ORLANDO, FL (Dec. 3, 2024) – James Blackburn of Reidsville, N.C., recently won the 2024 U.S. Amateur Pool Championship. Blackburn bested a field of the top amateur poolplayers from across North America to win the sport’s most prestigious amateur title.
The U.S. Amateur Championship was produced and conducted by the American Poolplayers Association (APA) at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Fla., Nov. 13-16.
Blackburn was one of only 128 players who qualified for the Championship Rounds by winning one of several qualifying tournaments held across the country. Nearly 3,000 players attempted to qualify for the U.S. Amateur Championship.
The double-elimination tournament offers the top amateur players the opportunity to showcase their skills through a combination of 8-Ball and 9-Ball matches.
Blackburn’s victory can be viewed online at: James Blackburn VS Brandon Ashcraft 2024 U S Amateur Championship Final.
In addition to achieving the highest honor in amateur pool, the champion in each division earns a magnificent trophy, event jacket, and paid travel, lodging and entry into a 2025 pro billiard event. The champion also receives an automatic bid to return and defend their title the following year.
The APA, based in Lake Saint Louis, Mo., sanctions the world’s largest amateur pool league, known as the APA Pool League throughout the United States and as the Canadian Pool League in Canada. More than 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 World Pool Championships, the APA Poolplayer Championships and the U.S. Amateur Championship – that, together, pay out nearly $2 Million in cash and prizes annually.
The APA and its Championships are sponsored by PoolDawg, Aramith, Action Cues and Diamond Billiard Products.
For more information on the U.S. Amateur Championship, please visit https://poolplayers.com/us-amateur-championship/.