This year’s US Open is with us for its 40th Annual appearance, making it the longest running Major in the History of Pool!! A remarkable achievement in itself and kudos must go out to Barry Behrman for his creation of what has become a worldwide attraction to both the globes best players and the media and spectators alike!!!
This year’s event is being hosted by the Sheraton Waterside in Norfolk, VA
However, all has not always been sweet and rosy concerning the smooth running of this otherwise great event, with things going markedly wrong in the years prior to, and even after we lost the Chesapeake Conference Center as its home base for many years!!!! Problems with prize fund payouts, which affected the credibility of the event in a big way!!!!
Then we had teething problems with venue table layouts, which by all accounts have been corrected this year!! There will be 9 tournament tables available, including the TV table, plus plenty of spectator seating!! (Oh, how we were spoilt by what now seems to have been the perfect venue – Yes, the Chesapeake Conference Center had it all!!!!)
So it is looking like the organizers may have got all their stars aligned for this year’s event, with the 9 ball format still in place, but with a big change in the racking procedure – The 9 ball will be placed on the spot, with the obvious intent of inflicting difficulty to the breaker!! I would imagine that as I am writing this story, many of the top players are frantically finding a way of beating this obstacle!!!
Now back to the problems surrounding the prize fund pay outs or should I say the lack of payouts!! This year we have at the helm of payouts one of the most respected people in the pool industry, yes we have Hall of Famer Pat Fleming totally in charge of handling entries and more importantly signing and distributing checks!!!
The entry fee money plus the $75,000 added money will go into an escrow account, which as of this moment equals $192,000 !!! (But could change as we get nearer to the start date) First place prize is projected as $40,000.
Due to the increased financial integrity surrounding the event this year, plus it being the events 40th Anniversary, the event has attracted a who's who of star players from all over the world!!!!
Let us wish everyone who is involved in the running of this year’s event the very best, and trust it will live up to the pomp and circumstance that the 40th Anniversary of this world famous event deserves!!
For live stream go to: accu-stats.com Live stream
