October 22nd 2024.
Last season, Mark Allen emerged victorious in the Players Championship, defeating Zhang Anda in a thrilling match. And now, as the new season approaches, players are in for a pleasant surprise as the prize money for the tournament has been increased by a whopping 30 percent. This news comes hot on the heels of the significant boost in prize fund for the World Grand Prix.
The World Snooker Tour announced last week that the prestigious World Grand Prix will be moving to Hong Kong in March 2025. The event will be held in the state-of-the-art Grand Hall, Kai Tak Arena, which has a seating capacity of over 4,000. The new location has not only added a touch of grandeur to the already illustrious tournament, but it has also led to a staggering 84 percent increase in the overall prize fund. This means that the total prize money for the World Grand Prix has now reached a staggering £700,000, with the winner taking home a handsome sum of £180,000, a significant increase from last season's £100,000.
But that's not all. The upcoming season also features two other exciting events - the Players Championship and the Tour Championship. The Players Championship will feature the top 16 players on the one-year ranking list, while the Tour Championship will have the top 12 players battling it out for the title. Traditionally, the prize fund for these events has increased as the field gets smaller, but the dramatic increase in the World Grand Prix has changed the dynamics.
In a recent announcement, the World Snooker Tour revealed that the Players Championship will now have a prize fund of £500,000, up from £385,000. This also means that the winner will take home £150,000, a significant increase from last season's £125,000. The Tour Championship, on the other hand, will have the same prize fund as last season - £500,000. It was Mark Williams who claimed the title and the top prize of £150,000 in the previous edition.
The changes in prize money may have altered the structure of the tournament series, but the players are not complaining. The increase in cash prizes across all three events is a huge incentive for them to perform at their best. World Snooker Tour's CEO, Simon Brownell, expressed his excitement about the upcoming season and the growth of the sport globally. He also mentioned the tour's ambitious goal of reaching a total prize money of £19 million, which would be a 35 percent increase from last season.
The race to qualify for the World Grand Prix is expected to be fierce, with players vying for a spot in the top 32 on the one-year list. The deadline to secure a place in the tournament is the World Open in China, giving players plenty of opportunities to improve their rankings. And as if that wasn't enough, the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship has been added to the calendar for this season. The invitational event will feature the top 10 players in the world rankings following the UK Championship and is set to take place in Saudi Arabia from 18-20 December. This event was previously known as the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker and was won by the legendary Ronnie O'Sullivan, who made history by scoring a maximum break of 167 with the help of the controversial golden ball.
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