Cakrawala Senja: US Open Nine-ball Championship

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Chesapeake Conference Center, Chesapeake, Virginia

The US Open Nine-ball Championship (often shortened in clear contexts to simply "US Open") is an annual professional pool tournament that began in 1976. Today, it is held in Chesapeake, Virginia. Though it is staged in the United States and is labeled the "US Open", male professional pool players from around the world are eligible to compete in this event in the Men's Division, as are females in the Women's Division who qualify under the Women's Professional Billiard Association (WPBA) tour. The US Open championship is one of the most sought-after titles in pocket billiards.

Mika Immonen of Finland is the current (2009^[1]) Men's Division title-holder of the US$250,000 33rd Annual U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships, where 237 billiards players competed. Immonen claimed the 13–7 victory and pocketed the first-place prize of $40,000 on October 26, 2008 against Filipino runner-up Ronato Alcano (2006 World Nine-ball Champion), who settled for $20,000.^[2]^[3]^[4]^{[dated info]}

Feature matches are recorded and broadcast by Billiard Club Network and Accu-Stats Video Productions on a designated table at the Chesapeake Conference Center with commentary provided by various pool veterans and industry members.^[5]^[6]

Traditionally, winners of the US Open are given a green blazer in recognition for this championship title and are awarded free entry fees to all future US Open tournaments.

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[edit] History

The tournament has been held since 1976. By 2005, the tournament featured 256 male players from around the world. This is a restrictive male-only event, and it is a true "open" tournament, in that the only requirement is the payment of the entry fee, which was $600 in 2008. The total purse for the tournament at that time was $200,000, where the winner was awarded $40,000.

Promoter Barry Behrman at the 2004 US Open Nine-ball Championship

Barry Behrman is the tournament promoter of the Men's Division, and has been since its inception.

In 1976, the tournament venue was at Q-Masters pool room, located in Norfolk, Virginia. Today, the US Open Men's Division is held at the Chesapeake Conference Center in Chesapeake, Virginia.^{[clarification needed]}

Unlike the U.S. Open Nine-ball Championship for male competitors, the U.S. Open for women is not a true "open" event. Each female player must qualify through the WPBA, the professional women's billiards tour based in the United States, in order to compete in this annual event. It is held in different locations each year.

[edit] 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. At the US 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 US Open, the extended race in the finals is 13 games.

[edit] Past Champions

[edit] Men's

Year	Winner
2009	Mika Immonen
2008	Mika Immonen
2007	Shane Van Boening
2006	John Schmidt
2005	Alex Pagulayan
2004	Gabe Owen
2003	Jeremy Jones
2002	Ralf Souquet
2001	Corey Deuel
2000	Earl Strickland
1999	Johnny Archer
1998	Buddy Hall
1997	Earl Strickland
1996	Rodney Morris
1995	Reed Pierce
1994	Efren Reyes
1993	Earl Strickland
1992	Tommy Kennedy
1991	Buddy Hall
1990	Nick Varner
1989	Nick Varner
1988	Mike Lebrón
1987	Earl Strickland
1986	David Howard AKA Squirrel
1985	Jimmy Reid
1984	Earl Strickland
1983	Mike Sigel
1982	David Howard
1981	Allen Hopkins
1980	Mike Sigel
1979	Louie Roberts
1978	Steve Mizerak
1977	Allen Hopkins
1976	Mike Sigel

[edit] Records

Earl Strickland of the US is the record-holder for winning the Men's US Open the most times: five (in 1984, 1987, 1993, 1997, and 2000).^[7]

Shane Van Boening is the winner of the largest first-place prize ever offered at the event, $50,000, on October 20, 2007. Van Boening remained undefeated in the field of 233 players, beating Ronato Alcano 13–10 in the final.^[8]

The oldest pool player to ever win the Men's Division to date is Mike Lebrón of Puerto Rico, 54 years old at the time of his victory. The youngest is Mike Sigel of the US, at 21.^{[citation needed]}