As 2024 in pool fades into the sunset, let us size it up. It began in disarray, as WPA edicts of 2023 had male pros scrambling. Most signed with Matchroom. I will touch on pool politics, but this thread will focus on 2024 in competition.
I The Year in Tournament Play
1st Quarter: Gorst won Turning Stone. At Derby City, Filler won banks, 9ball, 10ball and Master of Table, as Gorst took one-pocket. Neuhausen won in Colombia. In March, it was Corteza at the LV Open and Biado at the World 10ball. SVB shone at the PLP.
2nd Quarter: Shaw ruled at Super Billiards. Gorst aced the World Pool Masters. Capito shone at the UK Open. At the World 9ball, Gorst triumphed. Filler won in Dubai and Grabe in Maldives.
3rd Quarter: Mickey Krause snapped off the European Open. Gorst won the US Open 9ball. Neuhausen won the summer Turning Stone. At the World 8-ball, Filler prevailed and he then defended his title at the China Open.
4th Quarter: Chua won at Hanoi. Asia won the Reyes Cup (Yapp MVP). Filler won the Challenge of Champions, and Patsura the Predator 10ball. At the International, Yapp won 9ball, SVB won 10ball and Mario He won 14.1. Team Europe won Mosconi (Shaw MVP). Maciol captured the Qatar 10ball.
II. A Closer Look
1. Best Match Nominees:
A. Filler 10, Gorst 9, Derby City 10ball semifinal, January
Filler jumped out to 6-2, but Gorst was brilliant in rallying to get to the hill first at 9-8. Filler broke and ran for double hill. Gorst had to push out in the case rack and Filler was first to the shot in the match deciding sequence.
B. Lunda 3, Gorst 2, Derby City Bank Pool, January
Evan won rack one and Fedor the next two. Evan fought hard for double hill, but Fedor’s cross-side miss in the case rack was costly as Evan ran a superb five and out.
C. Gorst 13 Filler 12, World Pool Masters, final, April
Filler ran to a good lead before Gorst sizzled to pull ahead. Filler regrouped to gain the hill at 12-10, but Gorst won the last three racks, including a masterful runout at 12-12.
D. Capito 10, Gorst 8, UK Open, Round of 16, May
Capito led early, but Fedor stormed back for an 8-7 lead. Robbie regrouped and shone in the closing racks for victory.
E. Gorst 15, Kaci 14, World Pool Championship, final, June
With a $250,000 payday in sight, Gorst ran to an 8-3 lead, but Kaci found his form to catch him at 13-13. Kaci gained the hill first, but at 14-14, his anti-climactic defensive error was fatal, with Fedor running out for the title.
F. Patsura 10. Dominguez 9, US Open, Round of 32, August
Patsura led but Oscar grinded for double hill. A fine safety by Oscar seemed like a match winner but Patsura, with a shot for the ages, snookered back with a Z-kick to win 10-9.
... my choice is Match C, the World Pool Masters final.
2. Best Shot: Patsura’s Z-kick at the US Open rates but I am going with Gorst’s double hill 1ball in the World Pool Masters final. Making the three-rail shape onto the short side of the 2ball while finding the right side of the ball was remarkable and it secured the title.
3. Best Event: US Open 9ball. It produced an electrifying final day having four World 9-ball champs in Gorst, SVB, Filler and Feijen. A fan’s dream come true!
4. Best New Event: Predator Challenge of Champions. Predator’s round robin, multidiscipline, event in November featuring Filler, Gorst and Biado was great. Honorable mention to the Reyes Cup, a new event bound for greatness.
5. Most Improved Event: World Pool Masters. For years, this event offered a less than stellar field, but it has evolved into a gathering of the elite, reaching new heights in 2024. Nobody will mistake a 16-player single elimination event for a major, but the event’s profile continues to rise.
6. Best Player: Fedor Gorst. In January, he won Turning Stone and the Derby City one pocket, but moved on to bigger things, winning the World Pool Masters, World 9ball, and the US Open 9ball. His efforts brought a haul of $510,000 in earnings. Not wanting to be overshadowed, his lady Kristina Tkach won the Women’s World 10ball and was first on the women’s money list with $137,000 won. Now that is a power couple!
7. Most Improved Player: Patsura, barely. Vitaly Patsura and Mickey Krause took giant steps forward. Krause won the Bucharest Open and European Open and was on the winning Mosconi team. Patsura won the Predator 10ball, Texas Open, and Skinny Bob 9ball. Also, Labutis, Chua, Roda, Regalario and Maciol took big steps forward.
