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The U.S. Open Championships (often shortened in clear contexts to simply U.S. Open, and sometimes spelled with "US", "9-ball", "Nine-ball", singular "Championship", etc.) is an annual professional pool (pocket billiards) tournament that began in 1976 at Q-Master Billiards in Norfolk, Virginia, although previous versions of a "U.S. Open Nine-ball Tournament" had been held at the Jack n Jill Club in Arlington, V.A. as early as 1970.〔(> U.S.Open 9-Ball Tournament > Arlington, Virginia | January 27 1970 )〕 Though it is staged in the United States and is labeled the "U.S. Open", male professional pool players from around the world are eligible to compete in this event in the Men's Division. The Women's U.S. Open is a separate event, unaffiliated with the Men's U.S. Open. Instead, the Women's U.S. Open is associated with the Women's Professional Billiard Association (WPBA). The Men's U.S. Open is one of the most sought-after titles in nine-ball and in pool generally. It is also referred to as the Cuetec Cues U.S. Open, for sponsorship purposes. Shane Van Boening of USA is the current two-time defending champion (2012 & 2013)〔(> U.S.Open 9-Ball Championships > Virginia Beach, Virginia | October 14-19 2013 )〕 of the Men's Division. Mika Immonen of Finland is the 2009〔(Mika Immonen Wins Second Straight U.S. Open 9-Ball - YouTube )〕 Men's Division title-holder. Immonen is also the 2008〔(History > U.S.Open 9-Ball Championships > Virginia Beach, Virginia | October 21-27 2012 )〕 Men's Division title-holder of the US$250,000 33rd Annual U.S. Open 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.〔(insidepoolmag.com, Immonen is New U.S. Open 9-Ball Champion )〕〔(gmanews.tv/story, RP's Alcano loses to Finn Immonen in US Open 9-ball final )〕〔(billiardsdigest.com, Big Win for Finn: Immonen Clobbers Alcano to Break U.S. Open 'Curse' )〕 It marked Immonen's second consecutive U.S. Open Champion title, making him, at the time, the winningest non-U.S. competitor. Featured 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.〔(''BilliardClub.net'' ) Retrieved 21 October 2007〕〔(''Accu-Stats.com'' ) Retrieved 21 October 2007〕 Traditionally, winners of the U.S. Open are given a green blazer in recognition for this championship title and are awarded free entry fees to all future U.S. Open tournaments. == History == In its first edition in 1976, the U.S. Open was contested by just 16 players. Over the years, the number of participants steadily increased, reaching its current level of 256 players. Today the larger Men's Division is a restrictive male-only event, though it is otherwise 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. Barry Behrman is the tournament promoter of the Men's Division, and has been since its inception. The tournament's original venue was Q-Master Billiards pool room, located in Norfolk, Virginia, which hosted the event, other than one year, until 1988. From 1997 to 2011, the U.S. Open Men's Division was held at the Chesapeake Conference Center in Chesapeake, Virginia. After Behrman refused to pay money owed for the Chesapeake venue, the 2012 U.S. Open was held in Virginia Beach, VA. Unlike the Men's Division, 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. The Women's Division tournament is held in different locations each year. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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