, he was ranked #7 in Pool & Billiard Magazine' s "Fans' Top 20 Favorite Players" poll.
Despite the fact he never won a world championship, Bustamante is rated second to Reyes
when it comes to recognition.
Bustamante also has a distant relative, Joven Bustamante, who is also a professional pool player, and who himself reached the quarter-finals of the 2007 WPA Men's World Nine-ball Championship
.
He competed in the 2008 World Straight Pool Championship
as the Philippines' only entry. This was his first-ever participation in straight pool
event. In the end, he finished at 2nd place behind Niels Feijen
, the tournament winner.
In 2010, Bustamante again reached the finals of the World Nine-ball Championship. Unlike his first final eight years ago, fate did not deny him. Bustamante won the match and the title against Taiwan's Kuo Po-cheng
, a second-placer in the 2005 event.
On July 27, 2010, Francisco Bustamante, along with Terry Bell and Larry Hubbart who are founders of the American Pool Players Association (APA), were elected to the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame. In this, Bustamante would become the second player from the Philippines after Efren Reyes to be added. The three were inducted on October 21, 2010.
, Francisco "Django" Bustamante and 2007 Women's Amway World Pool Championships finalist Rubilen "Bingkay" Amit will begin photography and had been cast to star with American Jennifer Barretta in and independent film, 9-Ball, at Universal Studios
. This movie will be directed and produced by Main Street Production's Anthony Palma, with Ralph Clemente as executive producer.
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
professional pocket billiards
Pocket billiards
Pool, also more formally known as pocket billiards or pool billiards , is the family of cue sports and games played on a pool table having six receptacles called pockets along the , into which balls are deposited as the main goal of play. Popular versions include eight-ball and nine-ball...
(pool) player from Tarlac
Tarlac
Tarlac is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Luzon Island. Its capital is Tarlac City. Tarlac borders Pampanga to the south, Nueva Ecija to the east, Pangasinan to the north, and Zambales to the west...
, and the 2010
2010 WPA World Nine-ball Championship
The 2010 WPA World Nine-ball Championship was the professional nine-ball pocket billiards championship, sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association and organised by Matchroom Sport. It was held from 29 June through 5 July in Doha, Qatar, hosted by the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation...
World Nine-ball Champion., nicknamed "Django", after the lead character of the film of the same name
Django (film)
Django is a 1966 Italian spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Corbucci and starring Franco Nero in the eponymous role. The film earned a reputation as being one of the most violent films ever made up to that point and was subsequently refused a certificate in Britain until 1993, when it was...
, and sometimes also called "Bustie", especially in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Early life
Bustamante is the youngest of eight siblings. People in his vicinity nicknamed him "Django" because of his scrappy nature and the way he often appeared with a cigarette in his mouth reminded them of the movie character of that name. The character was portrayed by an Italian actor. Their father made a living through building toilets and planting rice, and Bustamante engaged himself in the activities also. His life in pool began when he worked in his sister's pool hall, racking and spotting balls on the tables. When the patrons leave and the place closes for the night, the young Bustamante would grab a stick and practice alone.He never completed high school and has been concentrating in pocket billiards from 12 years of age. He quoted:
- "Magaling ako noon pa at 1975 pa halos hindi nanatatalo sa aming lugar kaya naglibot ako, una sa buong Luzon tapos sa buong bansa na para lamang kumita ng pera." ("I was great before and in 1975 I mostly don't lose in my hometown thus I started travelling, first in the entire Luzon then the entire country just to make some money.")
After some success in the Philippines, Bustamante moved to Germany where stayed for more than a decade, competing in a number of tournaments in Europe.
Professional career
Bustamante has been playing since the age of ten, and has won titles such as the Munich Masters, The German Nine-ball Championship, and the Japan Nine-ball Championship, making him one of billiard's greatest international stars.With his win in Tulsa, Bustamante locked up the 1998 Camel Pro Billiards Series year-long point fund's top spot. He then finished the season in record breaking style, winning the Columbus 10-Ball Open and becoming the first player to win three Camel titles in one season. His Columbus 10-Ball title also completed the first ever Camel trifecta, with titles in each of the three games contested on the Camel Pro Billiards Series: eight-ball, nine-ball and ten-ball. Known for his style at the table and behind-the-back shots, Bustamante is one of the best Filipino players of the game along with fellow Kapampangan Efren Reyes
Efren Reyes
Efren Manalang Reyes is a Filipino professional pool player and a two-time world champion. Reyes is considered by many to be the greatest all-around pool player in the history of the game. He is affectionately nicknamed "Bata" and "the Magician".-Early life:Reyes was born in Pampanga in 1954...
, Marlon Manalo
Marlon Manalo
Marlon Manalo is a Filipino professional pool player from Mandaluyong City, Philippines.-Career:...
and Ronato Alcano
Ronato Alcano
Ronato Alcano , is a Filipino professional pool player, nicknamed "Ronnie Calamba" and "the Volcano".-Career history:...
