“To see where my game stacks up against the best of the best.”
“There’s nothing else in pool like it.”
“I want to leave a legacy.”
Those were just a few of the many reasons event participants cited for wanting to compete in this year’s U.S. Amateur Championship.
That’s what drove more than 2,100 of North America’s top amateur players to try and qualify. That’s what brought 128 men and 39 women to Stroker’s in Palm Harbor, Fla., in early November to compete in this year’s U.S. Amateur Championship.
Yeah, there were some great perks too. Like a getaway to Tampa, one of the premier vacation destinations in the world. An all-expenses paid trip to a pro event next year courtesy of the APA for the winners of each division. Oh, and let’s not forget the championship trophy – a combination of marble and bronze that more closely resembles a piece of fine art than something awarded at a tournament.
But winning the U.S. Amateur Championship is all about the title. It’s about leaving your mark on the sport of pool. It’s about having your name and your accomplishment forever etched in history on the Larry Hubbart Trophy.
Parks Drive for 5
In the finals of this year’s U.S. Amateur Championship, it was four-time U.S. Amateur Champion Brian Parks of Bakersfield, Calif., looking to defend his title against Jeremy Edwards of Granger, Ind.
Parks had gone undefeated coming into the final round. He was squaring off against a red-hot Edwards who also came into the final day undefeated before being bounced to the one-loss bracket by Parks.
The match opened in the 8-Ball set, with Parks winning the first two games, the second of which by perfectly executing a jump shot to pocket the 8-ball in the corner. Edwards got on the scoreboard just moments later when Parks pocketed the 8-ball on the break, but also scratched.
Leading 2-1, Parks would take the next two games, with Edwards winning the following two games to make the score 4-3. Parks would close out the 8-Ball set with another win and took a 5-3 lead going into the 9-Ball set.
The players traded the first two games of the 9-Ball set, with Parks taking the first and Edwards winning the second.
One of the more pivotal moments in the match came in the third game of the 9-Ball set. Trailing 6-4, Edwards had the chance to draw within a game, but failed to pocket the 9-ball. Parks instead capitalized on the mistake and took at 7-4 lead.
Parks would go on to win three of the next five games, and lead 10-6. In the seventeenth game, after Parks pocketed the 8-ball, and had perfect position to pocket the 9-ball for the victory, Edwards conceded the match in a show of good sportsmanship.
The championship was Parks 5th U.S. Amateur Championship title in 11 appearances, the second time he’s secured the title in back-to-back years. He’ll advance to the 2018 U.S. Open courtesy of the APA.
For Edwards, the Runner-up finish was an impressive showing in only his second U.S. Amateur Championship.
Former champions David Rowell (’00) of Birmingham, Ala., and Henry Brodt (’98, ’99, ’15) of Laguna Beach, Calif., finished 3rd and 4th respectively.
Melinda Huang of Los Angeles previously qualified for the U.S. Amateur Championship eight times, twice making it to the finals, but each time coming up just short of the title. For Huang, it was a bitter pill to swallow.
After a two-year hiatus, she returned to Stroker’s once again determined to take home the championship.
But opportunity doesn’t always come easy at the U.S. Amateur Championship. Undefeated and seemingly well on her way to another final, Huang’s championship hopes were derailed by Amy Theriault.
In the hot-seat match, Theriault, of Sandusky, Ohio, sent Huang to the one-loss bracket and secured a spot for herself in the final round. If Huang was going to have a chance at the title she’d been chasing for more than a decade, she’d have to get past Rhea Brooks of St. Louis, Mo.
With her back against the wall, and her opponent on-the-hill, Huang rose to the occasion. She forced a hill-hill showdown with Brooks, eventually defeating her 5-4. The win setup an opportunity for redemption with Theriault.
Things seemed to finally come together for Huang in the final round. The match opened in 8-Ball, with Huang dominating the set 6-0.
Theriault got on the board by winning the first two games of the 9-Ball set, but Huang would not to be denied this year. She took three of the next five games and sealed the match with a 6-9 combo for the victory.
You could almost sense the relief from Huang as she grasped the trophy that had eluded her for so many years.
Huang moves on to compete in a WPBA event next year, courtesy of APA.
Theriault finished as Runner-up, her first appearance since 2010. Brooks finshed in 3rd Place.
Match coverage, including the finals, of this year’s U.S. Amateur Championship and Women’s U.S. Amateur Championship can be found on the APA YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/apaleagues.
