Marlon Manalo - Career

Career

Originally a snooker player, Manalo has represented the Philippines a number of times in the Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games. In the 2001 World Games, Manalo settled for a silver medal in the snooker event, placing second to Bjorn Haneveer of Belgium.

His pro debut in pool was the Tirador Nine-ball Tournament in Manila in 2003, surviving to the finals, but eventually losing to Warren Kiamco. Weeks later, he competed in the Tirador Ten-ball Tournament. Again, he made it to the finals but lost to Ramil Gallego.

The first pool tournament he won in the Philippines was the Corporate Billiards League, a tournament where a team of 3 players plays against another 3 in match. All the players were local but Marcus Chamat, a pool specialist from Sweden, was in contention.

Nicknamed "Marvelous", the unassuming Manalo was definitely the surprise package of the 2004 WPC as he beat Yang Ching-shun, Francisco Bustamante and Efren Reyes in successive matches before losing in the last eight to Marcus Chamat. Silky smooth in stroke, Manalo looked the complete player as he ran rack after rack against the most intimidating opponents. However, being the true Filipino at heart, he could gain very little pleasure from dumping out national heroes like Reyes. Predominantly a snooker player in a country with just four tables, Manalo has recorded green baize wins over tough opponents.

Manalo nearly won his first world title at the 2004 WPA World Eight-ball Championship, but lost to his compatriot, Efren Reyes.

But he has shown dominance in the US, especially in 2005. In that year, Manalo won a number of tournaments. The most important one he dominated was the short-lived Texas Hold'em Billiards Championship where he earned the large $100K winner-take-all purse. Like Efren Reyes who won a straight pool toutnament in 1995, Manalo too dominated one, the 2005 New Jersey Straight Pool Open.

In 2006, Manalo could have been one of the first Philippine players, along with Dennis Orcollo, to compete in the World Straight Pool Championship but withdrew to compete in another tournament in Bangkok, Thailand. That same year, he made it to the final of the IPT North American Eight-ball Open Championship. He was bested, however, by Thorsten Hohmann who won the mammoth $350K first prize. Manalo settle for $99K.

After he settled for second place in the 2007 Philippine National Championships to Lee Van Corteza, Manalo won the title against Antonio Gabica a year later.