World Straight Pool Championship
The World Straight Pool Championship, sometimes marked as simply the World Tournament among other names,[lower-alpha 1] is a pool competition, that has been held annually in United States in its present form since 2006. It is one of the successor tournaments (also including the American 14.1 Straight Pool Championship) to the historical World 14.1 Continuous Championship (1912–1990). During the modern tournament's early years, it was the only global professional title for straight pool (also known as 14.1 continuous). The event is organized by Dragon Promotions, in part to restore the game's popularity in the United States.[1] Throughout the current event's history, only the 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2010 editions were sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) to be world championships.[2] Since then, the tournament continues to be held under its current name without WPA sanctioning. Ralph Greenleaf is the most successful player having won the tournament on twenty occasions. The oldest player to win the tournament is Irving Crane at 59 years old at the time of his victory. The youngest player to win the tournament is Ralph Greenleaf at 20 years old at the time of his victory.
Format
All 64 players are divided into 8 groups where they play in round-robin format. Each match in this round is a race to 100 points. The leading 4 players in each group proceed to the next round.[3]
The games of the last-32 round are played in double-elimination format until 16 players remain. Matches are extended to races to 150 points.[3]
The games in the last-16 round are played in single-elimination format, and matches are extended, to races to 200 points.[3] The finals match is further extended to a race to 300 points (with a half-hour break occurring when a player reaches 150).[4]
Winners
In 1911, Jerome Keough (USA) invented the 14.1-continuous game.[5]
1912-1967, Traditional Era (multiple titles per year)
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 1912 | Edward Ralph (USA) |
| 1912 | Alfredo DeOro (Cuba) |
| 1912 | Alfredo DeOro (Cuba) |
| 1913 | Alfredo DeOro (Cuba) |
| 1913 | Alfredo DeOro (Cuba) |
| 1913 | Bennie Allen (USA) |
| 1913 | Bennie Allen (USA) |
| 1913 | Bennie Allen (USA) |
| 1914 | Bennie Allen (USA) |
| 1914 | Bennie Allen (USA) |
| 1914 | Bennie Allen (USA) |
| 1915 | not held |
| 1916 | W.E. Blankenship (USA) |
| 1916 | Johnny Layton (USA) |
| 1916 | Frank Taberski (USA) |
| 1916 | Frank Taberski (USA) |
| 1916 | Frank Taberski (USA) |
| 1917 | Frank Taberski (USA) |
| 1917 | Frank Taberski (USA) |
| 1917 | Frank Taberski (USA) |
| 1917 | Frank Taberski (USA) |
| 1917 | Frank Taberski (USA) |
| 1917 | Frank Taberski (USA) |
| 1918 | Frank Taberski (USA) |
| 1919 | Ralph Greenleaf (USA) |
| 1920 | Ralph Greenleaf (USA) |
| 1921 | Ralph Greenleaf (USA) |
| 1921 | Ralph Greenleaf (USA) |
| 1922 | Ralph Greenleaf (USA) |
| 1922 | Ralph Greenleaf (USA) |
| 1922 | Ralph Greenleaf (USA) |
| 1922 | Ralph Greenleaf (USA) |
| 1923 | Ralph Greenleaf (USA) |
| 1924 | Ralph Greenleaf (USA) |
| 1925 | Frank Taberski (USA) |
| 1926 | Ralph Greenleaf (USA) |
| 1927 | Erwin Rudolph (USA) |
| 1927 | Erwin Rudolph (USA) |