The entry window for the 2018 U.S. Amateur Championship is now open with the Preliminary Rounds scheduled across North America in mid-September.
The U.S. Amateur Championship is conducted by the APA, and is the only tournament produced by the APA open to both members and non-members. Preliminary qualifying rounds were held throughout the country in mid-September.
As Champions, both Parks and Huang will return next year to defend their coveted titles.
The U.S. Amateur Championship is a double elimination tournament that offers the nation’s top amateur players the opportunity to showcase their skills through a combination of 8-Ball and 9-Ball matches, in the only APA event that does not use The Equalizer® handicap system.
The APA, based in Lake Saint Louis, Mo., sanctions the world’s largest amateur pool league, with leagues throughout the United States, Canada and Japan. Nearly 250,000 members compete in weekly 8-Ball and 9-Ball League play. The APA is generally recognized as the Governing Body of Amateur Pool, having established the official rules, championships, formats and handicap systems for the sport of amateur billiards.
The APA produces four major tournaments each year—the APA World Pool Championships, the APA Poolplayer Championships, the APA Junior Championships and the U.S. Amateur Championship—that, together, pay out more than $2 Million in cash and prizes annually!
The APA and its championships are sponsored by Aramith, Action Cues and Pool Dawg.
LAKE SAINT LOUIS, MO (Nov. 19, 2015) — The top amateur poolplayers in North America were on display in early November at the U.S. Amateur Championship in Palm Harbor, Fla., just across the bay from Tampa. For five straight days, the nation’s top players battled it out at Stroker’s for the coveted U.S. Amateur Championship title and their place in the record books.
More than 2,400 players attempted to qualify for this year’s event, with 128 men and 34 women advancing to the championship round. The tournament field included a strong mix of U.S Amateur Championship veterans and a talented pool of newcomers vying for amateur pool’s most prestigious title.
Henry Brodt defeated fellow former champion David Rowell of Birmingham, Ala., 11-2 in the finals of this year’s U.S. Amateur Championship held Nov. 4-9. Sixteen years after winning his second U.S. Amateur Championship title (1998-99), Henry Brodt now has a third to add to his collection.
Brodt apparently discovered the fountain of youth after retiring and moving to Laguna Beach, Calif. Not only did he win his third U.S. Amateur Championship title, but at the age of 68, he also became the oldest player to ever do so.
To say Brodt dominated both the final round, and the tournament overall, would be an understatement.
He went undefeated throughout the 3-day event, handing losses to Carlos Carter (’13 Runner-up), Ernesto Bayaua (’11 Champion) and David Rowell (’00 Champion) and plowing through a field that included several players half his age.
Brodt will advance to the U.S. Open next fall, courtesy of the APA, and his name will be added for the third time to the Larry Hubbart Trophy.
Rowell finishes as Runner-up in this year’s event, his strongest finish since taking 2nd in 2010. Both of Rowell’s loses at this year’s event came at the hands of Brodt.
Ernesto Bayaua of Tomball, Texas, took 3rd Place, while Eric Tang of Hartford, Conn., took 4th. James Adams of Brooksville, Fla., and Gregory Dix of Myrtle Beach, S.C., tied for 5th Place. Stacie Bourbeau of Orange, Mass., is the 2015 Women’s U.S. Amateur Champion after she defeated former champion Dana Aft (’13) of Marietta, Ga., 9-7 in the finals.
The finale opened in the 8-Ball set. Bourbeau got on the scoresheet first with a win, but Aft came right back to tie the match 1-1. The same scenario played out over the next two games. Tied 2-2, Aft pulled ahead slightly with a win in the fifth game. Bourbeau quickly countered and they split the 8-Ball set 3-3.
As they moved to the 9-Ball set, a similar pattern emerged, with Bourbeau winning one game, Aft the next. The match finally seemed to take a turn in Bourbeau’s direction in the fifth game of the 9-Ball set. Aft had a chance to take the lead, but left the 9-ball hanging, giving Bourbeau an easy out for her fifth match lead. Moments later, she pocketed the 9-on-the-snap, opening up a 7-5 lead. With her confidence mounting, a third straight win put Bourbeau on-the-hill.
Aft, the seasoned U.S. Amateur Championship veteran, refused to break. She battled back to win the next two games, again pulling within one of Bourbeau. Moments later though, her comeback bid fell short, as Bourbeau won the final game she needed for a 9-7 victory.
In a great show of sportsmanship, both ladies embraced as the crowd cheered the newly crowned champion.
