Next week's BetVictor Welsh Open (February 12-18) in Llandudno is the final counting event in the race to qualify for the Players Championship, which will run from February 19 to 25 in Telford.
Judd Trump extended his lead at the top of the one-year rankings by winning the BetVictor German Masters on Sunday night, beating Si Jiahui 10-5 in the final. Trump has now earned £526,000 from ranking events alone this season.
Only the top 16 on the list will go through to Telford for the second event in the 2024 Players Series. Si earned £35,000 as runner-up and he jumps from 33rd to 18th with £76,500 to boost his hopes. Kyren Wilson reached the semi-finals and he climbs from 35th to 28th, while Sam Craigie made it to the last four of a ranking event for the first time in his career and he's up from 53rd to 33rd. However, anyone in the chasing pack will need a deep run in Llandudno to climb into the top 16.
Currently in 16th place, with £87,000 is Chris Wakelin, and he won his BetVictor Welsh Open qualifying match so he is guaranteed at least an extra £3,000. Lyu Haotian has £87,000 but failed to qualify for Llandudno so he's out of the race. Si is £10,500 behind Wakelin so must reach at least the semi-finals in Wales to stand a chance.
The following players (notably including Shaun Murphy who won the Players Championship last season) must reach the final in Llandudno (worth £35,000) to have a chance of a place in Telford: Matthew Selt, Cao Yupeng, Xiao Guodong, Jack Lisowski, David Gilbert, Shaun Murphy, Yuan Sijun, Jordan Brown, Ricky Walden, Wu Yize and Kyren Wilson. With a top prize of £80,000 on offer, most other players in the field in Wales could jump into the top 16 by taking the title.
BetVictor Welsh Open prize money
Winner: £80,000
Runner-up: £35,000
Semi-finals: £17,500
Quarter-finals: £11,000
Last 16: £7,500
Last 32: £4,500
Last 64: £3,000
High break: £5,000
Total: £427,000
On the official two-year list, Trump remains second but gains ground on top spot, now £103,500 behind Ronnie O’Sullivan. Si climbs from 29th to 24th while Craigie is up from 50th to 47th.
It was a lucrative week for Trump as he also secured the £150,000 bonus for finishing top of the BetVictor Series rankings. The series covers eight events, concluding with the BetVictor Welsh Open, but Trump is too far ahead to be caught.
The race to qualify for the new Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker has two more counting events: the BetVictor Welsh Open and Players Championship. The top eight on the official two-year list will earn a place in Saudi Arabia. The likes of Ding Junhui, Kyren Wilson and Ali Carter are just outside the top eight but still have time to make up ground.
And there are just four more counting events in the Race to the Crucible. Robert Milkins remains in 16th place, with Barry Hawkins leading the chasing pack.
Tickets for all of these tournaments are on sale now – for details click here.