The world ranking tournament runs from September 18 to 26 at the SECC in Glasgow and is set to feature the sport’s top stars, including Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby, Scottish legend Stephen Hendry and Betfred.com World Champion Neil Robertson.
The pioneering format includes:
- Scope for 32 amateur players to join the 96 professionals in the qualifying phase. These amateurs will include junior, international and women players, as well as winners from tournaments staged at Rileys and other independent snooker clubs. Matches involving some of the top players will be held over to the venue.
- A completely random FA Cup – style draw for all rounds, raising the possibility of top seeds going head-to-head early in the tournament.
- The action promises to be fast and furious, with all matches best-of-five frames, up until the final which will be best-of-nine.
World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “We wanted to come up with something really special to replace the Grand Prix event, and we believe we’ve done just that with the World Open.
“It will be fascinating to see how the best amateurs fare against the professionals. We could get a rags-to-riches story of an unknown player getting to the business end or giving one of the top stars a shock. The random draw has worked well in the past and the best-of-five matches will provide virtually non-stop action for the fans.
“I’d recommend anyone who loves snooker to get their tickets booked straight away because THIS EVENT CANNOT BE MISSED! The tournaments we’ve staged in Glasgow in recent years have been well supported but we want to see a full house this time! I can’t wait to see all the fans cheering their heroes on.”
Secure your seats by calling 0844 395 4000 or visiting www.ticketsoup.com. You can find more details on the format at www.worldsnooker.com/tickets
The World Open receives equal funding and support from EventScotland and Glasgow City Marketing Bureau.
Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer at EventScotland, the national events agency, said: “Snooker generates hours of valuable broadcast exposure for the city of Glasgow and is watched by millions of people around the world. We’re delighted to be hosting this new and exciting tournament in Scotland and we’re confident that it will attract impressive spectator numbers from across the UK. The new format of this event also means that amateurs will be given the opportunity to play against and alongside legends in the world of snooker which will ensure exciting clashes and fierce competition for spectators and viewers.”
Scott Taylor, Chief Executive, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said: “Having just been officially ranked as a key player in the world league of Ultimate Sports Cities, and having scooped the top award for its sports event marketing, Glasgow is the perfect host city for the new format, newly-named World Open.
“Glasgow City Marketing Bureau is proud to continue its support of the event, which is set to bring around 4,000 fans to the SECC, as well as around £335,000 to Scotland’s economy and almost £1million worth of TV exposure.”
The qualifying phase will run from August 21 to 24 at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield. The competitions run by Rileys and other clubs will be completed by July 31 – details on how to enter will be available soon at www. worldsnooker.com
