Though it's about 70 degrees here in Las Vegas, Chris Steele has caught a fever. We're pretty sure it's contagious.

By the day's end on Friday, U.S. Amateur qualifier Chris Steele caught the APA fever in the first round. A native from Charlotte, N.C., he has returned to the game of pool after an 8-year absence in the hopes of making a run at the nation's most prestigious amateur title.

It took a little encouragement from family, sponsor Ken's Billiards Bar and Grille and some excellent sharp shooting for Steele to make his way to Las Vegas. "It seemed much more intense to qualify than it has actually being here. Now that I've made it, we've all been having just a great time."

To help prepare for the tournament, Steele has been practicing days, nights, weekends and yes, vacations to improve his game. Steele jokingly admitted, "The goal is not to make a fool out of yourself, but just to do the best you can and have fun.

"One of the best parts of this game is the selection of different formats and the competition. Even if you win the lag or the coin toss, you really don't know what is expected of your player in either game of 8-Ball or 9-Ball formats. I think the players here this year are the most competitive the APA has seen in this tournament and it's exciting just to watch other qualifiers shoot to win.

"The APA brings all these people together who simply enjoy the sport of pool as much as I do and that's what I like best about the U.S. Amateur."