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Player of the Year, Men: Pin-Yi Ko



By winning a pair of WPA world championships and the Scotch-Doubles World Cup of Pool, 26-year-old Pin-Yi Ko is this year's Player of the Year in the men's game. The breakout year for the superstar provides a bit of symmetry when compared to the last player to win a pair of world titles in a single calendar year. Fellow Taiwanese native Chia-Ching Wu completed the feat in 2005 at the age of 16. Ko and Wu were both supremely talented superstars on the junior circuit, with Ko winning the World Junior Championships twice. But Ko's arrival on the international scene would occur a little later than Wu's, who became Billiards Digest's youngest Player of the Year a decade ago. Ko kicked off the 2015 campaign with a win at February's controversial World 10-Ball Championship by outlasting Filipino Carlo Biado in the final, 11-9. In September, Ko again excelled in the single-elimination rounds of a supremely talented field at the World 9-Ball Championship in Doha, Qatar. He ousted compatriot Wu in the semifinal with a thrilling break-and-run in the case game for an 11-10 victory. In the final, he met Shane Van Boening, who had absolutely obliterated the competition on the way to his first final in a WPA World Championship. Ko eventually wrested control of the match and closed out the yearly double, 13-11. Two weeks later, along with Yu-Lung Chang, Ko kept his winning streak intact with a win at Matchroom Sport's World Cup of Pool, with the Taiwan duo topping the U.K.'s tandem of Mark Gray and Daryl Peach.

Player of the Year, Women: Ga Young Kim



Unlike the men's POY contest, where one could make a case for Shane Van Boening as a viable alternative, the best in the women's game in 2015 seems relatively clear. Korea's Ga Young Kim captured two major international tournaments - the China Open and All Japan Championship - while finishing in the Top 10 in her other high-level events. This honor is the third overall and second consecutive for the 32-year-old star, who previously won POY in 2010 and 2014. Kim's biggest victory of 2015 took place at the China Open in July. She cruised through the 19-player single-elimination bracket, never allowing an opponent more than six games in the race-to-nine format. She topped Han Yu, 9-3, in the semifinal and then sprinted past Xiao-Fang Fu, 9-3, to take the title. Kim finished the year atop the women's overall money list, thanks in part to a $16,000 payday at the four-player, single-elimination Tournament of Champions. She finished the year with another title at the talent-rich All Japan Championship, where she outlasted Japan's Chihiro Kawahara for the $14,800 prize.

Most Outstanding Performance, Men: Yu-Hsuan Cheng, U.S. Open



This year's U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship featured a relatively small field - entries were limited to 128 instead of the usual number in the 200s - but the axiom of quality over quantity proved true for the 2015 tournament. Only a handful of the top-ranked players in the world were absent, with plenty of Asian and European stars making the trek to Norfolk, Virginia.While Americans struggled to keep up, Taiwan's Yu-Hsuan Cheng quietly marched through the winner's bracket with growing momentum. The 27-year-old bested Corey Deuel, 11-6, before surviving a dramatic hill-hill set with Justin Bergman. After that close call, Cheng caught fire on his way to the hot seat, topping Russia's Ruslan Chinakhov, 11-6, Kai-Lun Hsu, 11-9, and Karl Boyes, 11-4. The final, again facing Boyes, quickly turned into a coronation for Taiwan's first U.S. Open champion in the event's 39-year history. The 13-6 wire-to-wire victory proved to be the signature moment for Cheng's outstanding performance, which netted him a $40,000 payday.

Most Outstanding Performance, Women: Shasha Liu, Women's World 9-Ball Championship



The timing seemed right for the Women's World 9-Ball Championship when it relocated to China in 2009. By that time, China's young talent had started its assault on the sport, while stalwarts such as Jasmin Ouschan, Ga Young Kim and Kelly Fisher raised their games to keep pace. That first event was won by a then-unknown player, Shasha Liu. Now, after a triumphant run to the title in 2015, she has conquered three of the last seven World 9-Ball Championships.Entering the 2015 event as defending champion, Liu played with the expected confidence, running her way through to the final with a semifinal victory over Taiwan's Chieh-Yu Chou. Facing Ouschan in the final, who was seeking her first World 9-Ball crown, Liu proved unstoppable en route to a 9-4 victory. Just 22 years old and a three-time world champ, Liu has positioned herself as the brightest of China's rising stars.

