U.S. Open Pool Championship

Annual nine-ball pool tournament

Chesapeake Conference Center, site of the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship from 1997 to 2011

The U.S. Open Pool Championship, formerly the U.S. Open Nine-ball Championship, is an annual professional men's nine-ball pool tournament that began in its current form in 1976. The U.S. Open is one of the most sought-after titles in nine-ball and in pool generally. Traditionally, winners of the U.S. Open are given a green blazer and are awarded free entry fees to all future U.S. Open tournaments.

The Women's U.S. Open is a separate event, sanctioned by the Women's Professional Billiard Association (WPBA).

History

In its first official edition in 1976, the U.S. Open was contested by just 16 players. Over the years, the number of participants steadily increased, reaching its current level of 256 players.^[1]

The tournament is an open to men, women and wheelchair users, making it a true "open" tournament, in that the only requirement to play in the event is the payment of the entry fee. The total purse for the tournament is $300,000, where the winner is awarded $50,000.

Original U.S. Open promoter Barry Behrman (right) with Rob Sykora of Billiard Club Network (left) at the 2004 event.

The tournament's original venue was Q-Master Billiards pool hall, in Norfolk, Virginia, which hosted the event, other than one year, from 1976 until 1988.^[2] From 1997 to 2011, the U.S. Open Men's Division was held at the Chesapeake Conference Center in Chesapeake, Virginia.^[2] Q-Masters is still involved in the tournament.^[3]

Original promoter Barry Behrman died on April 23, 2016. His children, Brady Behrman and Shannon Behrman Paschall, took over operating the tournament until 2018, when it was sold to Matchroom Pool.^[2]

Format

The tournament format is essentially double-elimination (a player is out of the tournament after losing two matches) until two players remain. Most professional pool "double-elimination" events, however, are not true double-elimination formats, where the player who reaches the finals from the loser's side has to defeat the winner's side player twice for the title.

As of 2019, the tournament reverts to single-elimination from the last 16 onwards. At the U.S. Open, matches are played in races to 11, with the winner breaking. However, the final match, as is customary with most professional nine-ball tournaments today, is one extended race. At the U.S. Open, the extended race in the finals is 13 racks.

Winners

Men

Records

• Earl Strickland and Shane Van Boening, both from the U.S., share the record for winning the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship the most times: five. Strickland in (1984, 1987, 1993, 1997, 2000). Van Boening in (2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016).^[19]
• Van Boening holds the record for the most consecutive wins: three. (2012, 2013, 2014).
• The oldest pool player to ever win the men's tournament to date is Mike Lebrón of Puerto Rico, at 54 years old. The youngest player to win to date is Joshua Filler of Germany, at 21 years old.^[20]

Top Performers

^[20]

• Active participants are shown in bold.
• Only players who reached the final are included.
• Final stage appearances relates to players who reach the last 12 players of the event. As of 2019, final stages include last 16 players, due to format change.
• In the event of identical records, players are sorted in alphabetical order by first name.

Women

Unlike the men's tournament, the U.S. Open is not a true "open" event. Each female player must qualify through the Women's Professional Billiard Association (WPBA), the professional women's billiards tour based in the United States, in order to compete in this annual event..

References

1. Barry Behrman (July 7, 2011). "Statement From Barry Behrman and Shannon Berhman Paschall-Exclusive to AZB". AzBilliards.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2011-07-15.
2. "History". USOpen9BallChampionships.com. Norfolk, VA: Q-Master Billiards. 2009. Archived from the original on July 24, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
3. "Contact". USOpen9BallChampionships.com. op. cit. 2010. Archived from the original on March 17, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
4. "American Billiard Review Nov 1976". American Billiard Review. No. Nov 1976. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
5. "National Billiards News Aug 1978". National Billards News. No. Aug 1978. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
6. "Billiards Digest Mar 1979". Billiards Digest. No. Mar 1979. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
7. "National Billiards News Dec 1979". National Billiards News. No. Dec 1979. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
8. "National Billiards News Jan 1981". National Billiards News. No. Jan 1981. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
9. "National Billiards News Feb 1982". National Billiards News. No. Feb 1982. Archived from the original on 2021-11-26. Retrieved 2021-11-26.
10. "National Billiards News Jan 1983". National Billiards News. No. Jan 1983. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
11. "National Billiards News Feb 1984". National Billiards News. No. Feb 1984. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
12. "National Billiards News Dec 1984". National Billiards News. No. Dec 1984. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
13. "National Billiards News Dec 1985". National Billiards News. No. Dec 1985. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
14. "Billiards Digest Jan 1987". Billiards Digest. No. Jan 1987. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
15. "National Billiards News Feb 1988". National Billiards News. No. Feb 1988. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
16. "Billiards Digest Feb 1989". Billiards Digest. No. Feb 1989. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
17. "National Billiards News Jan 1990". National Billiards News. No. Jan 1990. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
18. "US Open Pool Championship 2022". Archived from the original on 2022-10-16. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
19. USOpen9BallChampionships.com Archived 2007-10-20 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 October 2007
20. "History of The U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships". U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships. Archived from the original on 2004-04-10. Retrieved 2017-02-19.