There was one World 3C Championship played with 'Optional CB'!
Overview
Welker Cochran did indeed win a
World Three-Cushion (3-C) Championship that was played under the unique
"optional cue ball" rule. [
1,
2]
Cochran captured the
World Three-Cushion Championship title in
1944 by reclaiming it from his longtime rival, Willie Hoppe. The 1944 tournament (alongside the 1928, 1942, and a few other iterations) implemented an experimental rule modification where players could select an "optional ball" as their cue ball to help increase scoring and make the game more dynamic for spectators. [
1,
2,
3]
As a master of both balkline and three-cushion billiards, Cochran excelled under this format, which historically inflated grand averages for the tournament's competitors
The incoming player had their choice of what CB to start an inning, if that player scored a point they had to proceed to shoot with that 'Same' CB throughout that inning!