Key takeaways
- The 31st APA US Amateur Championship is scheduled for November 13-15, 2026, at Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino.
- Players earned their spots through preliminary rounds held mostly September 18-20, 2026, at rooms across the US and Canada.
- Both the open and women’s divisions are double elimination on 9-foot tables, mixing 8-ball and 9-ball under APA and pro rules.
- James Blackburn of Reidsville, NC, is the two-time defending champion; Tatum Cutting of Diamond, OH, won the 2025 women’s title.
When and where is the 2026 APA US Amateur Championship?
The 2026 APA US Amateur Championship is set for November 13-15 at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, according to APA’s official event page, which notes the dates can still change. It is the 31st edition of the American Poolplayers Association’s top individual event for serious amateurs, with a separate Women’s US Amateur Championship run alongside it.
This is the second straight year in Las Vegas. When the APA announced the move in January 2025, it said the 2025 edition would be the first one held away from the East Coast since 1999, after many years in Tampa and, more recently, Orlando. The organizers said they hoped the western venue would draw more players from the western half of the country.
The road to Vegas ran through local preliminary rounds. Most were played September 18-20, 2026, with a few rooms using September 11-13 or September 25-27, at locations spread across the US plus Canadian stops in Burlington, Ontario, and St. John’s, Newfoundland. Entry was $75 for APA members and $100 for non-members.
How does the US Amateur format work?
Unlike a standard APA league night, there is no handicap here. Both divisions are double elimination, played on 4.5 x 9 ft. tables under APA and pro rules. Men’s matches are races to 7 and women’s matches are races to 5, with each match built from a set mix of 8-ball and 9-ball games, so a player who only knows one game will get exposed fast.
The rewards are about recognition and opportunity. Each champion gets a trophy, an event duffel bag, a free year of APA membership, airfare and lodging, and an entry into a professional event. The APA describes the tournament as meant only for the finest amateur players, and the championship rounds stream live on the APA’s YouTube channel, which is the easiest way to follow along from home.
Who won the US Amateur Championship last year?
James Blackburn of Reidsville, North Carolina, won the 2025 title in Las Vegas, beating Canada’s Dean Macnaughton of Barrie, Ontario, 11-8 in the final to defend the crown he won in Orlando in 2024. The 2025 open division drew 123 players, with Roger Hebert II of Spring Hill, Florida, third and Lance Ireland of Jasper, Alabama, fourth.
On the women’s side, Tatum Cutting of Diamond, Ohio, took the 2025 Women’s US Amateur from a 41-player field, beating Nellie Del Rosario of Chula Vista, California, 9-5 in the final. Kaley Sullivan of Chesapeake, Virginia, finished third.
Repeat winners are common. Brian Parks won back-to-back open titles in 2016 and 2017, and Stacie Bourbeau of Orange, Massachusetts, won the women’s event in 2015, 2022 and 2023. If Blackburn wins again in November he would have three straight. For more on how amateurs and veterans get recognized in this game, see our story on the 2026 BCA Hall of Fame class.
From the workshop
The US Amateur is the kind of event where equipment habits matter more than people admit. You are switching between 8-ball and 9-ball inside the same race, on a 9-foot table that may be bigger than the bar boxes many league players use every week. Players who show up with a cue they trust, a tip they have broken in for a few weeks, and a shaft they have not just swapped out tend to handle that switch better than players chasing a new setup the week of the tournament.
If you qualified this fall, our advice is simple: change nothing major now, get your tip shaped and your ferrule checked a few weeks before you fly, and spend your hours on the big table. If you are already thinking about next year’s prelims and want a playing cue built around your own stroke, take a look at our build-your-own cue options.
Quick answers
When is the 2026 APA US Amateur Championship?
The 2026 APA US Amateur Championship is scheduled for November 13-15, 2026, at Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. The APA notes that event dates are subject to change.
How do you qualify for the US Amateur Championship?
Players qualify by winning an APA preliminary round at a host location in the US or Canada. The 2026 preliminaries were held mostly September 18-20, with entry at $75 for APA members and $100 for non-members.
Who won the 2025 US Amateur Championship in pool?
James Blackburn of Reidsville, North Carolina, won the 2025 APA US Amateur Championship, beating Dean Macnaughton 11-8 in the final. Tatum Cutting of Diamond, Ohio, won the 2025 Women’s US Amateur Championship.
How can I watch the US Amateur Championship?
The APA livestreams the championship rounds on its official YouTube channel. Check the APA’s YouTube page during November 13-15 for the live tables.
Sources
- U.S. Amateur Championship (American Poolplayers Association, 2026)
- U.S. Amateur Preliminary Round Locations (American Poolplayers Association, 2026)
- 2025 U.S. Amateur Championship Results (American Poolplayers Association, 2025-11-16)
- 2025 Womens U.S. Amateur Championship Results (American Poolplayers Association, 2025-11-15)
- 2025 U.S. Amateur Championship Moving to Las Vegas (American Poolplayers Association, 2025-01-06)
Written by the Muraki workshop team in our own words from the reports above. Results and figures are as reported by those sources at the time of publishing. Spot something wrong? Tell us and we will correct it.
Play the game, then build the cue
Every Muraki cue is turned, inlaid and finished by hand in our workshop, then numbered and shipped to players across the US, Canada and worldwide. Tell us how you play and we will quote one for you, usually the same day.
