Trending News: Shaun Murphy Questions Ronnie O’Sullivan Interest in the Saudi League and his withdrawal from the Welsh Open
Shaun Murphy has weighed in on the recent revelation regarding the upcoming addition to the snooker circuit with the introduction of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters slated for this summer in Riyadh. This prestigious event is set to feature a staggering prize pool exceeding £2 million, placing it as the second-most lucrative tournament behind the esteemed World Snooker Championship.
In stark contrast to the exclusive nature of the previously announced Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker, the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters will offer an inclusive platform, welcoming all 128 players from the main tour to vie for the coveted title. Additionally, the tournament will extend invitations to six local talents from the Saudi Arabian Billiard & Snooker Federation, enriching the global spectacle with regional flair.
Shaun Murphy, in conversation with his co-host Phil Seymour on their acclaimed OneFourSeven Snooker Podcast, disclosed insights about the genesis of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. He revealed that rumors surrounding this event circulated prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. According to Murphy, World Snooker Tour Chairman Barry Hearn had either secured or was on the brink of finalizing a similar agreement before the outbreak disrupted plans.
Despite the setbacks caused by the pandemic, efforts have been made to revive and finalize the deal, resulting in the establishment of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. Murphy acknowledged that while some players expressed concerns about the proliferation of invitation-only events favoring top-ranked players, the inclusive nature of this tournament offers an opportunity for a broader spectrum of players to compete on the grand stage.
“They had enough, and to some degree I understand that. But the art of selling into new territories has always been done by taking an invitation event – that’s very normal.
“Usually, that does lead to full-field ranking events. It’s great to see that formula has been tried and used again out in Saudi.
“I think it’s the last week of August into the first week of September next season.
“It will be fantastic for everyone, a fantastic opportunity for players to see a new territory, go and play snooker in front of a new audience, and hopefully make a load of money.”
According to the WST, this would rank the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, which has been signed to a ten-year deal, alongside the prestigious Triple Crown events on the calendar.
While the Magician understands the importance of the bigger prize funds, he doesn’t believe that’s the only thing that can be considered.
“I think in this argument, you can agree you can’t buy history. You can’t buy that,” Shaun Murphy continued.
“One of the things that makes the majors – the Triple Crown events or whatever you want to call them – so special is the history.”
“It’s the historical element of them. You go on YouTube and look back at vintage footage of the Crucible, the World Champs, the Masters, the UK Championship, you can’t buy that. You can’t fake that.
“When you as a player, when you walk down those steps at the Crucible onto the same playing arena that all of those great moments happened – where Alex [Higgins] cried for his baby to be brought on, where Cliff [Thorburn] made the first maximum, where Steve [Davis] and Dennis [Taylor] went on til twenty past midnight or whenever it was – you are aware of the historic element.
“You are aware it happened in that room. You can’t buy that, it’s not for sale. I think you can buy prestige. They’re not the same.
“If you ask a player if they’d rather win the World Championship or the new Saudi event, they’re going to say the World Championship.
“Would you rather walk into the final at the Crucible? That still wins, because it has history.
“But the prestige does come from the prize money, I think those two things are linked. Not all the snooker players on the tour are custodians of the sport.
Meanwhile, Murphy again defended Ronnie O’Sullivan after the world number one’s latest withdrawal from this week’s Welsh Open.
The Rocket cited “stage fright” as the reason he pulled out of a tournament for the eighth time this term.
One element of the news that immediately proved controversial with fans was with the intention to classify the new tournament as the sport’s “fourth major”.
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