2017 US Open 8-Ball Championship

Results

Recap

Published April 13, 2026

Alex "The Lion" Pagulayan won the 2017 US Open 8-Ball Championship at Griff's in Las Vegas from July 29-31, defeating defending champion Shane Van Boening in the final. Pagulayan came back from a 7-2 deficit in the race-to-10 match to claim the title and $13,500 first-place prize.

Van Boening entered the championship match seeking back-to-back US Open 8-Ball titles while also holding the US Open 10-Ball crown. He advanced through the bracket with victories over Sina Valizadeh (8-2), Manny Perez (8-5), Josh Roberts (8-3), Lee Vann Corteza (8-6), and Dennis Orcollo (8-4).

Pagulayan, the 2004 World 9-Ball Champion, took a different route through the field. He defeated Skyler Woodward (8-2) and Denis Grabe (8-3) before losing 7-8 to Dennis Orcollo, which sent him to the one-loss side. He then won consecutive matches against Thorsten Hohmann (8-7) and Lee Vann Corteza before defeating Orcollo 8-6 in the semifinal.

In the final, Van Boening's break shot performance declined as the match progressed. Pagulayan took advantage of Van Boening's missed breaks to tie the match at 8-8, then at 9-9. In the final rack, Van Boening scratched on the break, giving Pagulayan ball-in-hand and the championship. Van Boening earned $7,400 as runner-up.

The tournament field included Dennis Orcollo and Lee Vann Corteza, who finished 3rd and 4th respectively, along with Thorsten Hohmann and Vinnie Calabrese rounding out the top six finishers. Pagulayan added this victory to his accomplishments at age 39.

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