The Annual · 2023
Jeff Holderman Makes Nine Knockouts in an Annual Again — and This Time Wins It
Two years ago he did exactly this and lost heads-up. On Saturday he took the trophy and the title in the same year.
In the 2021 Annual Jeff Holderman knocked out nine players, more than anyone ever had in the event, and lost the heads-up match. On Saturday he knocked out nine again — and won, after nine hours and fifty-three minutes and a thirty-eight-minute finish, for $660.
Nine of the day’s seventeen eliminations were his, including the players who finished second, third, fourth, fifth, seventh, ninth and fourteenth. Five weeks after taking his second Player of the Year, he becomes the second man to hold a season title and the Annual at the same time: Josh Reel was Canterberry League Champion in 2014-15 and won the Annual that May.
Paul Coffman was second for $455 without making a knockout all day. It is his third Annual runner-up finish, after 2015 and 2016, and he won the thing himself in 2021.
Juan Lopez took third and $320. He has now played three Annuals — 2020, 2021 and this one — and finished third in every one of them. Steve McLean rebought and was fourth for $235, his best Annual result in eight attempts.
Where the money went
| Player | Prize | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeff Holderman | $660 |
| 2 | Paul Coffman | $455 |
| 3 | Juan Lopez | $320 |
| 4 | Steve McLean | $235 |
The undercard
Lance Cain bubbled in fifth. Lee Ugarte rebought, made three knockouts and finished seventh; David Doole, who won the season finale a month ago, was eighth.
Rick Mazza went out thirteenth after more than six hours.
The bigger picture
Fourteen players and four rebuys made $1,670 — the smallest Annual pool since 2015, and the third year running the field has been fourteen or thirteen. The event drew twenty-one players as recently as 2019.
The day itself has not shortened at all. Saturday ran ten seconds longer than last year’s, and both sit behind only 2017 as the longest Annuals on record.
The Tournament of Champions follows on December 1.
The 2023 Annual — Saturday, November 11, 2023. 14 entrants, 4 rebuys, four paid from a $1,670 prize pool. The seventeenth Annual; it is a separate event from the Eight Deuce season and does not count toward the Player of the Year.