Champion of Champions 2017 – Yushan Update
There are just three qualifying events remaining for this year’s Champion of Champions after Ding Junhui became the latest player to confirm his place following his victory at the World Open last weekend in Yushan.
China’s number one player was already in line to return to the Ricoh Arena this November following his victory at the World Cup alongside Liang Wenbo earlier this summer, but due to the position of that event in the qualifying criteria could still have missed out had other results gone against him at upcoming tournaments. With the World Open up in 12th position on the qualifying list however, Ding is now certain of his place at the £300,000 event.
As in previous seasons, qualification for the event will be determined by the winners of professional tournaments dating back to John Higgins’ victory in 2016, events having been ordered in a specific line of priority.
Players currently qualified are set out below, numbered by qualification priority, not seeding:
1. 2016 Champion of Champions – John Higgins (1)
2. 2016 UK Championship – Mark Selby (2)
3. 2017 Masters – Ronnie O’Sullivan (3)
4. 2017 World Championship – Mark Selby
5. 2017 German Masters – Anthony Hamilton (4)
6. 2017 World Grand Prix – Barry Hawkins (5)
7. 2017 Championship League Snooker – John Higgins
8. 2017 Players Championship – Judd Trump (6)
9. 2017 China Open – Mark Selby
10. 2017 China Championship – Luca Brecel (7)
11. 2017 Indian Open – John Higgins
12. 2017 World Open – Ding Junhui (8)
13. 2017 European Masters (Oct) – tbc
14. 2017 International Championship (Nov) – tbc
15. 2016 Northern Irish Open – Mark King (9)
16. 2016 Scottish Open – Marco Fu (10)
17. 2017 Welsh Open – Stuart Bingham (11)
18. 2017 English Open (Oct) – tbc
19. 2017 Gibraltar Open – Shaun Murphy (12)
20. 2017 World Championship runner-up – John Higgins
21. 2017 Riga Masters – Ryan Day (13)
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22. 2017 Paul Hunter Classic (Aug) – Michael White (14)
23. 2017 World Cup – Ding Junhui
24. 2017 World Cup – Liang Wenbo (15)
25. 2017 Shoot Out – Anthony McGill (16)
26. 2017 Hong Kong Masters – Neil Robertson (17)
27. 2017 Six Red World Championship – Mark Williams (18)
Who is safe?
With Ding Junhui now certain of his place at the Ricoh, there are just three remaining opportunities at the European Masters, English Open and International Championship for those players still not qualified to earn their places at one of snooker’s biggest invitational events.
Scotland’s Anthony McGill remains ‘on the bubble’ as the player who would miss out should one of those events be won by a player such as Neil Robertson, Mark Allen or Kyren Wilson, who are not already qualified for Coventry. Liang Wenbo and Michael White too are not yet sure of their places, although it would take multiple ‘new’ winners now for them to be displaced.
Next up, on Monday the World Snooker Tour heads to Belgium for this year’s European Masters with the winner again guaranteed a place at the Champion of Champions.