8. Most Memorable Day of Play by One Player: Robbie Capito’s Saturday at the UK Open. He beat both Gorst and Filler to reach the semis on route to his first major title.
9. Best Producer: Matchroom. They still set the pace in event production. Their arenas are fan-friendly, their events unforgettable. Hands on workaholic Emily Frazer is their secret sauce and she shone brightly in 2024.
10. Best Sponsor: Predator’s value to pool is hard to overstate. Whether producing events, or sponsoring events and players, Predator is a very positive force in pro pool’s growth for both the men and women. Their inaugural Challenge of Champions event was superb.
11. Best Commentator: Scott Frost. Matchroom has a monopoly on the top commentators, and relative newbie Frost has emerged as a very elite one.
III. What I Will Remember Most
1. Matchroom Contracts: By end of January, most elite pros had signed a contract with Matchroom.
2. Matchroom’s Global Reach Continued to Grow: In 2023, Matchroom brought ranking events to Poland, Spain, and Vietnam. They further globalized in 2024, bringing WNT ranking events to a) Colombia, b) Saudi Arabia, c) UAE, d) Maldives, e) Finland, f) Morocco, and g) Portugal. As WNT ranking points can now be earned worldwide, a rising star can begin to blaze a trail to becoming a WNT pro BEFORE bearing the imposing costs of world travel.
3. Extreme Pool Politics Lessened Participation: As elite pros juggled loyalties to sponsors, federations, producers, and governing bodies, on far too many occasions, players opted to skip top events for political reasons.
WPA took the extreme measure of banning all 245 who played in Matchroom’s Hanoi Open from WPA sanctioned play. Most knew the ban was coming, and quite a few top players opted to sit out the Hanoi Open.
Matchroom disqualified Filler, who skipped Hanoi, from the Reyes Cup, despite his having already qualified on merit. They then disqualified him from the Mosconi.
Each of us may back any horses we like in the feuds now framing pro pool’s landscape but, for now, the losers are the pro players, denied a chance to maximize income, and fans, deprived of seeing best possible fields at the majors.
Due to so many politically driven absences by elite players, the quality of the pro pool offering took a hit in 2024. Most notably, the World 8ball, Hanoi Open and Qatar 10ball had depleted fields, and the Mosconi without Filler was a diluted affair.
Perhaps 2025 will be the year that pool’s murky waters are cleared, but there is little evidence that reconciliation between WPA and Matchroom is imminent. The result I seek is for WPA to get out of Matchroom’s way and let them continue growing our sport.
4. Barry Hearn, US Open: Barry competed with joy and good sportsmanship, then delighted all by announcing that the 2025 champ will win $100,000.
5. SVB, Panozzo, and Griffin to BCA Hall of Fame: Living legend Shane Van Boening was inducted, along with Mike Panozzo, editor in chief of Billiards Digest, and the late Mark Griffin, founder of CSI and owner of the BCA pool leagues. Shane and Mike spoke well to the gathering, and Ozzy Reynolds spoke well in accepting for Griffin.
6. Another Downer at Derby City: An incomparable pool fiesta crossing four disciplines, Derby City, once again, finished a day late and few saw the 9ball final. It was sad to see this fine event, once again, end with a thud.
7. No World Cup of Pool: Not certain why, but there was no WCOP in 2024. I love the event, so I was disappointed.
8. Per AZB List, Pro Men Made More: These numbers are based on the AZB money list as shown on 12/17/2024.
The top 5 combined for prizes of $1,449,000, compared to $1,235,000 in 2023, a gain of 17%. The Top 10 combined for prizes of $2,166,000, compared to $1,854,000 in 2023, a gain of 17%. The Top 25 earned $3,485,000, compared to $3,168,000 in 2023, a gain of 10%.
The Top 50 earned $4,883,000, compared to $4,494,000 in 2023, a 9% gain. Prize growth of the Top 50 was reduced by politically driven absences of elite players at the majors.
IV What Did You See?
What did I miss or get wrong? With which of my observations or choices do you disagree?
V In Conclusion
In competition, 2024 will be remembered as the year of Gorst, now the #1 ranked player. Banned from the majors in 2022 for his nationality alone, he has rebounded from that persecution and written an inspiring comeback story.
2024 was politically turbulent. I hope pool’s powerbrokers can get on the same page to end pool’s reign of terror. Pros face tough decisions and many of them have irreconcilable conflicts of interest to juggle as they plot their courses.
