Snooker’s most lucrative tournament outside of the World Championship will get under way today with a line-up that includes Ronnie O’Sullivan and world number one Judd Trump.
The inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, which takes place in Riyadh over the next nine days , features a prize pot of £2.3m, just £95,000 less than World Championship.
The new tournament’s total purse makes it the second-most lucrative tournament in snooker, and it has already been branded the “fourth major” – behind the World Championship, the Masters and the UK Championship – by some in the sport.
The star-studded line-up of players, which in total features 114 players – 127 of which are tour players – will be vying for the £500,000 top prize as well as world ranking points.
The competition is the latest disruptive move that Saudi Arabia has made into the world of snooker, and another sign of the close ties that Matchroom, the Barry Hearn-owned sports production company that is the dominant force in the sport, has forged with the nation.
In March, the country hosted the first staging of the World Masters Snooker in Riyadh, featuring the controversial inclusion of a “Golden Ball”, which, if a player potted it, would have earned them a payout of $500,000 (£390,000).
The special ball would have been made available to cueists when they made a maximum 147 break. In the end no-one generated the opportunity to pot the novel ball, prompting Saudi sports chief to announce the bonus from 2024’s tournament would rollover to next year’s tournament.
The Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, which is being ring-led by the Saudi Ministry of Sport, will be part of the snooker circuit for at least the next decade.
Seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, said: “It’s fantastic that the World Snooker Tour is bringing a new major championship to Saudi Arabia.
“As players, we’re excited to come here and play, but more importantly, it’s great for the sport and brilliant for the fans in this part of the world.”
The tournament will be aired on Discovery Plus.