WPH Press, Tucson, AZ, 4/12/22
The Race 4 Eight tour returned after a nearly two-year hiatus with eleven total events, showcasing the game’s elite in R48 Men’s Pro (7), WR48 (3), and SR48 (1). The two-year break did not slow down the Race 4 Eight’s greatest champions Killian Carroll and Catriona Casey, as Carroll won five of his six R48 starts and Casey won both of her WR48 starts to remain the undisputed number one stars.
R48
Killian Carroll won his last two starts before the pandemic halted the tour in 2020 and continued his dominance upon the resumption of the tour, winning his first five starts of the 2021/22 R48 season and building a 32-match R48 winning streak before being derailed by Martin Mulkerrins in the R48 Player’s Championship final.
The Flying Cordovas remained fixtures in the Race 4 Eight’s top three, as Lucho finished in the top three of all six of his R48 starts to finish second in the rankings and Danos registered four top three finishes on the season to finish third.
David Fink finished in the Race 4 Eight Elite 8 for a record-breaking tenth consecutive season, earning his first R48 win to go with two additional top three finishes to end the season at number four.
Sam Esser, Leo Canales, Jr., and Shorty Ruiz finished in the Elite 8 for the first time in their careers, as Esser advanced to five quarterfinals on the season, Canales made his second R48 semifinal in addition to five quarterfinals, and Ruiz advanced to his first career R48 semifinal, while adding three quarterfinals.
Martin Mulkerrins surged into the season-ending Elite 8 with his dominating victory at the Player’s Championship, making him the only player in the Elite 8 with just two starts.
WR48
Catriona Casey has been number one on the WR48 since the tour’s first event in 2013 and maintained her number one ranking with wins in both of her WR48 starts on the season, including her seventh consecutive WR48 Player’s Championship and her twenty-second WR48 championship in Salt Lake City.
Danielle Daskalakis finished number two in the rankings, earning her best WR48 final ranking with a win and a fifth place finish in her two WR48 starts. Fiona Tully tied Daskalakis at second in the final standings with her first finals appearance and a third place finish in her two R48 starts.
Aimee Tuohey and Ashley Moler tied for fourth to round out the WR48 Fab 4; however, Tuohey defeated Moler in the season twice (Houston and SLC), giving Tuohey the outright higher ranking position.
SR48
David Fink retained his SR48 number one ranking by winning his third SR48 Player’s Championship and eighth SR48 championship in the only SR48 event of the 2021/22 season, placing him two wins behind all-time SR48 wins leader Marcos Chavez. Bill Mehilos advanced to his first final of his SR48 career in Salt Lake City, making him the SR48’s number two ranked pro.
Rankings compiled by WPH rankings director Nick Flores.