| 1927 | Thomas Hueston (USA) |
| 1927 | Frank Taberski (USA) |
| 1927 | Frank Taberski (USA) |
| 1928 | Frank Taberski (USA) |
| 1928 | Ralph Greenleaf (USA) |
| 1928 | Ralph Greenleaf (USA) |
| 1928 | Frank Taberski (USA) |
| 1929 | Ralph Greenleaf (USA) |
| 1930 | Erwin Rudolph (USA) |
| 1931 | Ralph Greenleaf (USA) |
| 1932 | Ralph Greenleaf (USA) |
| 1933 | Ralph Greenleaf (USA) |
| 1933 | Erwin Rudolph (USA) |
| 1934 | Andrew Ponzi (USA) |
| 1935 | Jimmy Caras (USA) |
| 1936 | Jimmy Caras (USA) |
| 1937 | Ralph Greenleaf (USA) |
| 1937 | Ralph Greenleaf (USA) |
| 1937 | Ralph Greenleaf (USA) |
| 1938 | Jimmy Caras (USA) |
| 1939 | not held |
| 1940 | Andrew Ponzi (USA) |
| 1941 | Willie Mosconi (USA) |
| 1941 | Erwin Rudolph (USA) |
| 1942 | Irving Crane (USA) |
| 1942 | Willie Mosconi (USA) |
| 1943 | Andrew Ponzi (USA) |
| 1944 | Willie Mosconi (USA) |
| 1945 | Willie Mosconi (USA) |
| 1946 | Willie Mosconi (USA) |
| 1946 | Willie Mosconi (USA) |
| 1946 | Irving Crane (USA) |
| 1947 | Willie Mosconi (USA) |
| 1947 | Willie Mosconi (USA) |
| 1948 | Willie Mosconi (USA) |
| 1949 | Jimmy Caras (USA) |
| 1950 | Willie Mosconi (USA) |
| 1951 | Willie Mosconi (USA) |
| 1952 | Willie Mosconi (USA) |
| 1953 | Willie Mosconi (USA) |
| 1954 | not held |
| 1955 | Willie Mosconi (USA) |
| 1955 | Irving Crane (USA) |
| 1955 | Willie Mosconi (USA) |
| 1956 | Willie Mosconi (USA) |
| 1956 | Willie Mosconi (USA) |
| 1956 | Willie Mosconi (USA) |
| 1957 | not held |
| 1958 | not held |
| 1959 | not held |
| 1960 | not held |
| 1961 | not held |
| 1962 | not held |
| 1963 | Luther Lassiter (USA) |
| 1963 | Luther Lassiter (USA) |
| 1964 | Luther Lassiter (USA) |
| 1964 | Arthur Cranfield (USA) |
| 1965 | Joe Balsis (USA) |
| 1965 | Joe Balsis (USA) |
| 1965 | Cisero Murphy (USA) |
| 1966 | Luther Lassiter (USA) |
| 1966 | Luther Lassiter (USA) |
| 1967 | Luther Lassiter (USA) |
| 1967 | Luther Lassiter (USA) |
1968-Present, Modern Era (one title per year)
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 1968 | Irving Crane (USA) |
| 1969 | Ed Kelly (USA) |
| 1970 | Irving Crane (USA) |
| 1971 | Ray Martin (USA) |
| 1972 | Irving Crane (USA) |
| 1973 | Lou Butera (USA) |
| 1974 | Ray Martin (USA) |
| 1975 | not held |
| 1976 | Larry Lisciotti (USA) |
| 1977 | Allen Hopkins (USA) |
| 1978 | Ray Martin (USA) |
| 1979 | Mike Sigel (USA) |
| 1980 | Nick Varner (USA) |
| 1981 | Mike Sigel (USA) |
| 1982 | Steve Mizerak (USA) |
| 1983 | Steve Mizerak (USA) |
| 1984 | not held |
| 1985 | Mike Sigel (USA) |
| 1986 | Nick Varner (USA) |
| 1987 | not held |
| 1988 | not held |
| 1989 | not held |
| 1990 | Bobby Hunter (USA)[6] |
Dragon Promotions events
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Semifinalists | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 |  Thorsten Hohmann |
Thomas Engert |
 Mika Immonen | |
 Max Eberle | ||||
| 2007 | Oliver Ortmann |
 Huidji See |
 Martin Kempter | |
| Danny Harriman | ||||
| 2008 | Niels Feijen |
 Francisco Bustamante |
Nick van den Berg | |
| Jasmin Ouschan | ||||
| 2009 |  Stephan Cohen |
Mika Immonen |
Oliver Ortmann | |
| Johnny Archer | ||||
| 2010 | Oliver Ortmann |
Mika Immonen |
Thorsten Hohmann | |
| Huidji See | ||||
| 2011 | Thorsten Hohmann |
