Later this year, Ronnie O’Sullivan will compete in the inaugural Riyadh Season World of Snooker in Saudi Arabia, where there is a potential for a 167 break.
After upsetting opponent Alistair Carter 7–10 in the championship match, O’Sullivan just captured The Masters for the eighth time in his career.
After winning his opening two games in Leicester this week, the Masters champion is still ruling the World Grand Prix scene.
The 48-year-old is well known for selectively choosing the competitions he participates in throughout the year, frequently giving priority to important events, thus his choice to play in Saudi Arabia has drawn criticism.
March will see the inaugural invitational World of Snooker visit the country, including O’Sullivan with players like Judd Trump and Luca Brecel.
With the addition of a 23rd ball to the table, there will be one notable variation from the way snooker is currently played in all of the games.
The “Riyadh Season ball,” which will be gold in colour, will be the name of the brand-new ball that will be tested for the first time in Saudi Arabia.
The new golden ball will have a point value of 20, but players can only pot it after clearing every other ball off the table.
O’Sullivan and the other players will undoubtedly have more motivation to be the first to complete the 167 break even though some may find the new rule a little gimmicky.
“It is a great privilege for the World Snooker Tour to work in partnership with HE Advisor Turki Alalshikh to stage an event in Saudi Arabia for the first time,” stated Steve Dawson, chairman of the WSF.
“We see this as the start of a new adventure for our sport in the region, and it is a huge breakthrough for snooker into a new territory.”