Happy new year to all AZB posters. See you in 2025.
I The Year in Tournament Play
1st Quarter: Gorst won Turning Stone. At Derby City, Filler won banks, 9ball, 10ball and Master of Table, as Gorst took one-pocket. Neuhausen won in Colombia. In March, it was Corteza at the LV Open and Biado at the World 10ball. SVB shone at the PLP.
2nd Quarter: Shaw ruled at Super Billiards. Gorst aced the World Pool Masters. Capito shone at the UK Open. At the World 9ball, Gorst triumphed. Filler won in Dubai and Grabe in Maldives.
3rd Quarter: Mickey Krause snapped off the European Open. Gorst won the US Open 9ball. Neuhausen won the summer Turning Stone. At the World 8-ball, Filler prevailed and he then defended his title at the China Open.
4th Quarter: Chua won at Hanoi. Asia won the Reyes Cup (Yapp MVP). Filler won the Challenge of Champions, and Patsura the Predator 10ball. At the International, Yapp won 9ball, SVB won 10ball and Mario He won 14.1. Team Europe won Mosconi (Shaw MVP). Maciol captured the Qatar 10ball.
II. A Closer Look
1. Best Match Nominees:
A. Filler 10, Gorst 9, Derby City 10ball semifinal, January
Filler jumped out to 6-2, but Gorst was brilliant in rallying to get to the hill first at 9-8. Filler broke and ran for double hill. Gorst had to push out in the case rack and Filler was first to the shot in the match deciding sequence.
B. Lunda 3, Gorst 2, Derby City Bank Pool, January
Evan won rack one and Fedor the next two. Evan fought hard for double hill, but Fedor’s cross-side miss in the case rack was costly as Evan ran a superb five and out.
C. Gorst 13 Filler 12, World Pool Masters, final, April
Filler ran to a good lead before Gorst sizzled to pull ahead. Filler regrouped to gain the hill at 12-10, but Gorst won the last three racks, including a masterful runout at 12-12.
D. Capito 10, Gorst 8, UK Open, Round of 16, May
Capito led early, but Fedor stormed back for an 8-7 lead. Robbie regrouped and shone in the closing racks for victory.
E. Gorst 15, Kaci 14, World Pool Championship, final, June
With a $250,000 payday in sight, Gorst ran to an 8-3 lead, but Kaci found his form to catch him at 13-13. Kaci gained the hill first, but at 14-14, his anti-climactic defensive error was fatal, with Fedor running out for the title.
F. Patsura 10. Dominguez 9, US Open, Round of 32, August
Patsura led but Oscar grinded for double hill. A fine safety by Oscar seemed like a match winner but Patsura, with a shot for the ages, snookered back with a Z-kick to win 10-9.
... my choice is Match C, the World Pool Masters final.
2. Best Shot: Patsura’s Z-kick at the US Open rates but I am going with Gorst’s double hill 1ball in the World Pool Masters final. Making the three-rail shape onto the short side of the 2ball while finding the right side of the ball was remarkable and it secured the title.
3. Best Event: US Open 9ball. It produced an electrifying final day having four World 9-ball champs in Gorst, SVB, Filler and Feijen. A fan’s dream come true!
4. Best New Event: Predator Challenge of Champions. Predator’s round robin, multidiscipline, event in November featuring Filler, Gorst and Biado was great. Honorable mention to the Reyes Cup, a new event bound for greatness.
5. Most Improved Event: World Pool Masters. For years, this event offered a less than stellar field, but it has evolved into a gathering of the elite, reaching new heights in 2024. Nobody will mistake a 16-player single elimination event for a major, but the event’s profile continues to rise.
6. Best Player: Fedor Gorst. In January, he won Turning Stone and the Derby City one pocket, but moved on to bigger things, winning the World Pool Masters, World 9ball, and the US Open 9ball. His efforts brought a haul of $510,000 in earnings. Not wanting to be overshadowed, his lady Kristina Tkach won the Women’s World 10ball and was first on the women’s money list with $137,000 won. Now that is a power couple!
7. Most Improved Player: Patsura, barely. Vitaly Patsura and Mickey Krause took giant steps forward. Krause won the Bucharest Open and European Open and was on the winning Mosconi team. Patsura won the Predator 10ball, Texas Open, and Skinny Bob 9ball. Also, Labutis, Chua, Roda, Regalario and Maciol took big steps forward.
