The 2024 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters commences on August 30th with huge prize money available for the 144 participating players.
The field will be cueing up at Green Halls in Riyadh to compete in the sport’s newest ranking event.
Prize money for the inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters was announced by the World Snooker Tour earlier in August.
It includes a jackpot champion’s cheque which matches the winner’s reward at the World Snooker Championship.
What is the prize money for the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters?
The total prize pool of just over £2.3 million is bigger than any tournament other than the World Championship.
Of that, a whopping £500,000 slice will be awarded to the champion – the same amount that Kyren Wilson pocketed for triumphing at the Crucible Theatre in May.
All 144 players in the tournament will be participating at the venue, which is reflected in the fact that even first-round losers will be awarded prize money.
This goes against the norm for ranking events on the schedule.
Following the non-ranking World Masters of Snooker in March, it further reflects Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to help grow snooker in the region.
The new tournament in Riyadh, dubbed by WST as the “fourth major”, additionally includes a possible £50,000 bonus for a 147 maximum break.
The event will count towards a potential £147,000 bonus, which will be awarded to any player who makes two maximum breaks across four counting events.
Last season, the bonus was only in operation for snooker’s Triple Crown tournaments – the UK Championship, Masters and World Championship.
This dangling carrot has now been extended across the sport’s four majors, to include maximums made in the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.
2024 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters
Prize money breakdown:
Winner: £500,000
Runner-up: £200,000
Semi-finals: £100,000
Quarter-finals: £50,000
Last 16: £30,000
Last 32: £20,000
Last 48: £11,000
Last 80: £7,000
Last 112: £4,000
Last 144: £2,000
147 Break: £50,000
Total: £2,302,000
The massive total fund gives the entire snooker circuit a chance to earn significant prize money and ranking points early on in the season.
Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Allen, and Kyren Wilson will be among the betting favourites for glory in Saudi Arabia, with several of the best sportsbooks online offering sign-up bonuses.
What has the reaction from the players been?
While the move to compete in Saudi Arabia has proved controversial for some, most players have been openly pleased with the decision.
Lower-ranked players, in particular, will be hoping to take advantage of the financial boost while more established players will be seeking to avail of the massive riches on offer.
Australia’s 23-time ranking event winner Neil Robertson is one of those who is aiming to take full advantage.
“We need to break into new territories,” the 2010 world champion, who will look to regain his spot among the world’s top 16 this season, said.
“Saudi Arabia is investing in sport to help inspire its young population to get active and lead healthy lives and it’s great that snooker is now part of this strategy.”
“We are getting more tournaments, with more prize money, more ranking points and earning opportunities for all of the tour.
“The fact that all the players will be out in Saudi Arabia from round one is pretty exciting.
“I can’t think of too many tournaments where we have done that before.
“I’m looking forward to that and I’m sure they aren’t going to spare any expense making sure it is a great experience for everyone.”
What is the format?
The Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters will run from August 30th to September 7th in Green Halls in Riyadh, featuring 144 of the world’s top players.
It is part of a legacy commitment with the Ministry of Sport for Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Arabian Billiard & Snooker Federation, aiming to develop snooker and pool in the region over the next decade.
The draw will look very much like the ones adopted for the UK and World Championships, with the top 16 players from the world rankings seeded through to the last 32.
The remaining competitors will enter the fray in staggered rounds based on their ranking.
Matches will be the best of seven frames in the first three rounds, the best of nine in the following two, and the best of 11 thereafter until the best-of-19 frame final.
President of the Saudi Billiard and Snooker Federation Nasser Al-Shammari said: “We’re excited to partner with Matchroom and the WST to host the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters.”
“The prize fund reflects our commitment to help grow snooker in Saudi and throughout the Middle East, inspiring our young population to take up the sport.
“Hosting international events is just one element of our strategy, which also includes grass roots facilities, events and promotions.
“We look forward not just to an exciting event, but also the long-term impact it will have.”
The full draw for the 2024 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters is still to be announced.
Featured image credit: WST
Where can we watch it Here in the UK
It will likely be Eurosport / discovery+. But there has been no official announcement on global broadcasters for this event yet.
Sadly no current players in any sport are prepared to take a stance against sport’s alignment with this barbaric regime. The only dissenting sportspeople I’ve heard speak out is tennis legends Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert.