Murphy Shoots WELL at the Derby In the event anyone has the idea that Ohio pool players are not for real, Chris Bartram's ninth-place finish at the US Open placed the idea in a coffin. At the 12th Annual Derby City Classic, Fairfield, Ohio’s Shannon Murphy added nails to the coffin. When the tournament's final six 9-Ball players were standing, Murphy was the only player who had not suffered a loss. With six players remaining, it meant Murphy could do no worse than third/fourth. Among the five players he could have drawn, Efren Reyes was his draw. The match was uneventful as Reyes easily won 7-4.  At the end of the round, three players lost, leaving three players. However, Murphy, having no prior loss, was able to buy back into the event. There was a draw among the remaining four players. There was a one in three chance Murphy could draw Reyes again. As back luck would have it, with a one in five chance of drawing Reyes, Murphy drew Reyes and again with the one in three chance drew him a second time.  Reyes and Murphy were featured on the television table where hundreds of fans gathered to see the “kid” (dubbed by the fans) against the seasoned Reyes. Murphy jumped from the starting blocks in excellent fashion. Within less than an hour he was ahead 4-1.  Reyes, however, did not fold. He edged his way back into the match. Murphy seemed unraveled by the Reyes comeback as Murphy edged his way to the hill. Reyes joined Murphy on the hill. However, a weak Reyes break gave Murphy another chance at the table to secure a place in the final. Poor positioning after making the two ball left him with a difficult shot for the three ball. His safety attempt did not fare well putting Reyes back at the table for the win 7-6. Although Murphy did not defeat Reyes, he served notice he is a player to reckon with at the highest levels. He served notice that Ohio pool is alive and well.