The Q Tour Global Playoffs took place this week in Turkiye with Liam Highfield, Steven Hallworth, and Florian Nuessle emerging with professional cards on the World Snooker Tour.
A total of 24 competitors from the Q Tour amateur circuit travelled to Antalya in the hope of achieving their professional status.
Highfield and Hallworth both regained their membership within the elite of the game, while Nuessle advances to the pro ranks for the first time in his career.
Highfield had been on the main tour between 2010 and 2024, reaching a career-high ranking of number 39 in the world rankings.
The Stoke potter made two ranking event quarter-final appearances during his first stint.
The 34 year-old, who triumphed at Event 7 during this season’s Q Tour calendar, beat Habib Subah Humood 5-1 in the opening round of the Q Tour Global Playoffs.
Highfield then overcame fellow Englishman Harvey Chandley with a 6-2 scoreline before thrashing Iulian Boiko at the final hurdle.
Hallworth, meanwhile, will take a third crack at the professional scene after enjoying a previous stint between 2014 and 2016, and again between 2020 and 2022.
The 29 year-old, a Shoot Out semi-finalist two years ago when competing as an amateur top-up in the event, edged Luo Honghao in the first round of the Playoffs.
Hallworth backed that up with a 6-1 defeat of Ryan Davies before orchestrating a 10-5 victory against Mark Joyce.
The latter had produced a 147 break during his penultimate-round win over Dylan Emery, but it was Hallworth who scored heavily on the final day.
Austria’s Nuessle joined them to finally fulfil his dream of becoming a professional snooker player for the first time.
The 23 year-old had already suffered several near misses, including finishing runner-up at the European Under-18 Championship in 2018 and again at the European Under-21 Championship four years later.
That same year in 2022, Nuessle triumphed at the IBSF World Under-21 Championship, but by then tour cards were not being handed out for winners of IBSF-sanctioned events.
In the Q Tour Global Playoffs, he made sure that this opportunity would not slip through his fingers – becoming the first player from Austria to receive a pro card.
Nuessle beat Joshua Thomond and Ehsan Heydari Nezhad in the opening stages before hammering Andres Petrov 10-3 in the final round.
All three players will receive two-year cards to participate on the World Snooker Tour during the upcoming 2025/26 and 2026/27 seasons.
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In 2024, total prize money on the main tour exceeded £20 million with several events on the main tour benefiting from the sponsorship of brands like these casinos.
“I feel happy and relieved,” Florian Nuessle told the WPBSA. “I am happy for my family.”
“They have supported me all the way and it wouldn’t be possible without them, but the biggest part was proving it to myself because I am my harshest critic.”
“I think I held myself together well and did the right things at the right moments which hasn’t always been the case in the past.
“(The near-misses) were definitely on my mind – I’ve heard all the stories of players not being able to get over the line and you don’t want that kind of feeling to be carried around with you for too long because it gets heavier and heavier.”
“I hope this will help to elevate Austrian snooker. I have had many experiences on the tour already and I think I can go on and, not only stay on tour, but do some damage and hopefully win titles.”
Highfield, Hallworth, and Nuessle join Zhao Xintong, who had already safeguarded his promotion through finishing in first place on the 2024/25 Q Tour rankings.
The Chinese star, making a comeback from his 18-month ban from the sport, won four events during the regular Q Tour season.
All four players will additionally have the opportunity to compete at the upcoming World Snooker Championship qualifying competition.
2025 Q Tour Global Playoffs
Tour Card 1
Quarter-Finals
Dylan Emery 5-2 Ali Gharahgozlou
Mark Joyce 5-2 Connor Benzey
Steven Hallworth 5-3 Luo Honghao
Ryan Davies 5-4 Kuldesh Johal
Semi-Finals
Mark Joyce 6-2 Dylan Emery
Steven Hallworth 6-1 Ryan Davies
Final
Steven Hallworth 10-5 Mark Joyce
Tour Card 2
Quarter-Finals
Liam Highfield 5-1 Habib Subah Humood
Harvey Chandler 5-0 Dhiones Moraes Arent
Iulian Boiko 5-2 Alex Crenshaw
Vinnie Calabrese 5-1 Craig Steadman
Semi-Finals
Liam Highfield 6-2 Harvey Chandler
Iulian Boiko 6-5 Vinnie Calabrese
Final
Liam Highfield 10-3 Iulian Boiko
Tour Card 3
Quarter-Finals
Ehsan Heydari Nezhad 5-1 Ryan Thomerson
Florian Nuessle 5-3 Joshua Thomond
Oliver Sykes 5-1 Sean O’Sullivan
Andres Petrov 5-2 Vito Puopolo
Semi-Finals
Florian Nuessle 6-3 Ehsan Heydari Nezhad
Andres Petrov 6-3 Oliver Sykes
Final
Florian Nuessle 10-3 Andres Petrov
Featured photo credit: WST
Highfield’s ranking event quarter-finals were in the Shootout and the Indian Open. He’s also reached the last 16 of more prestigious events in the UK Championship and the Welsh Open. Has played three times at the Crucible without winning a match. The Stoke man has compiled 107 career centuries.
Nuessle has previously won the Vienna Open pro-am event.
Hallworth has yet to advance beyond the third round of an event other than the Shootout.