2023/24 World Snooker Tour Qualification Announced

highlights:

asia-pacific q school returns offering four places.
europe q school drops down to just eight places, from twelve last year. will make it extra competitive.
cbsa tour to get three spots. had been two previously, but last year was only one - so possibly just a deferred spot in effect

https://wst.tv/2023-24-world-snooker-tour-cards/

Full qualification list:

Top 68 from the two-year Prize Money World Rankings after the 2023 World Championship: 68
Updated from 64 due to match fixing investigation

Players awarded a two-year Tour card for the 2022/2023 season (not already qualified): 35*
Updated from 36 as 斯佳辉 (Sī Jiāhuī) has entered the top 64 at end of his first year

Top 4 players from 2022/2023 one-year ranking list following the 2023 World Championship (not already qualified)** 4
Daniel Wells (34) WAL, previous pro 2008-10,2011-2014,2015-2021
Jimmy White (60) ENG, previous pro 1980-2023
Ian Burns (38) ENG, previous pro 2012-2023
Hammad Miah (29) ENG, previous pro 2013-2015,2016-2020,2021-2023

Q School UK/Europe**: 8
Andrew Higginson (45) ENG, previous pro 1996-1999,2000-2004,2006-2022
Alexander Ursenbacher (27) CHE, previous pro 2013-2015,2017-2023
Andrew Pagett (41) WAL, previous pro 2008-2009,2010-2012,2013-2015,2021-2023
Liam Pullen (17) ENG, debut as pro
Alfie Burden (46) ENG, previous pro 1994-2008,2010-2020,2021-2023
Stuart Carrington (32) ENG, previous pro 2011-2012,2013-2023
Louis Heathcote (25) ENG, previous pro 2019-2023
Dean Young (21) SCO, previous pro 2021-2023

Q School Asia-Oceania**: 4
涂振龙 ('Rory' Thor Chuan Leong) (35) MYS, previous pro 2014-20
Manasawin Phetmalaikul (24) THA, debut as pro
Ishpreet Singh Chadha, IND, debut as pro
He Guoqiang CHN, debut as pro

WPBSA Q Tour**: 2
Martin O'Donnell (36) ENG, previous pro 2012-14, 2015-22
Ashley Carty (27) ENG, previous pro 2018-22

WSF Championship**: 1
马海龙 (Mǎ hǎilóng) (19) CHN, debut as pro

WSF Under-18 Junior Championship**: 1
Stan Moody (16) ENG, debut as pro

World Women’s Snooker Qualifiers**: 2
ใบพัด ศรีราชา (Baipat Sriracha) (23) THA, debut as pro
Reanne Evans (37) ENG, previous pro 2010-11, 2021-2023

EBSA European Qualifiers**: 2
Ross Muir (27) SCO, previous pro 2013-19
Liam Graham (17) SCO, debut as pro

APBSF Asia Pacific Qualifier**: 1
刘宏宇 (Liú Hóngyǔ) (19) CHN, debut as pro

PABSA Americas Qualifier**: 1
Ahmed Aly Elsayed (43) USA, debut as pro

ABSC Africas Qualifier**: 1
Mostafa Dorgham (27) EGY, debut as pro[/colour]

CBSA China Tour**: 3
[color=#0241C0]江俊 (Jiāng Jùn) CHN, debut as pro
龙泽煌 (Lóng Zéhuáng) CHN, debut as pro
邢子豪 (Xíng Ziháo) CHN, debut as pro

Invitational
傅家俊 (Marco Fu) (45) HKG, Previous pro 1998-2023

TOTAL: 134 [including four provisionally suspended]

*Final total subject to change if any of these players finish inside of the top 64 of the two-year prize money rankings after the 2023 World Championship

**Players will receive a two-year tour card

In addition to these minimum guaranteed places, there may be additional Invitational Tour Cards and/or places for any player who qualifies for the final stages of the Cazoo World Championship at the Crucible, who otherwise would not earn a new tour card. Q School numbers may also be reviewed subject to tour numbers at the season end.

also jimmy white.

really stripping back on Q School places.

Rather more of them then people that don't ever show up.

