Well, it's a seventeen-year-old thread, so the omission of then 12-year-old Filler is forgivable. My top five, in order, in 2026, is:
1. Josh Filler
2. Mike Sigel
3. Earl Strickland
4. Shane Van Boening
5. Nick Varner
Omitting Greenleaf and Mosconi, Filler, who is just 29, has a resume of majors that already exceeds that of anyone that came before him. Including all disciplines:
Filler has won, at least once, each of the World 9-ball, the UK Open, the US Open 9ball, the China Open, the World 8-ball, the Qatar 10ball, the European Open 9ball, the European 14.1, the European 10ball, the Las Vegas Open 10ball, the Bali 10ball, the American 14.1, the Derby City 9ball, the Derby City banks, the Derby City Master of the Table, the Buffalo Billiards one-pocket, the World Pool Masters, and the World Cup of Pool. Just for good measure he also has double digit Euro-tour titles, has been Mosconi MVP, and he has won both a silver and a bronze at the World 10ball.
Josh is the most prolific collector of major titles of the last fifty years. His has the most complete competitive resume of titles since Mike Sigel, and it will greatly exceed that of Mike Sigel before he hangs up his cue. No doubt that 9ball is his best game, and he plays it at a level never seen before.
The sick thing, though, is that the next generation of pool players might well produce a 9ball player better than Filler. After all, that's how it usually goes.
