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ADVANTAGES OF AN ORDER OF MERIT RANKING SYSTEM

Postby Witz78

The money based Order of Merit ranking system is due to kick into operation during the 2014-15 season.

For those still unsure or ill advised as to the merits of this system, allow me to allay your fears and point out some of the advantages.


- Eliminates the farcial current scenario where winning your opening game is worth more than any win and critical to maintaining your ranking.


- No reward for seeds / first round losers creates a level playing field.


- Simple equation for all is win and you get paid.


- Tournament winners rewarded properly for their achievment rather than consistency and first round 1 winners being protected and over allocated points as is present.


- Prize money increases will occur by sponsors keen to boost the profile and status of their events and also in a bid to attact the bigger names into playing.


- The larger events such as the Worlds and UK will now be truly Majors again with their significance impacting on the rankings properly represented.


- Easier to understand a money system than a rankings points list for your average punter in the street.


- Players can now pick and choose and plan their calendar / events they play in, as they please.


- More reward and significance for winning bigger matches and matches deeper into a tournament.


- Opportunties for younger players and lower ranked players to earn more money in PTCs etc if the more established players choose to focus on the bigger events

Re: ADVANTAGES OF AN ORDER OF MERIT RANKING SYSTEM

Postby JIMO96

I echo all of the above, the sooner this is implemented the better. This system, however, will only be 100% fair if all players start from the same round; hence Hearns wishes to have all tournaments have a flat 128 draw by 2014-15. There are still some minor points that Hearn hasn't really answered yet, such as:

- if the cash rankings are to be calculated starting from next season (to run in parallel with the current ranking system), do first round losers still gain any points? E.g will a top 16 player losing in the last 32 at the Crucible still get 12,000 points?

- new players to the tour from 2014-15 onwards....will there be some kind of "starter point" allocation (hope not....hope starter points are consigned to history)? The likes of Jamie Jones, Jack Lisowski and Anthony McGill all had helping hands into the top 64 in their first season due to starter allocations......so this won't happen any more?

- the Welsh & German opens next season are both structured so that the top 32 come in at the last 64; does this mean they will both go straight to a flat 128 draw when the tour expands to 128 the following season?

- the International Championship commences with the same structure as the tiered ranking events we're used to; so does the Wuxi Classic and the Australian Open; as relatively new events, I would have thought Hearn would be falling over himself to make these flat 128 as well?

- one thing concerns me: Hearn said in his recent announcement that "the fairest tournaments" will be the first to see ranking point tariff increases and prize money increases. (i) why did he feel the need to separate the 2, seeing as from now on prize money=ranking points? and (ii) there was something bitter in his tone, as if he was saying that the BBC or other broadcasters are taking a helluva lot of convincing to accept the new structure.....so maybe cash OOM/Flat 128 are not as imminent as I hope

Re: ADVANTAGES OF AN ORDER OF MERIT RANKING SYSTEM

Postby PLtheRef

How does this solve the problem of players higher up the rankings, entering later getting more money than someone who may win two matches to reach the last 48 and then lose.

Re: ADVANTAGES OF AN ORDER OF MERIT RANKING SYSTEM

Postby Skullman

PLtheRef wrote:How does this solve the problem of players higher up the rankings, entering later getting more money than someone who may win two matches to reach the last 48 and then lose.


I think it's meant to work in conjunction with the flat 128 draw system Hearn is trying to implement. I think both the money based OOM and the current rankings will run simultaneously, with the money list only provisional, until the flat 128 draw is implemented. After this it'll only be the money list.

Re: ADVANTAGES OF AN ORDER OF MERIT RANKING SYSTEM

Postby Wildey

- Opportunties for younger players and lower ranked players to earn more money in PTCs etc if the more established players choose to focus on the bigger events


That is a Advantage IF PTC Can maintain itself without Top Players playing in them.

PTC Events cant start Throwing 100K at Events just to Persuade top Players to play in them like you said will happen...

Re: ADVANTAGES OF AN ORDER OF MERIT RANKING SYSTEM

Postby Witz78

Wild WC wrote:
- Opportunties for younger players and lower ranked players to earn more money in PTCs etc if the more established players choose to focus on the bigger events


That is a Advantage IF PTC Can maintain itself without Top Players playing in them.

PTC Events cant start Throwing 100K at Events just to Persuade top Players to play in them like you said will happen...


yeh, the way i see it now and i think most fans will agree, is partly down to the streaming showcasing us all these players on tour rather than us only ever seeing the same old "elite" faces at venues, that there is now an interest in ALL players on the tour, and the lack of a few so called big names wont really detract from the interest levels in PTCs.