Ronnie O’Sullivan can be hoping to financial institution £790,000 ($1million) for making a most break of 167 on the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, however the Rocket may very well be denied the prize
Ronnie O’Sullivan might doubtlessly miss out on a whopping £790,000 ($1million) earlier than the snooker icon even will get an opportunity to play on the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship.
The hefty prize is up for grabs for the primary participant to realize a most break of 167. Final yr, the profitable Saudi snooker event launched a brand new ‘golden ball’ value 20 factors, pushing the standard most break rating from 147 to 167.
The primary participant to pot the utmost break final yr pocketed roughly £393k ($500k). This yr, the prize cash has been doubled after nobody managed to perform this feat within the competitors’s inaugural version final yr.John Higgins got here closest, potting 15 reds and 15 breaks, however he missed a particularly difficult yellow. Nonetheless, as a result of occasion’s scheduling, all of O’Sullivan’s rivals may have the chance to finish the utmost break earlier than he even takes half within the event.
The Rocket is slated to play his first match final, with gamers like Ding Junhui, Luca Brecel, Shaun Murphy, Kyren Wilson, Judd Trump and Mark Selby all scheduled to play earlier than O’Sullivan, reviews the Specific.
The 49-year-old’s first match is ready for Thursday, in opposition to the winner of Murphy’s match in opposition to both Ding or native star Abdulraouf Sayegh. There’s an opportunity that the utmost break may already be scored by the point followers get to see O’Sullivan play for the primary time.Sayegh has secured one of many two Saudi wildcard spots to affix the elite group of the world’s high 10 snooker gamers within the non-ranking occasion, the place the victor stands to pocket a cool £250,000. The reward for sinking a most break on this event is even heftier than the £500k Wilson bagged for his World Snooker Championship triumph earlier this yr.O’Sullivan has been fine-tuning his calendar because the yr winds down, opting out of the Scottish Open only a day earlier than his scheduled match in opposition to Xing Zihao. The seven-time world champion discovered himself on the again foot after being ousted by Barry Hawkins in his opening bout on the UK Championship.
O’Sullivan, who’s by no means shy about his affections, just lately gushed over China to the World Snooker Tour, saying: “I all the time inform folks it’s a must to come to China. For me, it is the best place on Earth.”He continued to sing praises of the nation, urging: “I’d simply advocate anyone to simply come to China. It blows me away. Each metropolis I come to in China… it is such as you’re in one other world. It is the very best place on the earth. There isn’t a different place like China. Each metropolis simply has one thing wonderful about it and Nanjing has numerous historical past.”
