When many Baldwin County residents think about pools, they picture water and relaxation.

For Greg Starr, pools mean something entirely different.

The Seminole resident recently captured the 2026 APA 8-Ball Classic Pool Championship in Las Vegas, earning a $15,000 prize package and national bragging rights in the process.

Starr competed against some of the top amateur pool players in North America during the American Poolplayers Association’s Poolplayer Championships held April 26-28 at the Westgate Las Vegas.

Nearly 6,000 players attempted to qualify for the APA 8-Ball Classic, but only 770 advanced to the national finals. Starr competed in the tournament’s Blue Tier division, which is designed for players with skill levels 2-3.

His championship match was livestreamed as part of the event and the recording can be found on the APA’s YouTube channel.

Starr regularly competes in the local APA League in Seminole.

The APA Poolplayer Championships featured 15 divisions of competition, more than 6,000 participants and nearly $1 million in prize money.

The American Poolplayers Association, based in Lake Saint Louis, Missouri, sanctions what it describes as the world’s largest amateur pool league. The organization operates as the APA Pool League in the United States and the Canadian Pool League in Canada.

More than 275,000 members compete in weekly 8-Ball and 9-Ball league play. The APA is recognized as the governing body of amateur pool and established official rules, championships, formats and handicap systems for amateur billiards competition.

The organization also produces three major tournaments — the APA World Pool Championships, the APA Poolplayer Championships and the U.S. Amateur Championship — which together award nearly $2 million in cash and prizes annually.

The APA and its championships are sponsored by Aramith, Action Cues, Diamond Billiard Products, Kamui Tips and PoolDawg.com.

More information is available at www.poolplayers.com.