Tour Championship (snooker)

Last updated

Tour Championship
Tour Championship snooker logo.png
Tournament information
Venue Manchester Central
Location Manchester
CountryEngland
Established 2019
Organisation(s) World Snooker Tour
Format Ranking event
Total prize fund£500,000
Recent edition 2024
Current championFlag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Mark Williams  (WAL)

The Tour Championship is a professional snooker tournament first held in 2019. The event features the twelve (previously eight) highest ranked players on the one-year ranking list, which reflects prize money won at ranking events since the beginning of the season. The Tour Championship is the third and final tournament in the Players Series, following the World Grand Prix and the Players Championship. The event features a prize fund of £380,000, with the winner receiving £150,000. The tournament is broadcast by ITV Sport in the United Kingdom and Eurosport across the rest of Europe. The reigning champion is Mark Williams, who won the 2024 Tour Championship with a 10–5 win over Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final.

Contents

History

Stephen Maguire, Ronnie O'Sullivan, and Michaela Tabb at German Masters Snooker Final (DerHexer) 2012-02-05 05 cropped.jpg
Venue Cymru (geograph 2150040).jpg
Ronnie O'Sullivan won the inaugural 2019 event, which was played at Venue Cymru in Llandudno, Wales.

The tournament was announced in April 2018, and was scheduled to be played for the first time in March 2019. [1] The event was organised as the third and final event to make up the Coral Cup (now Players Series), tournaments sponsored by bookmakers Coral which use the rankings exclusively from the season prior. [1] The tournaments in the Cup featured declining player entries, with the first event, the World Grand Prix having 32 participants, and the Players Championship 16. [1] The Tour Championship is the tournament with the lowest number of entries of any tournament on the calendar, with just eight participants. [2] The tournament is broadcast by ITV4 in the United Kingdom, Eurosport across Europe. [3] [4] The event also airs on Sky Sport in New Zealand, NowTV in Hong Kong, and Superstars Online in China. [3]

The first edition of the tournament was played in 2019 at Venue Cymru in Llandudno, Wales after the Players Championship was moved from Llandudno to Preston in 2019. [5] The 2019 Tour Championship was the first event since the 2010 UK Championship (and other than the World Snooker Championship) in which every match was played over multiple sessions , with two in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, and three sessions in the final. [6] The best-of-25-frames final, held on 23 and 24 March, was the first non-World Championship match of this length or longer since the 1992 UK Championship final. [7] The 2019 final was played between Ronnie O'Sullivan and Neil Robertson, who had also met in the Players Championship final two weeks prior. [8] O'Sullivan lead 5–3 after the first session and later won the match and the tournament 13–11. [9] The win also gave O'Sullivan the Coral Cup for the 2018–19 season. [10]

The 2020 Tour Championship was moved in both date and location due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Matches were also shortened with all matches being either best-of-17 or best-of-19 frame matches. [11] It was originally organised to be played from 17 to 22 March 2020 but on the morning of the first day, it was postponed. [12] [13] On 5 June 2020, the tournament was rescheduled to be held between 20 and 26 June 2020 and moved to a different venue, the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, England. [14] Due to the pandemic, Ding Junhui was unable to participate, and was replaced by Stephen Maguire. [15] Maguire reached the final, where he defeated Mark Allen 10–6 in the final, to win his first ranking title since the 2013 Welsh Open. [16]

The 2021 event was also held with no live audience but was held at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales with all matches as the best-of-19 frames. [17] Defending champion Maguire did not qualify for the event, having not scored enough ranking points during the season. [18] The final was between the two players who contested the 2019 event, Robertson and O'Sullivan. [19] Robertson won the event with a 10–4 win in the final. [20] [21] O'Sullivan commented he could not compete with Robertson's performance, saying "I've never seen anyone play as well as that." [22]

The tournament, along with the other tournaments in the Players Series, was sponsored by Duelbits in 2023. [23] Johnstone's Paint sponsored the 2024 event. [24]

