US Open Pool Championship: History and Past Winners

Founding in 1976, Barry Behrman's Vision

The US Open 9-Ball Championship was founded in 1976 by Barry Behrman, who owned the Q Club in Chesapeake, Virginia. Behrman had a vision for a premier American 9-ball event with international scope, and he built the US Open from a small local tournament into the most prestigious annual pool event in the United States. The first edition had a modest prize pool, but by the mid-1980s it had become the must-play event for every top player in the world. Behrman's persistence through decades of industry challenges is the reason the US Open exists today.

I have always thought Behrman deserves more credit than he gets in popular pool history. Running a major annual tournament for decades requires real business grit, and the event had more than a few near-collapses along the way. Behrman died in 2018 and the tournament briefly passed to his daughter, then to new ownership, but the event has continued. That continuity of purpose across nearly 50 years is the reason the US Open is still what it is.

Earl Strickland and His Five Titles

Earl 'The Pearl' Strickland has won the US Open five times, in 1984, 1987, 1993, 1997, and 2000. That is the most US Open titles by any player in history. Strickland is one of the most intense, controversial, and brilliant players to ever pick up a cue. His combination of ferocious break speed, tactical awareness, and psychological warfare made him a dominant force in American 9-ball for two decades.

Each of Strickland's US Open wins has its own story. The 2000 win in particular is remembered as vintage Earl, he played through a strong field, showed his trademark intensity, and closed out matches with the break-and-run style that defined his era. Strickland's career goes far beyond the US Open, he won the Mosconi Cup multiple times, the WPA World Championship, and countless smaller events. But the five US Open titles are the most impressive line on his résumé. No one else has matched it.

Efren Reyes, The Magician at the US Open

Efren 'Bata' Reyes, the Filipino legend often called the greatest all-around pool player in history, has won the US Open twice (1994 and 2001) and been in the mix for decades. Reyes's style is almost impossible to describe, he is a wizard at kick shots, caroms, and impossible-looking position play. Watching him live at the US Open is an experience every serious pool fan should have at least once.

The 1994 US Open final between Reyes and Nick Varner is one of the most-watched pool matches in history thanks to endless YouTube clips. Reyes pulled off a legendary 'Z shot', a two-rail kick to make a clutch 9-ball, that every player studies. That single shot has probably introduced more viewers to pool than any other in the sport's history. The moment happened at the US Open and it is a big reason Reyes's legend grew beyond the Philippines and into global pool consciousness.

Format, Double Elimination to a Single-Match Final

The US Open uses a double elimination bracket through the early rounds, transitioning to a single-match final. Races are short in the preliminary rounds (race to 11 used to be the standard, with recent editions adjusting) and grow longer as the field narrows. The winner's bracket final is typically race to 13, and the grand final can be a longer race. Alternating break is standard.

Field size is typically 128 to 256 players, a mix of top US pros, international pros (especially from the Philippines, Taiwan, and Europe), and qualified amateurs. Entry fees are in the $500 to $1,000 range. The event runs over about a week in the fall, though the exact scheduling has moved around in recent years. Live stream coverage is now standard for the feature matches, and AZBilliards and Matchroom handle most of the modern broadcast.

Prize Money and the Stakes

The US Open's top prize has ranged from around $40,000 to over $50,000 in recent editions, with a total prize pool of around $250,000. That is not life-changing money by professional sports standards, but for pool it is at the very top of the domestic market. Combined with prestige and sponsorship opportunities, winning the US Open is a career-making achievement for a professional player.

Prize money in pool is a separate topic worth exploring in detail (and one I will cover elsewhere), but the US Open represents the American peak. For context, the WPA World Championship's top prize can exceed $100,000, and major events in China have similarly large purses. But for a US-born pro, the US Open remains the title to chase. Every American who has ever won it talks about that win for the rest of their career.

Cultural Significance and Modern Era

The US Open is to American pool what the US Open in golf or tennis is to those sports, the premier domestic championship, the event that stamps a career. Being a 'US Open champion' is a title that transcends tournaments, rankings, and money lists. When Shane Van Boening won his first in 2007, it marked the arrival of a new American generation. When Skyler Woodward broke through in recent years, it was celebrated as the next torch-passing. These moments are the heartbeat of American pool.

Under new ownership and promotion since Behrman's death, the US Open has continued evolving. The live stream production has become professional. International fields are stronger than ever. The broadcast reach has expanded. Pool as a whole has benefited from the US Open's continued existence, and the event remains a highlight of my pool-watching year. If you care about American pool, you block off the US Open week on your calendar. I have been doing that for more than a decade and I have never regretted it.

One thing I appreciate about the US Open is how the event has managed to preserve a distinctly American character even as the international fields have grown. Filipino and Taiwanese players dominate many world events, and European tour regulars travel internationally. But the US Open retains an American flavor, the venues, the crowd, the commentary, the specific feel of the late-fall tournament week. That flavor matters to me. It is the one annual event where I feel American pool speaks for itself, and I hope the new promoters continue protecting that character as the tournament evolves.