8. Most Memorable Day of Play by One Player: Robbie Capito’s Saturday at the UK Open. He beat both Gorst and Filler to reach the semis on route to his first major title.
9. Best Producer: Matchroom. They still set the pace in event production. Their arenas are fan-friendly, their events unforgettable. Hands on workaholic Emily Frazer is their secret sauce and she shone brightly in 2024.
10. Best Sponsor: Predator’s value to pool is hard to overstate. Whether producing events, or sponsoring events and players, Predator is a very positive force in pro pool’s growth for both the men and women. Their inaugural Challenge of Champions event was superb.
11. Best Commentator: Scott Frost. Matchroom has a monopoly on the top commentators, and relative newbie Frost has emerged as a very elite one.
III. What I Will Remember Most
1. Matchroom Contracts: By end of January, most elite pros had signed a contract with Matchroom.
2. Matchroom’s Global Reach Continued to Grow: In 2023, Matchroom brought ranking events to Poland, Spain, and Vietnam. They further globalized in 2024, bringing WNT ranking events to a) Colombia, b) Saudi Arabia, c) UAE, d) Maldives, e) Finland, f) Morocco, and g) Portugal. As WNT ranking points can now be earned worldwide, a rising star can begin to blaze a trail to becoming a WNT pro BEFORE bearing the imposing costs of world travel.
3. Extreme Pool Politics Lessened Participation: As elite pros juggled loyalties to sponsors, federations, producers, and governing bodies, on far too many occasions, players opted to skip top events for political reasons.
WPA took the extreme measure of banning all 245 who played in Matchroom’s Hanoi Open from WPA sanctioned play. Most knew the ban was coming, and quite a few top players opted to sit out the Hanoi Open.
Matchroom disqualified Filler, who skipped Hanoi, from the Reyes Cup, despite his having already qualified on merit. They then disqualified him from the Mosconi.
Each of us may back any horses we like in the feuds now framing pro pool’s landscape but, for now, the losers are the pro players, denied a chance to maximize income, and fans, deprived of seeing best possible fields at the majors.
Due to so many politically driven absences by elite players, the quality of the pro pool offering took a hit in 2024. Most notably, the World 8ball, Hanoi Open and Qatar 10ball had depleted fields, and the Mosconi without Filler was a diluted affair.
Perhaps 2025 will be the year that pool’s murky waters are cleared, but there is little evidence that reconciliation between WPA and Matchroom is imminent. The result I seek is for WPA to get out of Matchroom’s way and let them continue growing our sport.
4. Barry Hearn, US Open: Barry competed with joy and good sportsmanship, then delighted all by announcing that the 2025 champ will win $100,000.
5. SVB, Panozzo, and Griffin to BCA Hall of Fame: Living legend Shane Van Boening was inducted, along with Mike Panozzo, editor in chief of Billiards Digest, and the late Mark Griffin, founder of CSI and owner of the BCA pool leagues. Shane and Mike spoke well to the gathering, and Ozzy Reynolds spoke well in accepting for Griffin.
6. Another Downer at Derby City: An incomparable pool fiesta crossing four disciplines, Derby City, once again, finished a day late and few saw the 9ball final. It was sad to see this fine event, once again, end with a thud.
7. No World Cup of Pool: Not certain why, but there was no WCOP in 2024. I love the event, so I was disappointed.
8. Per AZB List, Pro Men Made More: These numbers are based on the AZB money list as shown on 12/17/2024.
The top 5 combined for prizes of $1,449,000, compared to $1,235,000 in 2023, a gain of 17%. The Top 10 combined for prizes of $2,166,000, compared to $1,854,000 in 2023, a gain of 17%. The Top 25 earned $3,485,000, compared to $3,168,000 in 2023, a gain of 10%.
The Top 50 earned $4,883,000, compared to $4,494,000 in 2023, a 9% gain. Prize growth of the Top 50 was reduced by politically driven absences of elite players at the majors.
IV What Did You See?
What did I miss or get wrong? With which of my observations or choices do you disagree?
V In Conclusion
In competition, 2024 will be remembered as the year of Gorst, now the #1 ranked player. Banned from the majors in 2022 for his nationality alone, he has rebounded from that persecution and written an inspiring comeback story.
2024 was politically turbulent. I hope pool’s powerbrokers can get on the same page to end pool’s reign of terror. Pros face tough decisions and many of them have irreconcilable conflicts of interest to juggle as they plot their courses.
Happy new year to all AZB posters. See you in 2025.