Breakout Player of the Year, Men: Albin Ouschan



Younger brother of former BD Player of the Year Jasmin Ouschan, Albin took a huge step out of his sister's shadow in 2015. The 24-year-old Austrian made the impressive jump from one of Europe's rising stars to an international champion in a single calendar year. After a few strong, if not brilliant, seasons on the highly competitive EuroTour, Ouschan snatched his first international-level title at July's China Open. In the knockout round of 32, he faced an 8-3 deficit to Poland's Mateusz Sniegocki. But Ouschan caught fire in the back half of the match to advance, 11-8. He topped Lee Vann Corteza and Chu Bin Jie, before winning the championship match, 11-8, against Canada's John Morra. Along with a win at the EuroTour's Dutch Open and a victory lap at December's Mosconi Cup as a member of the victorious Team Europe, Albin's 2015 campaign represented both significant achievement and a hint of potential greatness to come.

Breakout Player of the Year, Women: You Tell Us?

Got any ideas? We don't. The combined dearth of events on American soil and a lack of breakthrough international stars meant this year's women's events were largely ruled by the established players. China has dozens of young players who are poised to make a run at the international elite, but known quantities like Shasha Liu and Han Yu performed the best in major events. Alongside Ga-Young Kim's strong year, established European stars such as Jasmin Ouschan and Kelly Fisher continued to overshadow any up-and-comers. Though not surprising considering the state of the women's game in the U.S., Canada's Brittany Bryant was the only North American to be in the top 20 in earnings.

Person of the Year: Pat Fleming



Pat Fleming, as the founder and owner of Accu-Stats Video Productions, has compiled an encyclopedic video record of pool's last 30 years, which includes hundreds of hours shooting Barry Behrman's U.S. Open. In 2015, Fleming took on an expanded role at the most prestigious tournament on U.S. soil. He collected all entry fees and added monies, while handling the distribution of prize money for eliminated players. For Behrman, who has had repeated difficulties paying players in a timely and complete manner, Fleming provided a respected industry veteran who could be trusted by players, sponsors, fans and industry members. Though not publicly acknowledged, the World Pool-Billiard Association was rumored to withhold sanctioning (and associated WPA rankings points) unless Behrman found a trusted source to handle primary financial duties. Fleming, who is in the BCA Hall of Fame for his contributions to the industry, proved to be that responsible party. BD's 2015 Person of the Year, Fleming is an irreplaceable member of the pool community. That he's one of the hardest working and nicest guys in the game doesn't hurt either!

The Gone But Not Forgotten Award: Riviera Hotel & Casino



For more than 30 years, the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas was pool's de facto summer vacation spot. From May through August, the classic old Las Vegas Strip property annually welcomed the Billiard Congress of America, Valley National Eight-Ball Association and American Poolplayers Association with its vast ballroom space, inexpensive room rates and always-bustling Splash Bar. In its peak years, the three national amateur league groups (as well as several ride-along professional events) drove more than 15,000 players through the Riv's front doors. While the BCA Pool League and VNEA parted ways with the Riviera nearly a decade ago, the APA continued its relationship with the venerable hotel until the bitter end. In fact, the 2015 APA National Singles Championship in May pulled down the curtain on the Riviera. The hotel and casino closed its doors, awaiting demolition. The property will become an extension of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The Sportsmanship Award for Sporstmanship Award Award-Givers: Jay Helfert

It's been some years since a pro pool player was recognized for something other than winning or creating a stir. Longtime player, promoter, room owner (and sometimes stakehorse) Jay Helfert decided to take matters into his own hands and announced the Tony Robles Sportsmanship Award. Helfert announced that the award, named after one of the game's all-time nice guys, would be given out annually to "a professional player who best exemplifies good sportsmanship on and off the table." The award also comes with a $1,000 bonus. The first winner, announced during the annual BCA Hall of Fame Banquet, was West Coast pro Oscar Dominguez. Oscar deserved the award, but our good friend Jay Helfert deserves some kudos of his own.

The "I'm Sorry, Did We Say $100,000?" Award: Lorelei Pacquiao



The sister-in-law of boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, who was in charge of the World 10-Ball Championship and Pacman Doubles events in Gen San City, Philippines, waited until 56 teams had entered to announce that the prize fund for the doubles event was being reduced from $100,000 to $60,000. No explanation was given for the sucker punch. The players took a standing eight, then played on for the lesser prize fund.

The 15 Minutes of Fame Award: The Hustlers



In May, cable network truTV launched the 10-episode pool reality series, "The Hustlers." The show featured a dozen or so players battling through money matches and King of the Hill matches at Steinway Billiards in New York. Pros Jennifer Barretta and Mike Dechaine headlined the show's lineup, which also featured the bombastic, self-proclaimed "Godfather of Pool," local hustler William Finnegan. The series was high quality, the players were engaging and the pool was real. The results, however, were not enough to convince truTV to pick up the show for a second season. At least, not yet. Oh, well. It was fun while it lasted!

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