September Preliminary Rounds to be Played as Scheduled Where Possible
The U.S. Amateur Championship, previously scheduled for Nov. 4-8, 2020 at Stroker’s in Palm Harbor, Fla., is being rescheduled for March 17-21, 2021 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The Championship Rounds will still take place at Stroker’s.
Preliminary Rounds will take place as scheduled in areas of the country where restrictions currently allow for such events.
Approximately half of the Preliminary Rounds for this year’s U.S. Amateur Championship will be unable to be played in September due to ongoing government restrictions applicable to their locations.
In areas where restrictions prohibit Preliminary Rounds from being held, APA plans to offer a second window of Preliminary Rounds November 6-8. With the event moving to March 2021, APA has the flexibility to introduce a third window of Preliminary Rounds early in 2021 if needed.
“The U.S. Amateur Championship has a long and distinguished history of recognizing the top amateur players from across North America. With so many areas still unable to host Preliminary Rounds, and, therefore, so many great amateur players unable to participate, we felt the integrity of the championship would be compromised,” said Bill Tufts, APA Tournament Director.
For players who will be competing in Preliminary Rounds in September, masks will be mandated throughout the tournament (unless a participant is actively eating or drinking).
“It’s important we do everything we can to keep our participants and our staff as safe as possible during these events,” said APA President Greg Fletcher. “We understand there are players that may not agree with the mask mandate for these events, but participants in the U.S. Amateur Championship Preliminary Rounds in September will be required to wear a mask.”
Those who’ve signed up for this year’s U.S. Amateur Championship, but have concerns about the changes to the event date, or the mask mandate, can contact Nicole Dunn at ndunn@poolplayers.com.
The APA and its championships are sponsored by Aramith, Action Cues, PoolDawg and Valley-Dynamo.