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Archer Tops Immonen in Desert Shootout
Apr 29, 2008, 11:02 AM

Archer should be moving up the UPA rankings with the win.

Over the weekend at the Desert Shootout Classic, Johnny Archer rebounded from a loss in the winners-side final to win the title.

The Shootout — a UPA-sanctioned event held April 24-27 at Kolby's Corner in Tempe, Ariz. — overcame a last-minute change in venue to attract plenty of top American players and a few international stars in a 64-player field.

Archer met Finland's Mika Immonen in the hot-seat match. Immonen had an impressive string of victories over players like Efren Reyes, Earl Strickland, John Schmidt and Robb Saez. In a tight right-side final, Immonen edged Archer in the case game, 9-8.

On the left side, Archer then sent Mike Davis into third, 9-5, to secure the rematch with the Iceman.

In the true double-elimination final, Archer easily won the first set, 9-2. In the second, the two split the first ten racks to meet at 5-5. After Immonen missed a tough cut on the 7 in the side, Archer collected the final four racks for the victory, 9-5.

For Archer, the win is just another indication that he's back in a comfort zone at the table.

"I feel like playing again," he said. "I'm beginning to feel like my old self."

Desert Shootout Classic
Tempe, Ariz. — April 24-27
1. Johnny Archer $12,500
2. Mika Immonen $7,500
3. Mike Davis $5,000
4. Charlie Bryant $4,000
5. (tie) Robb Saez, John Schmidt $2,800
7. (tie) Oscar Dominguez, Corey Deuel $1,500