McDermott Handcrafted Cues signs European Star Thomas Engert to Long-Term Contract

MENOMONEE FALLS, WI.—June 4, 2005. McDermott Handcrafted Cues has signed a long-term contract with reigning European 9-ball Champion Thomas Engert. Engert, the No. 3-ranked player on the European Tour and one of the game’s most exciting players, will continue using his vintage McDermott D-26 cue with the unmistakable red stain.

“Thomas is a world-class player in every regard” says Link Pendley, Vice President of Global Sales. “As McDermott is aggressively pursuing the European market, this is a good fit for both of us.”

Thomas Engert, nicknamed “The Lean Machine”, was born in Neuss, Germany in 1965 and began his professional career in 1995. He has a personal record of running an amazing 491 balls in a row. Engert is the reigning European 9-ball Champion and winner of the Italian Open, Challenge of Champions, and World Pool Masters in 2004 as well as a member of the Mosconi Cup European Team. He has 24 European Championship Medals in various disciplines and seven (7) Euro Tour titles. Engert has used his D-26 for all of these accomplishments.

“I’m pleased to be associated with such a fine company as McDermott,” said Thomas. “I feel like family here and look forward to a long relationship.”

McDermott will be crafting an updated version of the venerable D-26 in honor of Thomas for sale later this year with Thomas’ signature on the forearm. This will be a Limited Edition cue sold worldwide. The Company will also be marketing a cue line under the “491” brand, in reference to his record run. All cues have been personally designed by Thomas along with McDermott Vice President of Operations and cue guru, Larry Liebl.

“Thomas has a keen eye for design and knows what makes a playable cue,” says Liebl. “His line will certainly generate a lot of excitement with better players.”