Strict 'miss no more than two majors' rule sidelines Billy Thorpe, two-time Mosconi Cup champion from major event

Billy Thorpe receives shocking news: 'I am disqualified from Mosconi Cup for missing three major events.' In a surprise announcement from World Nineball Tour, American 9-ball star Billy Thorpe – a two-time Mosconi Cup champion – has been ruled ineligible for the sport's biggest team competition. Just minutes before an important match, Thorpe received the news that he would not qualify. The reason lies in the 'miss no more than two majors' rule: he missed the European Open in March, UK Open in May, and Arizona Open. These three events all require long-distance travel, with 3-4 hours from the nearest airport, making participation financially unfeasible. In the context of the Mosconi Cup where USA faces Europe, WNT rules require players to compete in at least ten major events on the World Nineball Tour schedule to qualify. This is intended to maintain consistency and professionalism. But this very consistency creates huge pressure on players, especially established ones like Thorpe. He called it 'one of the dumbest rules I've seen in pool', clearly showing the dissatisfaction spreading in the community. From a tactical perspective, this rule creates a clear 'one-strike-and-you're-out' effect. Not an on-table error, not a technical mistake, but a side financial decision. Billy Thorpe with two Mosconi Cup titles is a prime example. Other players like Lukas Fracasso-Verner and Ronel Nalaunan are in similar situations, showing the issue is systemic, not individual. The trade-off is that the rule keeps the tournament participation stable, but quickly eliminates long-term players due to travel and cost pressures. However, the counter-intuitive view is that this rule creates serious execution blind spots. It punishes players for off-table decisions rather than on-table performance. This could reduce the quality of participation at major events, where players like Thorpe bring the highest value. Instead of strengthening fair competition, the rule creates financial barriers, forcing many players to participate less or drop out entirely. This is the contradiction between maintaining professionalism and the reality of player survival. With these findings, the rule clearly needs review to balance participation and sustainability. In the context of American 9-ball facing financial challenges, could World Nineball Tour listen to players' voices and adjust the 'two majors' threshold to be more practical? Or will this change help maintain the flow of established players and keep the Mosconi Cup at the highest quality? Based on my experience covering 9-ball events, data does not win matches, it only wins before the balls are in play. The current rules are forcing many players to carefully calculate every participation decision, and if not changed, the flow of American 9-ball could be affected for a long time.