2011 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship
The 2011 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship was the 36th edition of the U.S. Open Pool Championship. Organized by promoter Barry Behrman, the tournament was held from October 16 to 22, 2011, at the Holiday Inn Select Conference Center in Chesapeake, Virginia.
Great Britain's Darren Appleton won his second consecutive U.S. Open title by defeating American player Shawn Putnam 13–6 in the championship match. With this victory, Appleton became only the second player in tournament history (following Nick Varner) to successfully defend a U.S. Open 9-Ball title. Appleton earned the $30,000 top prize out of a total tournament purse of $160,000.
Format
The tournament featured a double-elimination format throughout the preliminary and main rounds. Matches in the main bracket were played as a race to 11 racks, while the championship final was contested as a race to 13 racks under a winner-breaks format.
Tournament summary
Defending champion Darren Appleton went undefeated through the winners' bracket, advancing to the final with wins over Johnny Archer, Alex Pagulayan, and Shawn Putnam. Shawn Putnam reached the final after eliminating Netherlands' Huidji See and Canada's Alex Pagulayan in the lower bracket.
In the final match, Appleton established an early lead and steadily pulled away to claim a 13–6 victory over Putnam, completing a back-to-back championship run.
Prize fund
The total prize pool for the event was $160,000, distributed as follows:
Placement |
Prize Money (USD) |
|---|---|
Winner |
$30,000 |
Runner-up |
$15,000 |
3rd Place |
$10,000 |
4th Place |
$7,000 |
Total Prize Fund |
$160,000 |
Final stages bracket
The results from the quarter-final stage onwards are shown below:
Final standings
The top placement results for the tournament were as follows:
Place |
Player |
|---|---|
1 |
Darren Appleton |
2 |
Shawn Putnam |
3 |
Alex Pagulayan |
4 |
Dennis Hatch |
5–6 |
Huidji See |
5–6 |
Larry Nevel |