Vietnamese enters last 16 of most lucrative billiards tournament ever

In Seoul, South Korea, the 46-year-old, ranked ninth by the Professional Billiards Association (PBA), beat local player Sam Il Seo (8th rank) 3-1 (15/9, 15/2, 4/15, 15/7) on Monday to advance to the knockout round.

He earlier had mixed results against two other Koreans, beating Kim Ki Hyok (24th) 3-2 and losing 2-3 to Tae Jun Oh (25th).

Though both Cam and Oh had two wins and a loss in the elimination round, the Vietnamese topped group H with a higher average per inning, 1,532 to Oh’s 1,382.

Ma Minh Cam at the ongoing PBA World Championship billiards tournament in South Korea in which he has entered the knockout round. Photo courtesy of Billiard Vietnam.

He plays Oh Seong Uk (4th) on Thursday for a place in the quarter-finals.

Cam is the only Vietnamese in the championship that will go on until March 6. He has been in Korea since last July, playing in a series of tournaments.

The PBA World Championship attracted 32 cueists who were divided into eight groups of four, with the winner of each advancing to the quarter-finals.

The event boasts the largest prize money ever offered, 400 million won ($356,600).