The WPH Outdoor V Gold Cup Stop #3 Golden Park 1-Wall featured the first 1-Wall Big Ball ranking event in the 25-event history of the WPH Outdoor series. WPH Outdoor #1 superstar Juan Santos and his greatest rival Samzon Hernandez entered Golden Park having won 21 of 24 WPH Outdoor singles events since the inception of the tour in 2012, but for the first time in the history of the tour, neither would be favorites to capture a WPH title.
New York City’s 1-Wall King Timbo Gonzalez made the cross-country flight from the Big Apple to Southern California and Downey’s Golden Park in search of his first WPH Outdoor singles title. Gonzalez had been close on several occasions, including an impressive run to the finals in the 2014 WPH Outdoor Vegas Lte. “I know I am the favorite going into Golden Park, but I won’t take anything for granted,” stated the 1-Wall Big Ball #1 before starting play in Downey. “These guys are all good players and I have to come to dominate. My goal is to win every 1-Wall event that I enter this year. So far I am six for six and I’ll have to play well to keep my winning streak going.”
Gonzalez stole the show at Golden Park, displaying the prodigious 1-Wall talents that have seen him hoist the sport’s most important titles throughout the past four years. Gonzalez dominated the singles and doubles the field at Golden Park, as he has in virtually every 1-Wall field in which he has faced all over the world in recent years. Gonzalez cruised to the singles final with impressive victories against 2015 Simple Green U.S. Open finalists Vic Duran and Samzon Hernadez and clinched the singles title against WPH Outdoor #1 Juan Santos. Despite losing in the final, Santos impressed in scoring 16 points in the one-game final to 25 against Gonzalez. “Santos was actually leading 13-8 and playing incredibly in the final before he ran out of energy and Timbo did what Timbo does best and ran away with the win,” stated WPH Outdoor Director Tom Flores. Gonzalez became just the sixth different player to win a WPH Outdoor pro singles title in the fifth year and 25th event of the tour.
Gonzalez teamed with Shorty Ruiz to slam in the doubles, defeating Jose Venegas and Manny Sanchez in the final.
WPH Coach Timbo Gonzalez held a spectacular JR WPH 1-Wall clinic for 20 junior handball players in attendance on Sunday. The youngsters were treated to lessons from the best player in 1-Wall handball and soaked up every word from the international superstar. Read about the Junior WPH tournament, HERE>
For more information on the WPH Outdoor V Gold Cup Stop #3 Golden Park 1-Wall, including brackets and results, go here.
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