1997 WPA World 9-Ball Championship

Results

Place	Player	Prize
1	Johnny Archer
2	Lee Kun-fang

Recap

Published April 13, 2026

Johnny "The Scorpion" Archer won the 1997 WPA World Nine-ball Championship final in Chicago, defeating Taiwan's Lee Kun-fang 9-3. This was Archer's second world title, following his 1992 championship victory.

The tournament ran from October 1-5, 1997, and featured 64 of the world's top players. The format included round-robin group play followed by single-elimination knockout rounds. All matches in the elimination phase were race-to-13 contests. Archer advanced to the final through the tournament bracket.

Lee Kun-fang advanced to the final by defeating defending champion Ralf Souquet 9-8 in the semifinal. This prevented Souquet from winning back-to-back titles and was a significant achievement for players from Chinese Taipei in international competition.

Archer defeated Lee 9-3 in the final. At 28 years old, Archer was among the sport's top players. The championship victory added to his status in professional nine-ball.

The 1997 championship took place in Chicago and featured competitors from multiple continents. The event showcased the international reach of nine-ball competition and the WPA's role in professional pool.

Sources: 1997 WPA World Pool Championship – Wikipedia, Johnny Archer – Wikipedia, List of WPA World Nine-ball champions – Wikipedia

This recap was compiled from public tournament records and tournament organizer communications. ForceFollow is not affiliated with the tournament organizer.