Santos Sambajon (born September 10, 1960) is a Filipino professional

pool Pool may refer to: Bodies of water * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a roc ...

player. His nicknames are "The Little Giant" and "The Saint." Originally from the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, he now resides in the

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Early life

Sambajon was born in

Macalelon, Quezon Macalelon, officially the Municipality of Macalelon (), is a municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 27,312 people. The Tikoy Festival (rice cake) and the Kubol Festival are well ...

on September 10, 1960. He started playing pool at age 7. He moved to Manila when he was 11.

Professional career

In 1988, Sambajon won the Asian Open International Nine-ball Championship. In 2004, Sambajon was first seen on television playing at the finals of the

BCA Open Nine-ball Championship BCA may refer to: Commerce * Bangladesh Caterers Association UK, the umbrella organisation of British-Bangladeshi restaurants *Bank Central Asia, a private bank in Indonesia *Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the commercial aircraft division of The Boe ...

. While he did not win that event, Sambajon dominated the World Summit of Pool, a tournament featured on ESPN several months later, by defeating Mike Davis in the finals. In 2005, he won the Skins Billiards Championship, another tournament televised on ESPN, by besting

Danny Basavich Daniel (Danny) Basavich (September 25, 1978 – May 2023) was an American professional pool player. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he spent much of his life in New Jersey. He acquired the nickname "Kid Delicious" after defeating a player monic ...

sudden death Sudden Death or Sudden death may refer to: Medical * Cardiac arrest, also known as sudden cardiac death, natural death from cardiac causes * Sudden cardiac death of athletes * Sudden infant death syndrome * Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy *Su ...

. This was Sambajon's greatest win, earning him $73,500, the most he has earned from a single event.Sambajon Big Skins Winner
'AzBilliards.com''. Retrieved June 18, 2007. He nearly had the chance to compete in the

WPA World Nine-ball Championship The WPA World Nine-ball Championship is an annual professional nine-ball pool tournament contested since 1990. The championship is sanctioned by the World Pool Association (WPA) and principally sponsored and organized by Matchroom Sport, who pro ...

in 2004 but could not, due to passport problems. He made his debut at that tournament in 2006. He served as

Efren Reyes Efren Manalang Reyes (born August 26, 1954) is a Filipino professional pool player. A winner of over 100 international titles, Reyes was the first player to win world championships in two different pool disciplines. Among his numerous title ...

's corner man (players who reached the finals of an IPT event get to have someone who would instruct or give them advice during the match) at the final of the 2006 IPT World Open Eight-ball Championship.

Titles

*2007 Blaze Tour Stop *2007 Blaze 9-Ball Tour Stop *2005 Skins Billiards Championship *2005 Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour *2004 World Summit of Pool *2004 Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour *2004 Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour *2004 Jay Swanson Memorial *2003 New England 9-Ball Championship *2003 Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour *2003 Hard Times One Pocket Open *2003 Joss Northeast Tour *2002 Joss Northeast Tour *2000 Joss Northeast Tour *2000 California Billiard Club Open One Pocket *2000 Planet-Pool.com Tour *2000 Joss Northeast Tour

Personal life

Sambajon has a wife named Annabel. The couple have 4 children whose names are Donna, Don, Dianne, and Donald.

References

External links

Last rack video footage of the Skins Billiard Championship
Living people Filipino pool players 1960 births Place of birth missing (living people) {{pool-bio-stub