One of Ronnie O’Sullivan greatest wishes granted as snooker announces ‘fourth major’ in Saudi Arabia

The World Snooker Tour has unveiled a new Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters tournament with a staggering £2 million prize pool up for grabs. It’s being hailed as the ‘fourth major’ in snooker, joining the ranks of the World Championship, Masters, and UK Championship, thanks to a recently finalized 10-year agreement.

Following the prior announcement of the Riyadh Season World Masters invitation event set for next month, which features a unique twist with a golden ball on the table worth 20 points, the upcoming Masters event is set to be inclusive of the entire tour roster along with six local wildcard entrants. Scheduled to take place in Riyadh from August 31 to September 7, this event promises to bring together top talent and local contenders for an exhilarating showcase of skill and strategy on the snooker table.

With only the World Championship boasting a larger prize fund, this event marks yet another substantial investment in the sport, signaling snooker’s growing presence in the Middle East. Ronnie O’Sullivan, a likely participant, has voiced his support for expanding snooker tournaments in Saudi Arabia, citing the nation’s influence and the trend of various sports aligning with it. “Listen, the Saudis can do what they like – they’re a powerful outfit,” he previously said. “I think it’ll be good, it’d be great to get out there and play, every other sport seems to be doing stuff in Saudi so it’d be great to get out there.”

“It’s completely different. They’re trying something different, and hopefully all the players can get behind that. I think every player wants to be the first to do something, so it’ll be a great achievement if I can do it.”

Eddie Hearn has brought boxing to the Middle East and believes that snooker can embark on an exciting chapter through the new tournament in Saudi Arabia. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has forged a reputation for growth and creating new opportunities for sports to grow in a new market to new fans,” the Matchroom Sport chairman said.