Happy Birthday to the GOAT! Efren Reyes

By my reckoning, Jim and Steve, in Manila now. It's about half past three in the morning, but there's nobody in bed. The man's a national hero. They all want to know what happens now. Look at that wad in the back pocket there. Another look at the break off. No friends on that occasion. Dare we say it. Dare we write this man off. He needs nine on the spin. Stranger things have happened in smaller towns. But look at this position, Jim. It's just not as accurate. It's not the most accurate positional play we've seen all week. And this guy knocked out one of the most accurate, Johnny Archer, early on. Perhaps Johnny Archer, if he's watching. He's thinking, I think I could have done a better job in the final than this. Balls don't forget, do they? Sometimes when you're playing positional play, once you lose a little bit of position, you get further out of position on the next shot. It gets worse and worse. That has to help his confidence. That's one of the better pots he's made, certainly within recent memory. I don't understand that one. He's left himself a much more difficult shot than he could have. Supposed to use the middle. Well, he retrieved the situation, Sid, but he's just making it look so much more difficult than Reyes does. And that could be it. A gift to Gimme. That reflected the general clumsiness in his positional play in that rack. Yes, unbelievable how that ball stayed on the table, but it did. And the end is nigh. No mistakes from Efrem Reyes. He looks as casual as when he first started his first match in the group. For the title world champion. He's the king of the nine ball. His cue raised in a victory salute. He'll be leaving Cardiff on cloud nine tonight. Reyes is the champion of the world. $60,000. He'll be taken back to Manila. To present the runner-up with his silver medal and his check for $30,000. He's from Chinese Taipei. Would you please welcome Ho Ping Chi. There can only ever be one winner. And the winner with his gold medal. His check for $60,000. His official trophy. And the title of the world professional pool champion. The magician, Efrem. There he is then ladies and gentlemen. The greatest player in the history of pool. The magician. So great celebrations for Efrem Reyes of the Philippines. And in the last nine days. There really has been a changing in the guard. In terms of who is the best at nine ball pool. It's the Asians who are very much the best. And Efrem Reyes of the Philippines. They have a new world champion. From all of us here in Cardiff. Until next time. Goodbye.