Vicent Goh
Vincent Goh Christine Caparras

The Manny Pacquiao World 10-ball Championship has kicked off in General Santos City (Gensan) and the first round of matches are underway. Lone Australian representative Vincent Goh Tuan Kiat talks about competing in one of the most prestigious events in the billiard world and what he’s expecting for the rest of the tournament.

Vincent Goh is originally from Singapore but he moved to Australia in 2005. Now living in Melbourne, the 49-year-old pool player is in General Santos City in the Philippines and he is competing as the only representative not only from Australia but also for the entire continent. He is one of the top players in Australia and explained that although there are other good players, many are unable to make it due to limited funding support.

Goh started playing cue sports while he was still living in Singapore and has played in other professional events under the Singaporean flag. He has a snooker background but has since shifted to American pool. He has done his rounds of the professional circuit and has travelled to other prestigious events like the Derby City Classic and the IPT in the United States. However, the MP World 10-ball championship in Gensan is the first event where he is playing under the Australian flag.

“I think that Cong. Manny Pacquiao is making a commendable effort to bring up the sport and the beautiful city of General Santos.” Said Goh. He also said that he like the double elimination format of the event which gives players another chance to get back in the competition after losing a match in the early stages of the tournament.

Goh played against Filipino top player Ramil Gallego in the first round and lost 9-2. He will be playing again against Indian representative Sundeep Gulati at 6:00 p.m. on Feb. 18. He says that he feels confident. “I think I have a good chance. I felt a bit rusty and the other guy played great. I have another chance tonight so we’ll see.”

He says that among all the players in the competition, he would like to have a chance to play against Alex Pagulayan form Canada. Pagulayan is a former world 9-ball champion and is a Filipino migrant to Canada. Goh says that he believes that Pagulayan is one of the top players in the world at the moment and he would like to experience the pressure of playing against such a talented player. Although Goh has previously played with other big names like USA’s Shane Van Boening, playing in a world championship like this one in Gensan is a good opportunity to test one’s skills against the best of the best.

Despite the reputation of the Southern Philippines as a dangerous area, Goh says that he had no qualms about coming to play. He thinks that places that have a reputation for unrest tend to be more careful and are often the safest places to be. He also thinks that having an international event in Gensan is a good way to show the world that the place is safe as well as beautiful.

The Manny Pacquiao World 10-ball Championship takes place from Feb 17-21 at the SM City Activity Center in General Santos City. There are 128 players competing from all over the world. The total guaranteed prize money is USD 200,000 with the champion getting the lion’s share of USD 40,000.

For questions/comments regarding the article, you may email the writer at: c.caparras@ibtimes.com.au