Winners

YearWinnerRunner-upFinal scoreVenueCitySeason
2019 [25] Flag of England.svg  Ronnie O'Sullivan  (ENG)Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Neil Robertson  (AUS)13–11 Venue Cymru Llandudno, Wales 2018/19
2020 [26] Flag of Scotland.svg  Stephen Maguire  (SCO)Ulster Banner.svg  Mark Allen  (NIR)10–6 Marshall Arena Milton Keynes, England 2019/20
2021 [27] Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Neil Robertson  (AUS)Flag of England.svg  Ronnie O'Sullivan  (ENG)10–4 Celtic Manor Resort Newport, Wales 2020/21
2022 [28] Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Neil Robertson  (AUS)Flag of Scotland.svg  John Higgins  (SCO)10–9 Venue Cymru Llandudno, Wales 2021/22
2023 [29] Flag of England.svg  Shaun Murphy  (ENG)Flag of England.svg  Kyren Wilson  (ENG)10–7 Bonus Arena Hull, England 2022/23
2024 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Mark Williams  (WAL)Flag of England.svg  Ronnie O'Sullivan  (ENG)10–5 Manchester Central Manchester, England 2023/24

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UK Championship</span> Snooker tournament

The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is one of snooker's prestigious Triple Crown events, along with the World Championship and the Masters. It is usually held at the Barbican Centre, York. Ronnie O'Sullivan has won the tournament a record eight times, followed by Steve Davis with six titles and Stephen Hendry with five. O'Sullivan is the reigning champion, winning his eighth title in 2023.

The Welsh Open is a professional ranking snooker tournament that has been held annually since 1992. It replaced the Welsh Professional Championship, which ran annually from 1980 to 1991 and was open only to Welsh players. The Welsh Open is now the longest running ranking event after the World Championship and the UK Championship. Since the 2016–17 season, it has been one of four tournaments in the Home Nations Series, alongside the Northern Ireland Open, the Scottish Open, and the English Open. Since 2017, the winner of the event has received the Ray Reardon Trophy, named after the Welsh six-time world champion. Reardon himself presented the newly named trophy to 2017 winner Stuart Bingham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Hawkins</span> English professional snooker player

Barry Hawkins is an English professional snooker player from Ditton, Kent. He turned professional in 1996, but only rose to prominence in the 2004–05 snooker season, when he reached the last 16 of the 2004 UK Championship, the quarter-finals of the 2004 British Open and the semi-finals of the 2005 Welsh Open. He has now spent twelve successive seasons ranked inside the top 32. Hawkins reached his first ranking final and won his first ranking title at the 2012 Australian Goldfields Open.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Robertson</span> Australian professional snooker player

Neil Robertson is an Australian professional snooker player, who is a former world champion and former world number one. To date, he is the most successful player from outside the United Kingdom, and the only non-UK born to have completed snooker's Triple Crown, having won the World Championship in 2010, the Masters in 2012 and 2022, and the UK Championship in 2013, 2015 and 2020. He has claimed a career total of 23 ranking titles, having won at least one professional tournament every year between 2006 and 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judd Trump</span> English snooker player (born 1989)

Judd Trump is an English professional snooker player who is a former world champion and former world number one. Widely regarded as one of the sport's most talented players, he is currently tied for fourth place on the list of all-time ranking event winners with 28 ranking titles. He has also won four Triple Crown titles.

The 2012 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 21 April to 7 May 2012 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It was the 36th consecutive year that the World Snooker Championship had been held at the Crucible and the last ranking event of the 2011–12 snooker season. The event was broadcast in the United Kingdom by the BBC, and in Europe by Eurosport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 World Snooker Championship</span> Snooker tournament, held 2013

The 2013 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 20 April to 6 May 2013 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. It was the 37th consecutive year the Crucible had hosted the World Snooker Championship; the 2013 event was the last ranking tournament of the 2012–13 snooker season. Sports betting company Betfair sponsored the event for the first time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Cahill (snooker player)</span> British snooker player

James Cahill is an English professional snooker player from Blackpool. Cahill first turned professional in 2013, aged 17, after winning the European Under 21 Championships, but returned to amateur status in 2017.

