The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) and CueSports International (CSI) are excited to announce a collaboration to produce the 2019 WPA Players Championship. The event will be staged at Griff’s Billiards in Las Vegas, April 16-19, ahead of the US Open 9-Ball Championship, which will be held April 21-26 at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. This WPA Category 3 Ranking event, with $50,000 added prize money, will provide players, especially those competing in the US Open 9-Ball Championship, even more opportunity in Las Vegas.
WPA President, Ian Anderson said, “The WPA is delighted to be staging its own ranking event in the legendary hub of pool, Las Vegas. Our goal is for this event to be the first of more to follow.”
The event will be limited to 64 players in a single elimination format with a 32-player consolation event for those eliminated in the first round. The main event will be a race to seven with the semi-final and final being a race to nine. The consolation event will be a race to five with the semi-final and final being a race to seven. 48 of the 64 players in the main event will be chosen by the WPA rankings and WPA member federations. A single $250 entry fee will cover the main event and the consolation tournament.
The remaining 16 spots will be filled by four qualifier tournaments, one per day, held at Griff’s Billiards April 12-15. The top four finishers from each qualifier will receive a paid spot in the main event. A single *$250 qualifier entry fee allows players to compete in all four qualifiers and will also gain free entry into the main event for those who qualify. Qualifiers will be single elimination, race to five and open to anyone not already entered in the main event. The field is limited to 96 players each day on a first come basis. Details will be available soon on how and where to enter.
(*a daily entry of $100 is an option)
“We are honored to assist the WPA in producing this event,” said CSI CEO, Ozzy Reynolds. “Professional pool is experiencing a resurgence in the U.S. and we are glad to be part of it. This is great for the players and the entire industry."
Prize funds are guaranteed by the WPA, and the payouts for the main event and consolation tournament will be as follows.
WPA Players Championship Payouts
1 - $10,000
2 - $7,000
3/4 - $5,000 ea.
5/8 - $3,000 ea.
9/16 - $1,500 ea.
17/32 - $400 ea.
Consolation Tournament Payouts
1 - $1,500
2 - $1,000
3/4 - $500 ea.
5/8 - $250 ea.
9/16 - $150 ea.
Mark Griffin, owner of Griff’s Billiards, said, “We are thrilled that the WPA chose Griff’s as the host location for this event and we are excited to be part of the continued growth of professional pool.”
All other details will be released in the coming weeks at https://wpapool.com/wpa-players-championship/.
The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) is the international governing body for pocket billiards and is comprised of six member federations representing North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. The WPA is the world-recognized body for sanctioning World Championship events. It is also one of the three member organizations of the World Confederation of Billiards Sports (WCBS), representing the billiard disciplines of pool, snooker and carom. For more information about the WPA, visit www.wpapool.com.
CueSports International (CSI) is an international pool league and event leader and is currently comprised of three divisions: CSI leagues, CSI events and CSI media. CSI leagues manages the BCA Pool League and USA Pool League, CSI events produces numerous amateur and professional events around the globe and CSI media creates live streaming and digital content. Through its vision and strategic alliances, CSI is “shaping the future of pool.” For more information about CSI or any of its divisions, visit www.playcsipool.com or find CueSports International on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.