Bourbeau secured the title in only her second U.S. Amateur Championship appearance. She’ll advance to a pro event in 2016.
For the Runner-up, Aft, it was her highest finish in the U.S. Amateur Championship since winning the title in 2013. Samantha Barrett of Woburn, Mass., took home 3rd Place in this year’s event.
The 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship was conducted by the APA, and is the only tournament produced by the APA open to both members and non-members. Preliminary qualifying rounds were held throughout the country in mid-September.
As Champions, both Brodt and Bourbeau will return next year to defend their coveted titles.
The U.S. Amateur Championship is a double elimination tournament that offers the nation’s top amateur players the opportunity to showcase their skills through a combination of 8-Ball and 9-Ball matches, in the only APA event that does not use The Equalizer® handicap system.
The APA, based in Lake Saint Louis, Mo., sanctions the world’s largest amateur pool league, with leagues throughout the United States, Canada, Japan and China. Nearly 250,000 members compete in weekly 8-Ball and 9-Ball League play. The APA is generally recognized as the Governing Body of Amateur Pool, having established the official rules, championships, formats and handicap systems for the sport of amateur billiards.
The APA produces three major tournaments each year—the APA National Team Championships, the APA National Singles Championships and the U.S. Amateur Championship—that, together, pay out more than $1.5 Million in cash and prizes annually!
The APA and its championships are sponsored by Aramith, Action Cues and Pool Dawg.
The American Billiard Club Association is off the ground and looking good, especially good for the 8 players that qualified for what undoubtedly could be a special piece of pocket billiard history – the first ever American Rotation National Championship.
64 players across the country laid the groundwork by playing 7 matches at their own local billiard rooms over a 7 week period. Week 8 of this national event was a 1 day regional event where players in each region attempted to earn a spot in their National Championship. All players who qualified were guaranteed a minimum of $1,000 each upon arrival, which ensured they would not lose money while traveling to their National Championship.
This first championship was hosted by Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA and had players from:
Alabama – Robert Hall, Bumpers, Huntsville & David Rowell, Bumpers, Hoover.
The 8 player championship called for two groups of 4 players competing in a round robin format. The top 2 players from each group were then seeded into single elimination brackets where matches would be increased from 125 points to 150 points. The final 4 turned out to be a New England vs Florida battle (Think Sox, Rays) #1 seed James Roberts vs. the #4 seed Joe Tucker and #3 seed Adam Wheeler playing the #2 seed Joe Dupuis. James Roberts who appeared by general consensus to be playing the best pool of the day had at least two 15 ball break and run outs while defeating Tucker 150-118, moving one Floridian into the finals. On the streaming table were Adam Wheeler and Joe Dupuis in a fast and well played match that kept the regional battle alive with Dupuis prevailing by a score of 150-115.
Most American Rotation matches to 150 points take about 2 hours on average. Here with everything on the line and a chance to become the first ever National Champion you might expect the pace to slow just a bit, but NOT the case with Joe Dupuis in the finals. As he did all day, he came out with his usual fast and loose style that entertained the crowd and occasionally brings some additional heat. The final match took 1hour and 15 minutes, one of the fastest of the day, with Joe Dupuis becoming the game’s first National Champion by the score of 150-95.
Joe Dupuis won the title of first ever American Rotation National Champion, a commemorative custom case by John Barton Cases and a nice check for $3,000. Our Runner up, James Roberts, received a check for $2,000. Adam Wheeler and Joe Tucker won $1,500 each for 3rd and 4th (Joe is donating a portion of his winnings to session II fees for 8 last place players of session 1 as a reward for these players stepping up and showing some heart in an effort to improve their own game and support our sport). Gordy Vanderveer, Scott Johnson, Robert Hall & David Rowell won $1,000 each.
The American Billiard Club Association (ABCA) must be doing something right, because all who competed in the first national event have nothing but good things to say. Even the players that didn’t qualify for the nationals are praising the format, which aims to solve the problem of player expenses, and the game, which aims to improve American players.
ABCA Championship Series II will begin the week of October 28th. Week 8 regional events will be held across the nation in December, and National Championship II will be held in conjunction with the 2014 Derby City Classic in January. The ABCA plans to hold their national championships close in time and proximity to other national events. This helps players save on expenses, if they choose to attend such events, and helps promoters get more entrants to their events.
As this article is being written, Joe Dupuis is at the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship also in VA, something that might not have happened, had he not qualified for the ABCA national event.
