From turning heads on social media to proving his mettle against top-ranked players, Jaybee Sucal is slowly but surely making a name for himself in the Philippine billiards scene.
Filipino youngster Jaybee Sucal is walking his talk as he recently wrapped up his campaign at the Philippines Open over at the Gateway Mall in Cubao in the Round of 64 — falling in a thriller against Spain’s David Alcaide.
A clear underdog in the match, Sucal was able to go toe-to-toe against the World No. 13 cue artist and only fell painstakingly short of the upset.
As the youngest competitor in the Philippines Open at only 16 years old, Sucal emerged as one of the promising athletes for the Philippines. With the likes of Carlo Biado and Johann Chua already late in their careers, Sucal presents as the future of Philippine pool.
“First time ko kasi nag-tournament kaya hindi ako [sanay], money game talaga 'yung laro ko. Pustahan. 'Di ako sanay sa ganto pero natry ko naman maayos naman [yung laro ko],” Sucal said.
“First time, syempre, masaya ako. First time ko to eh, tsaka salamat sa mga nagsusuporta sakin.”
One Sports took a quick dive into Sucal’s background as he stepped into his first-ever tiff at the World Nineball Tour.
Young prodigy
Though Sucal is only growing into his role as one of the more promising cue artists in the nation, his potential was already clearly seen early in his career.
In his hometown of General Santos City, the Sarangani native already made waves only at age 12. He reportedly started playing tournaments locally, where he would beat older opponents, just as few years since beginning his love affair with billiards.
Sucal started out as a spotter at a billiards place, where he started to love the sport thanks to the influence of those around him, and famed Philippine billiards action Efren “Bata” Reyes.
Since then, he was able to grow his skill — and his audience until it culminated with the Philippines Open.
Social media superstar
Sucal’s presence was not to be limited to General Santos, though, as he began growing his community thanks to his social media presence.
In recent years, Sucal was able to make his claim to fame thanks to lifestyle features from media. He piggybacked off of this and created his own content on his career.
During his matches, he would put streams on social media so that his supporters were able to follow his path.
He was also involved in a high-profile match against Reyes Cup MVP AJ Manas, who also joined the Philippines Open.
[READ: Who is AJ Manas? Meet the 18-year-old cue artist seen as the future of Philippine billiards]
But now with the future of his career looming closer than ever, Sucbal said that he is eager to walk his talk.
“Hindi lang puro ganun sa social media sana ay mapatunay ko rin na may galing din ako. Sunod na maka-international ako ulit tsaka ganto ulit, excited ako na kasali ako dito tsaka ako yung pinakabata sa kanila na naglalaro dito,” he said.
The Philippines Open is the country’s first-ever Matchroom Major, bringing elite level pool action at the heart of Manila.
A total of USD 125,000 is dangled as a prize pool for the tournament.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.