The top 16 players on the one-year rankings list who will qualify for the Players Championship are now set in stone – with Mark Selby a notable absentee.
The reigning world champion and current world number one lost 5-4 to Yan Bingtao in the second round of the German Masters on Friday.
Selby earned £5,000 for his exploits in Germany, but his overall tally for the season falls £1,500 short of Barry Hawkins, who occupies the last spot in the race to Wolverhampton.
The Jester will have to rely on withdrawals in order to gain a place in the lucrative competition, which is based on earning from the 2021/22 snooker campaign.
Shaun Murphy, Stephen Maguire, and Anthony McGill were other notable names who couldn’t force their way into the lineup for what will be the second leg of this term’s Cazoo Series.
The Players Championship draw will be made based on the rankings with the top seed taking on the 16th in the first round, and so on.
Players Championship Top 16
| 1 | Zhao Xintong | £291,000 |
| 2 | Luca Brecel | £183,000 |
| 3 | Ronnie O’Sullivan | £175,000 |
| 4 | Mark Williams | £145,000 |
| 5 | Mark Allen | £139,500 |
| 6 | Neil Robertson | £118,000 |
| 7 | John Higgins | £114,000 |
| 8 | David Gilbert | £95,500 |
| 9 | Yan Bingtao | £93,000 |
| 10 | Hossein Vafaei | £91,500 |
| 11 | Kyren Wilson | £75,000 |
| 12 | Ricky Walden | £78,000 |
| 13 | Gary Wilson | £72,000 |
| 14 | Judd Trump | £68,000 |
| 15 | Jimmy Robertson | £62,500 |
| 16 | Barry Hawkins | £59,500 |
Featured photo credit: WST
So we’re currently on course for a Trump/O’Sullivan first round clash. It has been a little while since they last met.