I'm with you on this, but I think there's another issue beyond the format and it's the super top-heavy payout structure. Expenses per event (travel + lodging + entry fees + other expenses) tend to be about $1,000 per player for an America-based competitor.
At the Arizona Open in January, the only players that cashed for more than $1,000 were those finishing in the top 8. The 48 players that didn't reach Stage 2 got nothing. Those finishing 9/16 got $1,000 and broke about even. If only 8 players in a field of 64 make money net of expense, it's very weak action for all but the elite. The prize fund at the Arizona Open was $75,000 and $67,000 (roughly 90%) of it was paid to the top 8. Over the years, I've tended to favor top heavy payout structures, but this takes things too far. In all my years around pro pool, the only more "top heavy" payout structure I've seen came at the winner-take-all Challenge of Champions events.
The main reason the best American players should play is to support the best new tour in America in many years. If the top Americans stay on the sidelines while Asia continues to struggle with COVID, they will be relying on Europe to keep these fields elite and this tour alive. It really shouldn't come down to that, but it might.
Prior to 2022, American-based events offered just a few really big ($15,000+) paydays: 1) the US Open 9-ball, 2) Derby City, and 3) the International. This new tour, by adding five high prize events, has brought us from three potential big paydays to eight in America. This tour was intended to offer a big opportunity for American players to make an income from pool without flying overseas. If the top Americans choose not to try to capitalize on that opportunity, the opportunity may vanish one day, and they will have themselves to blame.
CSI and Predator have really stepped up to the plate with this new event series. Hopefully, somewhere down the road, the most elite players will take notice and support them to the max.
