Frederic Caudron makes an average of 5 million won a day in prize money

Frederic Caudron, 54-year-old Belgian professional three-cushion billiards player, won the world championship of Professional Billiards Association (PBA) on Monday and is still looking forward to the new path ahead.

Caudron defeated David Zapata 5-3 to lift the championship trophy at the 2021-2022 SK rent-a-car PBA World Championship Final (five out of nine) at Bitmaru Broadcasting Support Center in Gyeonggi on Monday. Caudron cemented first place in money rankings (758 million won) by receiving 200 million won in prize money on Monday.

Caudron faced a hurdle during the game. Leading the game 3-0 early in the game, Caudron started to falter after losing the fourth set 14-15. To make matters worse, Zapata quickly regained his form, winning the sixth and seventh sets. “I felt tired after losing the fourth set. Zapata’s performance improved from the fifth set and he had luck on his side, too,” Caudron said.

Even under the difficulty situation, Caudron did not lose concentration. He managed to succeed in eight consecutive scores in four innings in the eighth set, winning the set 15-3. “It is the player with greater mental strength who wins the game in the end. I think my mental strength has gotten stronger during my 30-year career,” Caudron said after the game.

Caudron is walking the path no one has treaded in the history of PBA. With the victory on Monday, he broke his own record to win four consecutive world championship titles, which is a first in the history of PBA. He has earned about a total of \500 million in prize money alone during the 105 days of four competitions. He earned an average of \5 million a day. As Caudron has achieved six career wins, he also broke the record for the most wins in PBA history. The previous record for most wins (5) was also held by Caudron himself.

Even after reaching the top, Caudron is still excited. When asked if he thinks he may not be able to be motivated after breaking all PBA records, Caudron said it is not like he did well but his competitors were not themselves this season. “There are many variables in the PBA set system. Today’s No. 1 can always be No. 10 next year,” Cauldron said. “I want to be a player, who can always achieve the same level of performance.”


leper@donga.com