The 2014 UK Championship was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 25 November and 7 December 2014 at the Barbican Centre in York, England. It was the fifth ranking event of the 2014/2015 season.

The 2018 World Snooker Championship was a professional snooker tournament held from 21 April to 7 May 2018 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. Hosted by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, it was the 20th and final ranking event of the 2017–18 snooker season and the 42nd consecutive time the World Snooker Championship had been held at the venue. The tournament was broadcast by BBC Sport and Eurosport in Europe, and sponsored by betting company Betfred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 UK Championship</span> First Triple Crown event of 2018/2019 snooker season

The 2018 UK Championship was a professional ranking snooker tournament, that took place from 27 November to 9 December 2018. It was the ninth ranking tournament and the first Triple Crown event of the 2018/2019 season. The event was broadcast on BBC Sport and Eurosport in the United Kingdom.

The 2019 Players Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 4–10 March 2019 in Preston, Lancashire, England. It was the sixteenth ranking event of the 2018/2019 season and a part of the newly created Coral Cup.

The 2019 Tour Championship was a professional snooker ranking tournament that took place from 19 to 24 March 2019 at Venue Cymru in Llandudno, Wales. Organised by World Snooker, it was the first edition of the Tour Championship and the third and final event of the inaugural Coral Cup. It was the eighteenth ranking event of the 2018–19 snooker season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019–20 snooker season</span> Series of snooker tournaments

The 2019–20 snooker season was a series of professional snooker tournaments played between 9 May 2019 and 22 August 2020. In total, 47 events were held during the season: however, the ending of the season was highly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 18 world ranking tournaments were planned to take place, but only 17 were played. An event was held in Austria, the first time in any snooker season, while the 2020 China Open was cancelled. The Tour Championship and the World Snooker Championship were postponed, and the Gibraltar Open played with no audience. The season contained 128 professional tour players, 35 of which had been given new two-year places on the tour from a combination of invitations and qualifying events.

The 2019 Shanghai Masters was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place at the Regal International East Asia Hotel in Shanghai, China from 9 to 15 September 2019. It was the 12th edition of the Shanghai Masters, which was first held in 2007. Ronnie O'Sullivan was the defending champion, having defeated Barry Hawkins 11–9 in the 2018 final, and also having won the tournament in 2017. O'Sullivan successfully defended his title for a second consecutive year, defeating Shaun Murphy 11–9 in the final. This was the third consecutive title for O'Sullivan in this tournament.

The 2020 World Grand Prix was a professional snooker tournament which took place from 3 to 9 February 2020 in the Centaur at Cheltenham Racecourse in Cheltenham, England. It was the eleventh ranking event of the 2019–20 snooker season, and the first of three Coral Cup tournaments. The 2020 edition of the World Grand Prix was sponsored by the betting company Coral. The event had 32 participants, with players qualifying by virtue of their ranking points during the 2019–20 season. It had a prize fund of £380,000, with £100,000 going to the winner.

The 2020 Players Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 24 February to 1 March 2020 at the Southport Theatre and Convention Centre in Southport, England. It was the 14th ranking event of the 2019–20 snooker season and the second leg of the Coral Series. The tenth edition of the Players Championship, first held in 2011, the event was sponsored by sports betting company Coral, and broadcast on ITV4 in the United Kingdom, and Eurosport across Europe. The event featured 16 participants chosen from players who were the highest earners from the prior 13 ranking tournaments.

The Players Series is a bonus competition for players who have earned the most money in a series of professional snooker tournaments. The series involves three events: the World Grand Prix, Players Championship and Tour Championship. It was established in 2019.

The 2020 Tour Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 20 to 26 June 2020, at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, England. Organised by the World Snooker Tour, it was the second edition of the Tour Championship and the third and final event of the second season of the Coral Cup. It was the 16th and penultimate ranking event of the 2019–20 snooker season following the Gibraltar Open and preceding the World Championship. The tournament was originally scheduled for 17 to 22 March 2020, but on the morning of 17 March the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following advice from the UK government, it had been decided that no spectators would be permitted at the event.

