Eight Deuce · Tournament #49
Sixty-Five Tournaments, Three Finals, One Win: Jeff Ferguson Gets There
He reached heads-up on his debut in 2021 and twice more after that. On Friday he came out the right side of it.
Jeff Ferguson played his first Eight Deuce tournament in May 2021 and finished second in it. He was second in the 2022 Annual and second again in March of this year. Across Canterberry and Eight Deuce he had entered sixty-four tournaments without winning one.
On Friday he made five knockouts, beat Eric Denny heads-up in ten minutes after five hours and twenty minutes, and won $455. It is the first win of his career.
Eric took $295 with four knockouts, and it extends his lead in the season race rather than dents it. Steve McLean rebought and was third for $200, and Juan Lopez fourth for $150 with three knockouts — his third cash in four tournaments.
Where the money went
| Player | Prize | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeff Ferguson | $455 |
| 2 | Eric Denny | $295 |
| 3 | Steve McLean | $200 |
| 4 | Juan Lopez | $150 |
The undercard
Paul Coffman made three knockouts and bubbled in fifth for the second tournament running. Justin Vaughn, who won in June, went fourteenth.
Andrew Shier was the first player out after eighty-six minutes.
The bigger picture
Nine tournaments have produced eight different winners, matching the most any full season has managed, with one still to play. Only Eric Denny has two.
He also has the title all but settled: 402.45 from nine starts, a hundred and twenty-nine clear of Lee Ugarte, and no Eight Deuce season has ever produced a total that high except Lee’s own 417.67 in 2022.
Fifteen players and five rebuys made $1,100, taking the season to $10,600 — more than any complete season the league has held, with the finale still to come.
| Player of the Year — after #49 | Points | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eric Denny | 402.45 |
| 2 | Lee Ugarte | 273.33 |
| 3 | Justin Vaughn | 272.80 |
| 4 | Warren Mervin | 260.22 |
| 5 | Shawn Miller | 258.24 |
| 6 | Jeff Ferguson | 249.74 |
| 7 | Lance Cain | 216.27 |
| 8 | Juan Lopez | 208.49 |
Eight Deuce #49 — Friday, September 5, 2025. 15 entrants, 5 rebuys, four paid from a $1,100 prize pool. Player of the Year counts each player’s best eight scores.