. He also holds the world record for having the most powerful break shot.
In 1999, Bustamante finished 3rd place in the WPA World Nine-ball Championship
WPA World Nine-ball Championship
The WPA World Nine-ball Championship is an annual, international, professional nine-ball pool tournament, founded in 1990, sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association , and principally sponsored and organised by Matchroom Sport...
after losing to Efren Reyes who later won it. Months later, he won the International Challenge of Champions
International Challenge of Champions
The International Challenge of Champions is an annual nine-ball pool tournament held at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. It has always been broadcast on ESPN and is sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association...
. He won that tournament again three years later.
The next year, Bustamante won the Motolite 9-ball Tournament, an event held in the Philippines, at the expense of Antonio Lining
Antonio Lining
Antonio Lining is a Filipino pool player, nicknamed "Nikoy." He is one of the few left-handed Asian players....
. The victory earned him $30K which was the largest first prize offered in a Philippine-held tournament at that time (this was later surpassed when Alcano won $100K in the 2006 WPA World Nine-ball Championship which was held in that country).
The year 2002 was probably the coldest year for Bustamante, especially considering his experience at the World Pool Championships. While the tournament was still going on, Bustamante was most shocked when he received a phone call from his wife informing him that his daughter, who was less than a year old, had died. Devastated by this, Bustamante strongly considered forfeiting his contention at the tournament to return to the Philippines but some people around convinced him to go on.
On his way to the final, Bustamante bested Antonio Lining
Antonio Lining
Antonio Lining is a Filipino pool player, nicknamed "Nikoy." He is one of the few left-handed Asian players....
in the last 16, Efren Reyes
Efren Reyes
Efren Manalang Reyes is a Filipino professional pool player and a two-time world champion. Reyes is considered by many to be the greatest all-around pool player in the history of the game. He is affectionately nicknamed "Bata" and "the Magician".-Early life:Reyes was born in Pampanga in 1954...
in the quarter finals and Ching Shun Yang in semis. In the final, he met Earl Strickland
Earl Strickland
Earl "The Pearl" Strickland is an American professional pool player and was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame in 2006...
, the 2-time winner of the tournament. Bustamante was leading most of the time and could have won the title. At one point, he went for a jump shot but missed. Strickland returned to the table and won a few rack in a row to win the match 17-15.
His loss in the finals of the World Championship was most definitely a big blow to him due to the fact that his lack of focus on the match cost him the tournament. Later on, however, Bustamante regained momentum and began winning more tournaments.
Sudden Death Seven-ball
Sudden Death Seven-ball was an annual pool tournament held in the United States; it was broadcast on and sponsored by ESPN. SDSB was the most notable event featuring the game of seven-ball...
tournament and dedicated the victory to his daughter, whom he had tragically lost. With such a string of victories, he became the AZBilliards 2002 Player of the Year.
Bustamante also won the tournament called the World Pool League
World Pool League
The World Pool League was a nine ball pool tournament promoted by Matchroom Sport and PartyGaming, and sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association . All of the events were held in Warsaw, Poland, annually from 1999 to 2006. Six notable players were selected to participate in each event,...
in 2004 where he defeated the then world nine-ball champion Alex Pagulayan
Alex Pagulayan
Alejandro Salvador Pagulayan, is a Filipino Canadian professional pool and snooker player. His nicknames are "the Lion" and "the Killer Pixie". He was born in Cabagan, Isabela, Philippines and was raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
. He reached the finals of that event in 2001 but was bested by Steve Knight of Great Britain.
In 2007, he was undefeated in the United States Pro Tour Championship held at the Normandie Casino in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
For 2007, he was ranked #7 in Pool & Billiard Magazine
Despite the fact he never won a world championship, Bustamante is rated second to Reyes
Efren Reyes
Efren Manalang Reyes is a Filipino professional pool player and a two-time world champion. Reyes is considered by many to be the greatest all-around pool player in the history of the game. He is affectionately nicknamed "Bata" and "the Magician".-Early life:Reyes was born in Pampanga in 1954...
when it comes to recognition.
Bustamante also has a distant relative, Joven Bustamante, who is also a professional pool player, and who himself reached the quarter-finals of the 2007 WPA Men's World Nine-ball Championship
2007 WPA Men's World Nine-ball Championship
The 2007 WPA Men's World Nine-ball Championship was the 18th annual international nine-ball pool tournament for men sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association . It was held at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines from 3–11 November 2007...
.