American players and club owners are encouraged to contact Joe Tucker at 508-840-6133 or jttenball@gmail.com ASAP. It just takes 8 players with a little desire to make your club one of 64 nationwide that will help our sport present one legitimate and self sustaining format that we can all be proud of!
For more information about the American Billiard Club Association, please visit:
The American Billiard Club Association is proud to present the finals of our first ever;
American Rotation Championship Series, Oct 12th at Diamond Billiards Midlothian VA; one day before the US Open 9 Ball Championship begins.
Eight players have qualified and each is guaranteed a minimum of $1,000 for this one day Championship. One of the main goals of the American Billiard Club Association is to make it sensible and affordable for players to compete on a national level with one-two day expense paid events.
We will run as many of our Championships as close in time and location to professional events in an effort to help players cover their expenses to both and to help promoters gain more entries.
For the first American Rotation national Championship, eight finalists will be divided into two round robin groups of four. The top two from each group will move on to a single elimination bracket.
The finalists are: Florida Adam Wheeler, Cue-Phoria Billiards & Café, Winter Park, FL James Roberts, Stroker’s Sports Bar & Grill, Palm Harbor, FL New England Joe Dupuis, Snookers Sports Billiards Bar & Grill, Providence, RI Joe Tucker, Amazin Billiards, Malden, MA Alabama
Robert Hall, Bumpers Billiards, Huntsville, AL David Rowell, Bumpers Billiards, Hoover, AL Oklahoma Gordy Vanderveer, Jamaica Joe’s, Midwest City, OK North Carolina Scott Johnson, Gate City Billiards Club, Greensboro, NC
To get to this point, each player has played seven local matches of American Rotation, finished in the top 4 of their 8 local players and then qualified at a one day regional event. These eight players will be sharing a purse of $12,000:
$3,000 & Title of First Ever American Rotation National Champion
$2,000 Runner-up
$1,500 3rd & 4th and $1,000 5th-8th
Custom Case being made by John Barton to commemorate our Champion.
This prize fund, along with regional payouts, totals more than 100% of what the association actually brought in through player fees. We are building a flagship product for our players and our industry.
Please tune in to watch the live stream of our finals Oct 12th to get more details and to see which player name will go down in history. www.DiamondBilliardsVA.com provides a direct link to the stream.
Session 2 of the American Rotation Championship Series II will begin the week of October 28th and run to Dec 9th. Championship finals will be held in conjunction with the 2014 Derby City Classic dates and location. The American Billiard Club Association is open to ALL players and any billiard club that can host eight high level or aspiring players for a seven week session.
Contact Joe Tucker as soon as possible at JTtenball@gmail.com or (508) 840-6133 to get your 8 players and your Billiard Club on board. Make a difference!
As the owner of Bumper’s Billiards in Birmingham, AL, and the tournament director of the Alabama State 9-Ball Championships, David Rowell has been trying to win his own event for 11 years. He finished second twice; once in 2009, and one other time, the date of which he couldn’t remember. On the weekend of June 30-July 1, he broke through for the first time, winning six in a row on the loss side, and defeating Jonathan Tedder in the finals. The event, exclusively for residents of the state of Alabama, drew 25 entrants to his pool hall.
Rowell, after an opening round bye, was sent to the loss side by Robert Hall in a double hill match. They would meet again. Hall advanced to the winners’ side final four to face Tedder, as Chris Nation squared off against Brandon Davenport. Tedder sent Hall west 9-5 for a fateful re-match against Rowell, and in the hot seat match, met Nation, who’d sent Davenport west 9-1. Tedder got into the hot seat with a 9-6 victory over Nation.
On the loss-side, Rowell was in the midst of the six-win, loss-side streak that would propel him into the finals against Tedder. With one notch on his belt already, he defeated Bill Smith 9-4, and Greg Summers 9-7, to earn his re-match versus Hall. Davenport drew Joe Cole, who’d been sent west by Tedder from among the winner’s side final eight and defeated Tyson Allen and Lance Ireland, both 9-5.
Rowell exacted his revenge on Hall, in mirror fashion, surviving a double hill match, as Cole downed Davenport 9-4. Rowell then completely shut out Cole in the quarterfinals, and defeated Nation in the semifinals 9-5. Rowell completed his first victory at these Alabama State 9-Ball Championships with a 13-8 victory in the single-race finals.
Rowell couldn’t identify any particular reason that this, his eleventh attempt, was more successful than previous efforts, noting that he had “just started playing real good” on Sunday morning.
“I was breaking good, too,” he said, “and I was running a lot of racks.”
