Ranking, Snooker Headlines

Last Chance in Players Championship Rankings Race

There is one more counting event before the final places are determined.

The race to the Players Championship is on its final lap, with next week’s Welsh Open offering competitors with a last chance to feature in the lucrative tournament.

The top 16 players on the one-year list will compete in the Players Championship at the end of February.

Ryan Day’s Snooker Shoot Out success saw him rise from 59th to tenth on the one-year standings, which are based on performances from this season’s ranking events.

The Welshman is now guaranteed a spot in the Players Championship field, thanks in large part to the £50,000 cheque he pocketed on Sunday night.

Judd Trump leads the race to the Players Championship with almost half a million pounds accumulated in ranking prize money since the start of this term.

The world number one has triumphed in four ranking events and reached an additional two finals.

Fellow event winners Neil Robertson, Mark Selby, and Kyren Wilson are also assured of their spots, alongside two-time tournament runners-up Jack Lisowski and Ronnie O’Sullivan.

Zhou Yuelong, Barry Hawkins, John Higgins, and Day complete the top ten and will definitely be involved in addition to Ding Junhui and Martin Gould.

Only an unusual set of results would deny 13th ranked Lu Ning, but Stuart Bingham, Jamie Jones, and Zhao Xintong have more work to do in order to safeguard their spots.

Bingham, in 14th, will probably be fine with a win or two at the Celtic Manor next week – depending on the outcome of the those among the chasing pack.

Jones and Zhao, however, boast only a narrow points advantage over the likes of Joe Perry, Anthony McGill, David Grace, and Shaun Murphy.

The latter, who is the reigning Welsh Open champion, is one of seven members of the official top 16 in the world rankings who currently looks set to miss out.

Masters champion Yan Bingtao, Mark Williams, Mark Allen, Stephen Maguire, David Gilbert, and McGill are the others.

However, with £70,000 on offer for the Welsh Open winner at the Celtic Manor next week, any participant in the entire 128-strong draw can still make a late leap into the qualifying positions.

The Players Championship will be followed by the Tour Championship in March, which boasts only the top eight on the one-year pecking order.

Current Race to the Players Championship Standings

1Judd Trump£450,500
2Neil Robertson£246,000
3Mark Selby£245,500
4Jack Lisowski£109,500
5Kyren Wilson£108,000
6Ronnie O’Sullivan£93,500
7Zhou Yuelong£76,000
8Barry Hawkins£73,000
9John Higgins£70,500
10Ryan Day£69,000
11Ding Junhui£62,500
12Martin Gould£62,000
13Lu Ning£59,500
14Stuart Bingham£53,000
15Jamie Jones£48,000
16Zhao Xintong£46,500
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
17Joe Perry£44,500
18Anthony McGill£44,000
19David Grace£42,000
20Shaun Murphy£41,500
21Tom Ford£41,000
22Hossein Vafaei£40,500
23Yan Bingtao£40,000
24Robert Milkins£37,500
Featured photo credit: WST

3 Comments

  1. Pingback: Last Chance in Players Championship Rankings Race | PK Sports News

  2. Pingback: Last Chance in Players Championship Rankings Race | Sports 365

  3. Pingback: Welsh Open Draw, Preview, and Where to Watch - SnookerHQ

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