The World Masters of Snooker is a professional snooker non-ranking tournament held at the Global Theatre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Organised by the World Snooker Tour and part of the Riyadh Season festival in the entertainment district Boulevard City within Riyadh, the inaugural 2024 event was the first professional snooker tournament held in Saudi Arabia. The tournament introduced a special 20-point gold ball called the "Riyadh Season ball", which could only be potted after a player had completed a maximum break of 147 to extend the break to 167.
 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Global Theatre |
| Location | Boulevard City, Riyadh |
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
| Established | 2024 |
| Organisation(s) | World Snooker Tour |
| Format | Non-ranking event |
| Total prize fund | £785,000 |
| Winner's share | £250,000 |
| Recent edition | 2024 |
| Current champion |  Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) |
The event features a total prize fund of £785,000, with the winner receiving £250,000, the second highest top prize in professional snooker, tied with The Masters and after the World Championship. The 2024 event also had a $500,000 (about £395,000) prize for the first player to compile a 167 break, but it was not given as no players achieved the feat, and the prize was increased to $1,000,000 (about £785,000) for the 2025 event.[1]
The defending champion is Ronnie O'Sullivan, who defeated Luca Brecel 5–2 in the 2024 final, capturing his fifth professional title of the 2023–24 season.[1]
History
editIn December 2019, World Snooker Tour (WST) announced a 10-year deal with Saudi Arabia, including ranking tournaments that will be hosted in the country.[2] However, no snooker tournaments were held in Saudi Arabia in the next four years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] In January 2024, WST announced a new non-ranking tournament called the World Masters of Snooker, scheduled to take place from 4 to 6 March 2024 at the Boulevard Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.[4] It is the first professional snooker tournament to be held in Saudi Arabia, amid the country's growing investment in various sports.[5]
Format
edit| Colour | Value |
|---|---|
 Red |
1 point |
 Yellow |
2 points |
 Green |
3 points |
 Brown |
4 points |
 Blue |
5 points |
 Pink |
6 points |
 Black |
7 points |
 Riyadh Season ball |
20 points |
The matches were played under regular snooker rules, but the event introduced a new gold ball worth 20 points, called the "Riyadh Season ball". The gold ball was placed on the centre of the baulk cushion, in line with the brown, blue, pink, and black balls. It could only be potted after a player had completed a maximum break of 147, to extend the break to 167. It would be a four-point foul if the gold ball was potted earlier in the frame, or hit before the object ball. The gold ball stayed on the table as long as it was possible for either player to complete a maximum break, then it was removed from the table until the next frame.[6][7]
The 2024 event featured 12 players, including the top ten players on the snooker world rankings, with the reigning World Champion, Luca Brecel, seeded first, and the rest based on their rankings. It also featured two local wildcard players, Ali Alobaidli from Qatar and Omar Alajlani from Saudi Arabia.[7]
Controversies
editThe announcement of the event, hailed as a "huge breakthrough" by WST chairman, Steve Dawson, was met with criticism accusing Saudi Arabia of sportswashing.[8] Amnesty International criticised snooker's involvement in Saudi Arabia, amid its human rights abuses. Peter Frankental, Amnesty International UK's Economic Affairs director, said: "It was just a matter of time before Saudi Arabia's huge sportswashing machine sucked in snooker along with almost every other major world sport. If the likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan and Judd Trump play in Riyadh, they shouldn't hesitate to speak out about human rights." Some players have also criticised WST of overly focusing on events featuring the top players. Amateur player Steven Hallworth tweeted: "Was starting to lose sleep with worry that the top eight players might run out of events and cash soon, thank God for this."[9]
The introduction of the 20-point gold ball was criticised by The Independent journalist Luke Baker, who called it a "ludicrous gimmick" and "the sign of a desperate sport".[10] The Daily Telegraph chief sports writer Oliver Brown described the Saudi invention as "warping the very rules of the game for its own hubristic ends", calling it "frivolous, tasteless, wretched".[11]
Winners
edit| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Final score | Venue | City | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024[12] | Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG)
|
 Luca Brecel (BEL)
|
5–2 | Global Theatre | Boulevard City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
2023/24 |
| 2025 | 2024/25 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Rocket rules in Riyadh". World Snooker Tour. 6 March 2024. Archived from the original on 7 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
- ^ Hafez, Shamoon (8 December 2019). "Saudi Arabia to host World Snooker ranking event for first time". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Caulfield, David (18 January 2024). "World Masters of Snooker event in Saudi Arabia to feature gold ball". SnookerHQ. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ "Saudi event to feature 20-point golden ball with 167 break possible". BBC Sport. 19 January 2024. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ "First invitational event in Saudi announced". World Snooker Tour. 18 January 2024. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia to host new snooker event with added 20-point golden ball". Sky Sports. 19 January 2024. Archived from the original on 22 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Saudi Arabia set to welcome first pro snooker event with ground breaking 167 prize". World Snooker Tour. 29 February 2024. Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ Meredith, Sam (22 January 2024). "Saudi Arabia's lavish sports push will now embrace snooker — and introduce a new golden ball". CNBC. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ "A maximum break of 167? Saudi snooker plans unveil 20-point gold ball". The Guardian. 19 January 2024. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Baker, Luke (19 January 2024). "A golden ball and a 167 break: Saudi Arabia's mad snooker gimmick is a step too far". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Brown, Oliver (19 January 2024). "Saudi Arabia's gaudy recasting of snooker's 147 is its worst gimmick yet". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 22 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ "Riyadh Season World Masters (2024)". Snooker.org. Retrieved 14 May 2024.