Skyler Woodward has reflected on his Reyes Cup debut on the Rest of the World team and the ‘dead quiet’ atmosphere that was experienced in their empathic defeat to the Asian team.
Woodward was accompanied by Fedor Gorst, Jayson Shaw, Francisco Sanchez Ruiz and Moritz Neuhausen as the Rest of the World managed a mere three points in Manila against a spirited Asian outfit.
It was a rather subdued environment for the most part of the event, and Woodward was slightly shocked by that and hopes that it evolves into a more Mosconi Cup-style atmosphere in the coming years.
“That was definitely an experience,” Woodward said via social media. “I was very honoured to play on the first ever Rest of the World team, and thank you to Jeremy Jones and Matchroom for allowing me that opportunity and giving me the chance. I am going to work my butt off to be there again someday!
“That event was definitely not like any other. It’s hard to even describe it. There’s two or three hundred fans and it’s dead quiet, then they snap for a good shot or sometimes that one guy in the stands tells us good shot after we missed… like yeah thanks man.”
He added: “For someone who hasn’t been there before, I didn’t know what to expect. After playing in those conditions, it was just different and made me realise I’d rather have ten people in the crowd or 3,000 yelling at me at once, but the dead quiet really got me.
“We all played decent but not great. I will stand behind this statement when I say that the score does not reflect what our team was capable of. You take the cup to Ally Pally or the USA and there’s no way it doesn’t change the outcome, or effect it a bit. The atmosphere of the Mosconi is like no other, so I hope to see the Reyes Cup at the same level in several years.”
Attentions now imminently gravitate towards December’s Mosconi Cup for Woodward, who will once again captain the USA team, vying to seal the spoils for the first time since winning back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019.
Moritz Neuhausen and Pijus Labutis will both make their debuts on the European team, having qualified via the World Nineball Tour rankings, something that Woodward believes the American team may be able to take advantage of.
“I know one things for sure, this year is going to be different. I am coming in with a different mindset, different plan and dang sure a different outlook on the whole thing,” Woodward revealed.
“We’ve got a lot riding on this year with Europe having two rookies. I know they aren’t rookies… these guys are capable of playing and beating anyone, which they have showed multiple times. But I mean it in the sense they have not been in an atmosphere like the Mosconi, and I think that in itself is an advantage for us that we need to use.
“But after everything is said and done, I can’t wait for December and to represent Team USA again for the eleventh time. I’ve got a full schedule and will be hitting balls non-stop, so you better believe I’ll be in stroke for the Mosconi.”