Mike Davis |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Alex Pagulayan | |
| Charlie Williams | ||||
| 2012 | John Schmidt |
Efren Reyes |
 Darren Appleton | |
| Ralph Eckert | ||||
| 2013 | Thorsten Hohmann |
Darren Appleton |
Francisco Bustamante | |
| John Schmidt | ||||
| 2014 | Darren Appleton |
Shane Van Boening |
 Evgeny Stalev | |
| Max Eberle | ||||
| 2015 | Thorsten Hohmann |
Darren Appleton |
Warren Kiamco | |
| Reiner Wirsbitzki | ||||
| 2016 | Mika Immonen |
Earl Strickland |
Jayson Shaw | |
 Lo Li-wen | ||||
| 2017 | Lee Vann Corteza |
Thorsten Hohmann |
Jonni Fulcher | |
| Darren Appleton | ||||
| 2018 | Thorsten Hohmann[7] |
Tony Robles |
Warren Kiamco | |
| Michael Badstuebner | ||||
| 2019 | Shane Van Boening |
Corey Deuel |
Thorsten Hohmann | |
| John Schmidt | ||||
| 2020 | Not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |||
| 2021 | ||||
WPA-sanctioned world championships are shown in bold.
Top Performers
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ralph Greenleaf | United States |
20 |
| 2 | Willie Mosconi | United States |
19 |
| 3 | Frank Taberski | United States |
15 |
| 4 | Luther Lassiter | United States |
7 |
| 5 | Irving Crane | United States |
6 |
| Bennie Allen | United States |
6 | |
| 6 | Thorsten Hohmann | Germany |
5 |
| Jimmy Caras | United States |
5 | |
| Erwin Rudolph | United States |
5 | |
| 7 | Andrew Ponzi | United States |
4 |
| Alfredo de Oro |  Cuba |
4 | |
| 8 | Mike Sigel | United States |
3 |
| Ray Martin | United States |
3 | |
| 9 | Oliver Ortmann | Germany |
2 |
| Steve Mizerak | United States |
2 | |
| Nick Varner | United States |
2 | |
| Joe Balsis | United States |
2 |
- Active players are shown in bold.
Notes
- In some news releases, including some pages in the event's website, names like World 14.1 Tournament or World Tournament of 14.1 are sometimes used. However, the recent website's title page, and promotional pages simply use World Tournament (76th World Tournament, 77th World Tournament. 78th World Tournament, etc.). A different numbering system has also sometimes been used, starting with the first Dragon Promotions event, and including the name of that year's major sponsor, e.g. The BottleDeck.net 7th World 14.1 Tournament.
References
- "The World Straight Pool Championship". AZ Billiards. September 29, 2005. Archived from the original on 2011-06-13. Retrieved August 25, 2008.
- "Players: World Champions". WPA-Pool.com. Sydney, Australia: World Pool-Billiard Association. November 2011. Archived from the original on February 15, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
- "2008 Predator World 14.1 Championship Group Pairings". AZ Billiards. August 24, 2008. Retrieved August 25, 2008.
- "Billiards: Corteza becomes 1st Asian to win World 14.1 Straight Pool title". ABS-CBN News. October 11, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
- "The World Tournament – Hall of Fame". TheWorldTournament.com. Dragon Promotions.
- "2018 78th World 14.1 - News". Forums.AZBilliards.com.
- "The BottleDeck.net 7th World 14.1 Tournament: 12 Player Single Elimination: Race 200 / Finals Race to 300" (PDF). BottleDeck.net. August 19, 2018. Retrieved August 22, 2018 – via Docs.WixStatic.com.
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