By Jason Bowman
LAS VEGAS, NV (May 9, 2023) — A local man is $15,000 richer after a recent visit to Sin City. But his good fortune didn’t happen in the casino.
Jonathan Neman won the 2023 APA 8- Ball Classic Pool Championship late last month in Las Vegas.
Neman was amongst nearly 6,000 poolplayers throughout North America who attempted to qualify for the American Poolplayers Association’s (APA) 8-Ball Classic. He was one of only 860 that advanced to the national finals at the Westgate Las Vegas.
Neman competed in the Red Tier of the 8-Ball Classic and received a cash and prize package worth $15,000 and ultimate bragging rights upon returning home to his local poolroom. The 8-Ball Classic featured five individual tiers, all based on skill level.
The championship match was livestreamed and can be viewed here: 2023 APA Red Tier Final - 8-Ball Classic.
Neman is a member of the local APA League in Wilmington where he plays pool regularly.
After finishing in 3rd Place at the event in 2021, Neman made a vow to his fellow league members that if he made it back to Vegas, and won the event, he would cut off his beloved “mullet.”
True to his word, Neman will have his hair cut at a public ceremony on May 20 at Breaktime Billiards (127 S. College Rd.) in Wilmington, and will donate the hair to Locks of Love.
“I’ve been growing it for nearly 4 years, getting it permed every 6 months, and everyone loves it! But I swore if I made it to Vegas again, and won it all this time around, the hair would come off,” said Neman.
The 8-Ball Classic, held April 26 – 28, was part of the APA’s Poolplayer Championships which featured 12 divisions of competition, more than 3,000 total players and more than $800,000 in prize money.
The APA, based in Lake Saint Louis, Mo., sanctions the world’s largest amateur pool league, known as the APA Pool League throughout the United States, and as the Canadian Pool League in Canada. Nearly 250,000 members compete in weekly 8-Ball and 9‑Ball League play.
The APA is generally recognized as the Governing Body of Amateur Pool, having established the official rules, championships, formats and handicap systems for the sport of amateur billiards.
The APA produces four major tournaments—the APA World Pool Championships, the APA Poolplayer Championships, the APA Junior Championships and the U.S. Amateur Championship—that, together, pay out nearly $2 Million in cash and prizes annually!
The APA and its championships are sponsored by Aramith, Action Cues, Diamond Billiard Products and PoolDawg.com.
For more information on the American Poolplayers Association, visit poolplayers.com.
