Race to the Masters 2023: UK Preview
The Cazoo UK Championship is the final chance for players to win prize money ahead of the crucial seeding cut-off to determine places at January’s Cazoo Masters.
As in previous seasons, the world’s top 16 players after the UK Championship will qualify to play at snooker’s biggest invitational event which will run from 8-15 January 2023 at the Alexandra Palace, London.
The counting period for the tournament includes all prize money earned at ranking events from the 2020 Scottish Open up to and including the 2022 UK Championship.
The latest Race to the Masters standings, already taking into account the prize money still to be removed from the official world rankings from the 2020 UK Championship won by Neil Robertson, shows the live standings and the true picture of how each player is looking ahead of this year’s UK tournament.
It is already known that Robertson will be the top seed at the Masters as defending champion, with reigning world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan to be drawn in the opposite half as the number two seed.
State of Play
With the winner of the UK Championship set to scoop a record £250,000 in York, the race to qualify for the Masters is wide-open with every player mathematically able to qualify.
Upon closer analysis, however, it can be seen that the top 13 ranked players are already guaranteed to be in the draw, with Jack Lisowski assured of finishing no lower than 16th regardless of what happens at the UK Championship.
The first player not yet completely sure of their place is 2020 champion Stuart Bingham, although a single victory for the 46-year-old in the last 32 would be enough to confirm his place. If he were to lose, three of the following outcomes would have to occur for him to miss out:
- Yan Bingtao to reach the semi-finals (would pass Bingham on countback)
- Ryan Day, David Gilbert, Ricky Walden, Anthony McGill or Hossein Vafaei to reach the final
- Any of the next 51 players wins the title
Another recent Masters champion is also in some danger with China’s Yan Bingtao currently occupying 15th position heading to York. A last 32 defeat for the 2021 winner, combined with two of the following scenarios would see him miss out:
- Ryan Day to reach the last 16
- David Gilbert, Ricky Walden, Anthony McGill or Hossein Vafaei to reach the semi-finals
- Ali Carter, Jordan Brown, Jimmy Robertson, Matthew Selt, Zhou Yuelong, Stephen Maguire or Robert Milkins to reach the final
- Any of the remaining players win the title
Sitting just £500 behind Yan on the latest provisional list, the position is almost identical for recent British Open champion Ryan Day, who would miss out on a first appearance at the Masters since 2019 if he were to fall at the last 32 stage and any one of the following were to happen:
- David Gilbert, Ricky Walden, Anthony McGill or Hossein Vafaei to reach the semi-finals
- Ali Carter, Jordan Brown, Jimmy Robertson, Matthew Selt, Zhou Yuelong, Stephen Maguire or Robert Milkins to reach the final
- Any of the remaining players win the title
Of course, if Day were to progress at least one round further than Yan, this would significantly boost his chances as a further two players would need to overtake him, as opposed to just the one as he sits in 16th position on the list.
Regular updates on the latest standings will be published here at wpbsa.com during the course of the UK Championship as the final 16 are set…