He competed in the 2008 World Straight Pool Championship
World Straight Pool Championship
The World Straight Pool Championship is an annual pocket billiards competition held in New Brunswick, New Jersey, since 2006. It is the current global professional title for straight pool , and is organized by Dragon Promotions, in part to restore the game's popularity in the United States...
as the Philippines' only entry. This was his first-ever participation in straight pool
Straight Pool
Straight pool, also called 14.1 continuous or simply 14.1, is a pocket billiards game, and was the common sport of championship competition until overtaken by faster-playing games like nine-ball...
event. In the end, he finished at 2nd place behind Niels Feijen
Niels Feijen
Niels Feijen is a professional pool player, from the Hague, Netherlands. His nickname is "the Terminator".In 2001, Feijen reached the finals of a nine-ball tournament in Tokyo, Japan. The event had a field of more than 700 players and offered the largest prize money at that time. However, he lost...
, the tournament winner.
In 2010, Bustamante again reached the finals of the World Nine-ball Championship. Unlike his first final eight years ago, fate did not deny him. Bustamante won the match and the title against Taiwan's Kuo Po-cheng
Kuo Po-cheng
Kuo Po-cheng is a Taiwanese professional pool player, nicknamed "The Little Monster". Kuo finished 1st runner-up to Wu Chia-ching in the 2005 World Pool Championship held in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. He was also runner-up to Francisco Bustamante in the 2010 World 9-Ball Championship held in Doha,...
, a second-placer in the 2005 event.
On July 27, 2010, Francisco Bustamante, along with Terry Bell and Larry Hubbart who are founders of the American Pool Players Association (APA), were elected to the Billiard Congress of America's Hall of Fame. In this, Bustamante would become the second player from the Philippines after Efren Reyes to be added. The three were inducted on October 21, 2010.
Film
On June 15, 2008, Efren ReyesEfren Reyes
Efren Manalang Reyes is a Filipino professional pool player and a two-time world champion. Reyes is considered by many to be the greatest all-around pool player in the history of the game. He is affectionately nicknamed "Bata" and "the Magician".-Early life:Reyes was born in Pampanga in 1954...
, Francisco "Django" Bustamante and 2007 Women's Amway World Pool Championships finalist Rubilen "Bingkay" Amit will begin photography and had been cast to star with American Jennifer Barretta in and independent film, 9-Ball, at Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
. This movie will be directed and produced by Main Street Production's Anthony Palma, with Ralph Clemente as executive producer.
Titles and achievements
- 2010 World 9-Ball ChampionshipWPA World Nine-ball ChampionshipThe WPA World Nine-ball Championship is an annual, international, professional nine-ball pool tournament, founded in 1990, sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association , and principally sponsored and organised by Matchroom Sport...
in Doha, Qatar - Champion - 2009 World Cup of PoolWorld Cup of PoolThe World Cup of Pool is the international annual single-elimination tournament for doubles teams in nine-ball competition. It is held annually, at various locations, and was first held in 2006 in Newport, Wales...
winner (with Efren Reyes) - 2007 Pool & Billiard Magazine Fans' Top 20 Favorite Players, #7
- 2007 Hard Times Summer Jamboree winner (One-pocket Division)
- 2007 Hard Times Summer Jamboree winner (Nine-ball Division)
- 2007 US Pro Tour Champion
- 2007 Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory Bumper Pool Champion
- 2006 World Cup of PoolWorld Cup of PoolThe World Cup of Pool is the international annual single-elimination tournament for doubles teams in nine-ball competition. It is held annually, at various locations, and was first held in 2006 in Newport, Wales...
winner (with Efren Reyes) - 2005 Masters Nine-ball Champion
- 2005 Joss Northeast Nine-ball Tour Finale Champion
- 2005 All-Filipino Billiards Open winner
- 2005 Weert Open Ten-ball Ring Game winner
- 2004 World Pool LeagueWorld Pool LeagueThe World Pool League was a nine ball pool tournament promoted by Matchroom Sport and PartyGaming, and sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association . All of the events were held in Warsaw, Poland, annually from 1999 to 2006. Six notable players were selected to participate in each event,...
Champion - 2003 ESPN International Challenge of Champions winner
- 2002 All-Japan Nine-ball Champion
- 2002 ESPN Sudden Death Seven-ball Champion
- 2002 Gabriels Las Vegas International Nine-ball Champion
- 2002 Peninsula Nine-ball Open winner
- 2002 IBC Tour Stop 2 (Munich, Germany) winner
- 2002 Motolite World Nine-ball Challenge winner
- 2002 IBC Tokyo Nine-ball International winner
- 2001 World Pool Masters winner
- 2001 Turning Stone Casino Classic II winner
- 2000 Motolite International Nine-ball Champion
- 1999 ESPN International Challenge of Champions winner
- 1999 Camel Tulsa Nine-ball Open winner
- 1998 Camel Riviera Eight-ball Open winner
- 1998 World Pool Masters winner
- 1998 Camel Tulsa Nine-ball Open winner
- 1998 Camel Columbus Ten-ball Open winner
- 1998 Sands Regency Open 28 winner
- 1997 Camel Kasson Open winner
- 1997 Camel Denver Open winner
- 1993 PBT Bicycle Club Invitational winner