For the past 8 years, there has been a void in women’s pool in the Southern California area. Beginning in 2010, WPBA Professional Melissa Herndon sought to revitalize this once active pool scene by creating the WPBA Sanctioned Regional Tour – The Southern California Ladies 9 Ball Tour (SCL9T). After enlisting Tiger Products as a tour Sponsor, the tour found its footing with hard work and determination.

The main mission of SCL9T is to give female players a fun and competitive outlet for their interest in pool, encouraging the next generation of women to take up the sport and promoting the growth of pocket billiards. For those seeking to build a career in pool, SCL9T allows women from our area the opportunity to qualify for the WPBA via the yearly Regional Tour Championships.

SCL9T also affords women the chance to learn about pool and improve their game through competition and teaching clinics offered by top players including Melissa Herndon and fellow WPBA Professional Melissa Morris.

The SCL9T is a ladies 9-ball tour, and tournaments will be open to all women regardless of skill level. Players will compete not only for prize money, but for ranking points over the course of a full season. The top ranked players at the end of each season will earn eligibility to compete in the WPBA’s Regional Tour Championships (RTC). The RTC brings together the best players from all Regional Tours to compete for a spot on the WPBA Classic Tour for one year.

SCL9T isn’t just for players interested in becoming Professionals. It’s a chance for ladies with a passion for pool to come together and make new friends. Having a support system of like-minded people makes our sport stronger and forwards our resolution towards growth in this industry.

Added Incentives:

There’s more to SCL9T than just earning money and going pro!

Fun prizes will be awarded based on performance and attaining new goals such as highest number of break and runs in an event, best attendance over the course of a season and even a knockout prize for the first player eliminated from a tournament. There will be 2nd Chance tournaments held on the Sunday of the tour stop for any ladies eliminated on Saturday.

A series of short teaching clinics will be offered at each event. These are not limited to just how to improve your game through instruction, but may also feature other educational opportunities that may include breathing techniques for better concentration, equipment information to maximize a player’s game. We encourage all players to bring their ideas to SCL9T in order to benefit everyone on the tour.

At each event, items will be raffled in order to increase the prize fund. Items such as donated cues and lessons from a pro will be available.

The WPBA is closely associated with the American Poolplayers Association (APA) who a Sponsor of the WPBA Classic Tour. Melissa’s relationships with several APA League Operators in the Southern California area allows both organizations to work together to bring new players into pool. Associating the SCL9T and APA Leagues is a great way for amateurs to take that next step towards becoming a WPBA Professional, or to improve their game and compete at a higher level. A series of mini-qualifiers may be held during the season allowing APA amateurs the chance to win entry into SCL9T events.

Do you want to earn some cool stuff? Playing on the SCL9T will earn you Dragon Dollars (named after Melissa’s nickname; “The Dragon Lady”). Dragon Dollars are “bonus bucks” awarded for a variety of reasons; from running your first rack of the season to bringing a new player to the tour. These can be used toward purchase of merchandise that will be available at events, paying a player’s entry fee, or buying raffle tickets and more.

The SCL9T Sponsor, Tiger Products, will periodically come to events and feature product demonstrations including cue sticks, break cues and jump cues. These products will be available for players to test drive and purchase throughout the season.

The Southern California Ladies 9 Ball Tour sponsored by Tiger Products, brings together the community of female pool players in a fun and exciting way. If you’d like to become an SCL9T member or to learn more about the tour, please contact us.