Oscar Dominguez Edges Tom Cousins to Win National Shootout
Four wins in one day made Dominguez the champion at Harrah's Cherokee — a 5-4 final over Tom Cousins, who had knocked out Shane Van Boening and defending champion Craig Waddingham.
The National Shootout has a new champion. Oscar Dominguez finished a marathon Wednesday at Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort by beating Tom Cousins 5-4 in the final of the 2026 Ultimate Pool USA Grand Finals' headline invitational — the fourth win of the day for Dominguez in a single-elimination sprint from 16 players to one.
The live feed had Cousins 3-0 up in the title match before Dominguez began the comeback that carried him to the trophy shortly before 11 p.m. ET on the arena TV table.
Cousins' giant-killing run falls one rack short
Cousins' evening was the tournament's story long before the final. He sent home the field's biggest name in the quarter-finals, beating Shane Van Boening 6-3, then produced the night's signature result — a 6-3 semifinal win over defending champion Craig Waddingham, who had dropped just eight racks across his first three matches of the week.
It came agonizingly close to a perfect run: Van Boening, the defending champion, and then one win from the trophy. Dominguez took the last step away from him.
Dominguez's road to the title
Dominguez took the quieter route but never had an easy match. He edged Eric Charlton 5-4 in the last 16 — Charlton, the beneficiary of the first-round scoreline that took a day to settle — beat Joven Bustamante 6-3 in the quarter-finals and closed out Declan Brennan 5-3 in the semifinals.
Two more shootouts in the last 16
The afternoon session settled the rest of the round. Chris Melling shaded Dennis Hatch 5-4, Waddingham stopped giant-killer Jesus Atencio 7-4 — the man who had ended Tyler Styer's week — and Bustamante was a 6-1 winner over Roberto Gomez.
Two matches needed the format's deciding shootout after finishing level. Declan Brennan won his second tiebreak of the week, edging Justin Bergman, and Joe Prince did the same to Rodney Morris.
Complete results — Wednesday, November 4
Round of 16
| Winner | Score | Loser |
|---|---|---|
| Shane Van Boening | 8-4 | Manny Perez |
| Tom Cousins | 7-1 | Shane McMinn |
| Chris Melling | 5-4 | Dennis Hatch |
| Craig Waddingham | 7-4 | Jesus Atencio |
| Joven Bustamante | 6-1 | Roberto Gomez |
| Oscar Dominguez | 5-4 | Eric Charlton |
| Declan Brennan | 5-5* | Justin Bergman |
| Joe Prince | 5-5* | Rodney Morris |
Quarter-finals
| Winner | Score | Loser |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Cousins | 6-3 | Shane Van Boening |
| Craig Waddingham | 8-2 | Chris Melling |
| Oscar Dominguez | 6-3 | Joven Bustamante |
| Declan Brennan | 6-3 | Joe Prince |
Semifinals
| Winner | Score | Loser |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Cousins | 6-3 | Craig Waddingham |
| Oscar Dominguez | 5-3 | Declan Brennan |
Final
| Winner | Score | Loser |
|---|---|---|
| Oscar Dominguez | 5-4 | Tom Cousins |
*Won the deciding shootout after finishing level.
The week rolls on
Ultimate Pool has not published a prize fund for the invitational Shootout — the title is the signature individual trophy of Grand Finals week. The week's full schedule and the payouts that have been announced are collected in pool4.org's Grand Finals guide.
Thursday's card adds the National 10-Ball Showdown invitational and the start of the National Open, which runs through Sunday. The league championships conclude with the 8-Ball Teams final on Saturday.