The US Open 9 Ball Championship is a highly coveted title in nine-ball pool. It is held every year and attracts more than 1,000 spectators. 64 competitors will share a prize fund totaling $148,000. Additional fees of $500 will be collected for entry to the competition.
Many notable names have been crowned US Open 9 Ball Champion. Earl Strickland was crowned the champion, along with Steve Mizerak and Mike Sigel. Efren Reyes ("The Magician") is the player who has been most successful at pocket-billiards. He has won one World Championship and one U.S. Open Championship in his career.
Luther Lassiter was a legendary road player who won six international 9 ball championships during his career. He died in October 1988. He was a great player and had a long career. However, Lassiter would've won more if there was more nine-ball tournaments.
He was also a World Teams Championship champion, which was revived in Austria earlier in the year. In the past, Earl Strickland as well as Kurt DeKlerck were both awarded national titles. In the past 20 years, however, the most prominent names have been overtaken by Allen Hopkins and Efren "The Magician”Reyes.
Reyes is an excellent player at both straight pool as well as one-pocket billiards. In 1999, he won the World 9-Ball Championship and the US Open. He also has two other major titles.
Buddy Hall is one of the most well-known 9 ball names. Hall has won back to back US Open titles. Because of this, Hall's talent has been recognized. He has also been praised by his fans. He was a dominating figure at 9-ball in Shreveport, Louisiana in the 1970s.
Tanvee Vallem is a nine year old from Hyderabad, India. He started nine-ball seven month ago. Roy Pastor has been his coach at the Billiards Education Foundation. On Monday, he will compete in the Predator World Junior 9 Ball Championship.
There are several players who have won more than a single title in the US Open and WPA 9 ball championships. Jouni Taiti and Fred Dinsmore are some of the prominent players. Earl Strickland, Kurt DeKlerck, Mike Sigel and Kurt DeKlerck have also won US Open titles.
The World Pool Championship hosts the largest pool tournaments in the world. Guinness World Records has been running it since 1981. The tournament has become a global competition, attracting millions of spectators worldwide. In addition, it has been broadcast on ESPN sports channel since 1999.
One of the best nine ball players of all time was Buddy Hall. He won a major championship in the 1980s and beat all of the leading names in his game.