The 2021 Tour Championship was a professional snooker tournament that took place from 22 to 28 March 2021 at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales. Organised by the World Snooker Tour, it was the third edition of the Tour Championship and the third and final event of the third season of the Cazoo Cup. It was the 14th and penultimate ranking event of the 2020–21 snooker season, following the conclusion of the WST Pro Series and preceding the World Championship.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Coral To Sponsor New Snooker Series - World Snooker". World Snooker. 21 November 2018. Archived from the original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  2. ↑ "Tour Championship Added To ITV's Series Of Snooker Events". World Snooker. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Tournament Broadcasters 2018–19". worldsnooker.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 25 September 2018. Archived from the original on 10 January 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  4. ↑ "ITV extends World Snooker Tour deal to 2022". Sport On The Box. 18 January 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  5. ↑ "Coral Tour Championship". World Snooker. 21 May 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  6. ↑ Caulfield, David (18 March 2019). "Tour Championship Draw and Preview". SnookerHQ. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  7. ↑ "Coral Tour Championship". worldsnooker.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Archived from the original on 1 February 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  8. ↑ "Neil Robertson to face Ronnie O'Sullivan after beating Mark Allen". BBC Sport . 22 March 2019. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  9. ↑ "O'Sullivan Claims Record Equalling Title". worldsnooker.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 24 March 2019. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  10. ↑ Kane, Desmond (24 March 2019). "Snooker news – Ronnie O'Sullivan makes astonishing return to world no 1 with Tour Championship win". Eurosport UK. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  11. ↑ "Coral Tour Championship Draw And Format". World Snooker. 12 June 2020. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  12. ↑ Kane, Desmond (17 March 2020). "How will coronavirus crisis affect Tour Championship?". Eurosport UK. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  13. ↑ "Coral Tour Championship Postponed". World Snooker. 17 March 2020. Archived from the original on 26 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  14. ↑ "Coral Tour Championship To Run In June On ITV4". World Snooker. 5 June 2020. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  15. ↑ "Ding Junhui pulls out of Tour Championship as 'safety precaution'". BBC Sport. 11 June 2020. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  16. ↑ "Magnificent Maguire Ends Title Drought - World Snooker". World Snooker. 26 June 2020. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2021. 2013 Welsh Open
  17. ↑ "Cazoo Tour Championship snooker: Draw, schedule and results for ranking event". Sporting Life. UK. Archived from the original on 22 March 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  18. ↑ "Cazoo Tour Championship Draw And Format". World Snooker. 21 March 2021. Archived from the original on 22 March 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  19. ↑ "Tour Championship snooker 2021 – Ronnie O'Sullivan and Neil Robertson all square in final". Eurosport UK. 28 March 2021. Archived from the original on 29 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  20. ↑ "Robertson beats O'Sullivan to win title". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 29 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  21. ↑ Snowball, Ben (28 March 2021). "Tour Championship snooker 2021: 'Like he was playing pool' – Ronnie O'Sullivan lauds Neil Robertson". Eurosport UK. Archived from the original on 29 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  22. ↑ "Tour Championship snooker 2021: 'Like he was playing pool' – Ronnie O'Sullivan lauds Neil Robertson". Eurosport UK. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  23. ↑ "Duelbits Joins Forces With WST". World Snooker. 16 January 2023. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  24. ↑ "A colourful future!". 10 February 2024. Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  25. ↑ "O'Sullivan Claims Record Equalling Title". World Snooker. 24 March 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  26. ↑ "Magnificent Maguire Ends Title Drought". World Snooker. 26 June 2020. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  27. ↑ "Relentless Robertson Storms To Tour Title". World Snooker Tour. 28 March 2021. Archived from the original on 28 March 2021.
  28. ↑ "Epic Robertson Fightback Stuns Higgins". World Snooker Tour. 4 April 2022. Archived from the original on 3 April 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  29. ↑ "Tour Triumph For Magnificent Murphy". World Snooker Tour. 2 April 2023. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.