130 players on the tour again. (plus Invitational cards)

After a season with 122 players and a bench of amateurs playing Murphy, 2 years with over 130.

The_Abbott wrote:really stripping back on Q School places.

Rather more of them then people that don't ever show up.

That phenomena may well be consigned to history.

They've all turned up this season and I suspect that the £20000 guarantee has proved the gamechanger with the Home Office - how many of the non-British players would have been denied visas without it?

WST/WPBSA could have achieved that same result by paying first round losers, a solution that would paradoxically have better rewarded players for positive performances, but probably chose not to as it would be a more expensive option.

First confirmed tour card goes to Martin O'Donnell (36) ENG. Previous years as pro 2012-14, 2015-22

O’Donnell. How exciting.

Aly Elsayed from USA was confirmed back in November:

https://wst.tv/american-aly-elsayed-set-for-world-snooker-tour/

SnookerEd25 wrote:O’Donnell. How exciting.

The MOD jokes will be back at least.

fridge46 wrote:Aly Elsayed from USA was confirmed back in November:

https://wst.tv/american-aly-elsayed-set-for-world-snooker-tour/

you are quite correct. muchas gracias.

stan moody claims the wsf junior spot.

https://wpbsa.com/stan-is-the-man-in-sydney/

Ma Hailong of China wins the WSF Open and secures a tour card.

https://snookerhq.com/2023/02/11/ma-hai ... mpionship/

We can add Baipat Siripaporn and Ashley Carty to this slowly growing list

And we can now add Liam Graham to the list

well done liam. always good to have more weegies on tour.

ross muir also joining the party as euro champ.

Dates have been announced for two regional championships, for each of which WST award a two-year tour card to the winner.

Asia-Pacific final on 1st May in Auckland, New Zealand.

African championship in June in Casablanca, Morocco.

And two tournaments in Beijing from April 10-14. They will award 3 tour cards. I don't think any of the World Championship participants will be able to play in it.

Welcome to the tour, Jiang Jun!

SteveJJ wrote:Welcome to the tour, Jiang Jun!

A 17-year old 'unnatural' left-hander. Very composed and mature for his age.

Welcome to the tour to Long Zehuang And Xing Zihao!

daniel well also confirmed as being promoted via the one year list.

xu si, jimmy white, and mark joyce have been relegated but immediately return with new two year cards via the same route.

Welcome to the tour to Hong Yu Liu, winner of the Asia Pacific event.

remaining key dates:

the second wws slot will be determined at the british women's open 13-14th may.

leicester q school then is 26th may to 6th june.

bangkok q school runs 1st-14th june.

finally the all africa champs are 11th-21st june.

will marco fu get another wildcard?

I can see Fu getting a card because his first year Hong Kong still had Co-vid issues. There is an available invitational card with Jimmy not requiring one this year!

Aren't wildcards traditionally announced during the World Championship?

Marco Fu will surely be given one if he wants one?

Two possible reasons I can imagine that WST are holding back from naming wildcards.

First, WST may decide to have five women on tour next season.

Second, WST are duty-bound to give wildcards to any of the provisionally suspended players in the event that they are cleared by the independent tribunal.

some updates as result of the pending match fixing cases. the top 68 on the two year list on completion of the wsc will now retain their existing cards.

mark davis will extend his remarkable run as a pro for at least one more year. xu si and mark joyce had been top four on the one year list, but will now start next season with their current ranking, but also at risk come seasons end. lu ning is currently suspended and in the seemingly unlikely event he is exonerated or has only a short suspension will be free to resume his career.

ian burns and hammad miah move up on the one year list to replace joyce and xu si; and are awarded new two year cards.

source: https://wst.tv/tour-survivors-extended-to-up-to-68/

Marco Fu gets another invitational 2 year card

Reanne Evans loses the final of the British Open but does enough to requalify for the pro tour

so 134 tour cards next season - with 5 players currently suspended

snoopy2608 wrote:so 134 tour cards next season - with 5 players currently suspended

Yes, the 5 suspended players will not return, and the Africa Championship hasn't happened yet. Stephen Hendry might not be avaliable for every event. So WST will probably get away with it.