The Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters will be held for the first time in Riyadh later this month and will boast a top prize which matches the World Snooker Championship.
The 144-player event begins on 30 August and a champion will be crowned on 7 September, a champion who will walk away with £500,000 for their troubles.
The runner-up will pocket £200,000 and the semi-finalists £100,000, which are the same as the prizes won at the Crucible.
The overall prize fund is £2,302,000, which is marginally less than the £2,395,000 on offer at the most recent World Championship as there is less on offer in the earlier rounds, although first round losers to get £2,000.
All 144 players competing in the event will do so in Riyadh, with the early rounds played over a short best-of-seven format, building up to a best-of-19 final for the whopping top prize.
As this is a ranking event there will be no golden ball and possible 167 break as there was at the World Masters of Snooker in Riyadh last season and it will be fascinating to see how the brand new, mammoth tournament will go as the Saudis grow their influence on snooker.
Undoubtedly with so much cash and so many ranking points on offer, the players are thrilled about the opportunity to give their seasons, careers and lives a huge boost.
Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters prize money
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
A 147 bonus of £50,000 is on offer, but anyone making a max could have an even bigger prize on the horizon as the Saudi event now joins the Triple Crown in the maximum bonus of last season.
Anyone making two 147s over the four tournaments (Saudi, UK, Masters and World Championship) will earn £147,000.
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.’
Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters format
Round one: Seeds 81-112 v seeds 113-144 (August 30th)
Round two: Those 32 winners v seeds 49 -80 (August 31st)
Round three: Those 32 winners v seeds 17-48 (September 1st)
Round four: Those 32 winners play each other (September 2nd)
Round five: Those 16 winners v seeds 1-16 in the last 32 (September 3rd)
The draw is yet to be made for the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, with another big event coming beforehand in the shape of the Xi’an Grand Prix.
It’s another new tournament on the calendar this season and gets underway on Monday 19 August as the players scrap it out for the top prize of £177,000.
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