Riyadh Season Snooker Championship returns with new $1,000,000 gold ball bonus prize

World Snooker Tour
The second edition of the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship - previously known as the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker - is set to take place later this year between December 18-20 in Boulevard City, and will carry a $1million bonus prize for a golden 167 maximum break.

This lucrative invitational will feature the top 10 from the world rankings following the completion of the UK Championship. It is understood that two wildcards will also be invited to make a 12-player field, and that the winner of the event will again pocket £250,000.

The inaugural staging of this unique competition was held in March earlier this year, and was the first professional snooker tournament to be played in Saudi Arabia.

Ronnie O’Sullivan defeated then reigning World Champion Luca Brecel 5-2 in the final to trouser the top prize. On his way to the title, O’Sullivan also eliminated John Higgins and Judd Trump, and compiled six century breaks in the 13 frames he won.

As well as the huge prize fund that the maiden World Masters of Snooker carried, the event also created headlines due to its use of a gold ball that was situated touching the baulk cushion at the start of the frame. This additional ball had a value of 20 points, although could only be potted at the end of a maximum 147 break, therefore meaning a 167 could be made.

There was a $500,000 bonus prize for the first person to construct an historic ‘golden maximum’, but this kitty was never claimed, with Higgins going the closest before missing the yellow whilst on an effort of 120.

During the trophies presentation after the final, H.E. Turki Alalshikh - the Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority - stated that the purse for a golden maximum at the second edition of the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker would be doubled to $1,000,000. And today, following World Snooker Tour's announcement on its website, Alalshikh has stated that the event will return.

Alalshikh said: “We are looking forward to hosting the next Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, after the great success of our first event earlier this year. The interest in snooker is only getting bigger in Saudi Arabia. The fans love to have the best players around the world here and we are excited to have them return in December.” The December event will be the third professional snooker tournament to be hosted by Saudi Arabia this calendar year.

At the start of September, Judd Trump dramatically ousted Mark Williams on the final black in the deciding frame of the inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters final to win the first ranking event ever held in the Kingdom and scoop the £500,000 top prize. This prize money amount was the same that Kyren Wilson collected a few months earlier for winning the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre.

Saudi Arabia has made a big splash in the snooker world this year with a long-term commitment to growing the sport within the country. The Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters has a ten-year contract (2024 was the first year) and the Ronnie O'Sullivan Snooker Academy opened last week, with the seven-time World Champion in attendance to officially launch it.

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