The Riyadh Season Snooker Championship has a golden ball value $1m and snooker’s greatest stars have given their opinions on what they’d do with their winnings
Snooker’s greatest names have shared their wildly totally different plans for spending the whopping £792,000 ($1million) prize cash up for grabs at this week’s Riyadh Season Snooker Championship. The Saudi Arabia-based match is heating up with the semi-finals happening at present (December 20), leaving solely 4 contenders within the working for the eye-watering money bonus. The golden ball, providing an excellent larger reward than when the match was final held in March, has made a comeback. The Championship, beforehand often known as World Masters of Snooker, was gained by Ronnie O’Sullivan earlier this yr, who pocketed a cool £250,000. The addition of the gold ball, which provides rivals a lavish incentive, has solely added to the monetary enchantment.
The coveted ball is value 20 factors and may solely be potted after a 147 has been made, making a 167 accessible to gamers. The ball stays on the highest cushion all through a body so long as a participant can nonetheless full the utmost break, and is eliminated as soon as the chance has handed.
John Higgins got here near bagging the ball final yr however fell quick. Nonetheless, whereas final time a hefty $500,000 was up for grabs for a 167, this time the prize has been doubled to a staggering $1m for the primary participant to realize it.
There have been vastly differing opinions from snooker’s eliter on what they’d splash out on if they’d a cool $1m to spend. O’Sullivan claimed: “I could not spend 1,000,000 {dollars}.” He then stated he’d purchase a college.
In the meantime, Mark Selby replied: “I’d in all probability purchase myself one other tremendous automobile, in all probability a Ferrari.” Mark Williams put the remaining to disgrace by claiming he’d hand over the whole thing to his spouse.
Shaun Murphy stated: “Nicely, I feel if you’ll find one for $1m then it will be a 1964 Aston Martin DB 5 – the one automobile to purchase.” For Luca Brecel, it will be a home in Majorca.
Mark Allen’ introduced that he would drop “a few hundred grand on an AP watch”, whereas Judd Trump declared he would create and run his personal match with the prize cash and make up his personal snooker guidelines to “see the way it goes”.
Zhang Anda merely stated he would’ve purchased a “massive home” ought to he have taken his probability to win the pot. O’Sullivan is without doubt one of the 4 nonetheless in with a shout of successful the mega cash.
After successful again in March, the 49-year-old stated that he was aiming for the golden ball this time round. “I am going to get the golden ball subsequent yr. I did not wish to take it unexpectedly,” he stated.
“I am going to take the match this yr after which the golden ball subsequent yr. It will be nice.” Right now’s order of play sees O’Sullivan going through Allen after he dispatched Ding Junhui. Williams takes on Brecel within the different semi-final. Williams beat Judd Trump to land his semi-final spot, whereas Brecel booked his place with a victory over Kyren Wilson.