2017/18 Tour Qualification: Making 128 (ish)
Attention has been firmly on the battle for tour survival so far this week during the early rounds of the Betfred World Championship qualifiers, but just how will the tour be structured next season? How can players not currently on the tour earn their places?
Below I take a look at the current criteria and consider some of the names who have already secured main tour cards for next season…
Please note that the criteria below remains provisional and subject to change.
The Top 64 (64)
As will come as no surprise, the top 64 on the official two-year ranking list at the end of the season are set to automatically retain their main tour places for the 2017/18 season.
You can view the latest provisional end of season ranking list to see who those players would be as things stand.
Players qualifying via this route will receive a one-year tour card for 2017/18 only.
The ‘Second Years’ (33)
At the start of the current season, all players who either ‘gained or regained’ a tour card for 2016/17, who began outside of the top 64, were awarded two-year tour cards.
Those players will therefore begin their second year next season and you can see who they are at a glance, as their names are highlighted in green on the provisional end of season ranking list.
The Top Eight (One-Year Ranking list) (8)
In a departure from last season following the discontinuation of the European and Asian Tour events, for this season the top eight players on the one-year ranking list, not already inside of the top 64 of the two-year ranking list or on the first year of a two-year card, will earn a fresh tour card for the 2017/18 season.
Those eight players are:
- Akani Songsermsawad (37,500)
- Rhys Clark (32,425)
- Robin Hull (32,375)
- Rod Lawler (31,712)
- Ross Muir (31,000)
- Nigel Bond (29,500)
- Eden Sharav (27,525)
- Ian Burns (23,862)
This top eight remains subject to change pending the conclusion of the 2017 Betfred World Championship.
The eight qualifiers will receive a two-year tour card.
Q School (12)
As was the case last season, 12 players will earn a tour card via two Q School events to be staged in Preston at the end of this season.
Eight of these cards will be awarded to the semi-finalists of two events, with a further four to be awarded to players finishing in the top four of the Q School Ranking List, not already qualified.
These players will receive a two-year tour card.
EBSA Play-Offs (2)
The 2017 EBSA play-offs saw two players come through an eight man play-off event in April at Ponds Forge, Sheffield.
- Gerard Greene
- Peter Lines
Both players will receive a two-year tour card.
CBSA China Nominations (2)
Two players will receive main tour nominations from the CBSA China Tour.
- Li Yuan
- Niu Zhuang
These players will receive a two-year tour card.
International Nominations (9)
Assuming that the international nominations remain as they did last year, that leaves 9 places up for grabs as follows, on the basis that they all choose to accept their nominations.
IBSF:
- 2016 IBSF World Championship – Soheil Vahedi
- 2016 IBSF World Under-21 Champion – Xu Si
ACBS:
- 2017 Asian Champion – Lyu Haotian
- 2017 Asian U-21 Champion – Yuan Sijun
EBSA:
- 2017 European Champion – Chris Totten
- 2017 European U-21 Champion – Alexander Ursenbacher
Americas:
- No nomination – Hamza Akbar awarded tour card instead
Oceania:
- 2017 Oceania Champion – Matthew Bolton
Africa:
- One nomination – TBC
Any such nominations will receive a two-year tour card.
Further updates will be published here at WPBSA.com as additional players are confirmed.
