Race to the Masters 2024 | UK Preview
The MrQ UK Championship represents the final chance for players to win prize money ahead of the crucial seeding cut-off to determine places at January’s Masters.
As in previous seasons, the world’s top 16 players after the UK Championship will qualify to play at snooker’s premier invitational event which will run from 7-14 January 2024 at the Alexandra Palace, London.
The counting period for qualification includes all prize money earned at ranking events from the 2021 Scottish Open up to and including the 2023 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 2021 UK Championship, shows the live standings and the true picture of how each player is looking ahead of snooker’s return to York.
It has already been confirmed that Judd Trump will be the top seed in London as defending champion, with reigning world champion Luca Brecel to be drawn in the opposite half as the second seed.
Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Allen, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy and Mark Williams currently occupy the remaining top eight seeded places in the draw.
State of Play
With the winner of this season’s first Triple Crown Series event set to earn a bumper first prize of £250,000 in York, every player as far down as 74th placed David Lilley can mathematically qualify for the Masters by winning the title.
Prior to the first ball being struck at the UK Championship, the top 11 players are already sure of their places, with a significant gap of £69,000 from John Higgins to 12th placed Jack Lisowski.
It is therefore Lisowski who would be the first player at risk, with £32,000 separating him and 17th placed Ding Junhui as the first chaser currently outside of the top 16. If Lisowski were to lose his opening match in York, five of the following scenarios would have to unfold for him to miss out on the Masters:
- Zhang Anda, Robert Milkins or Barry Hawkins reach the last 16
- Tom Ford reaches the quarter-finals
- Ding Junhui or Ryan Day reaches the semi-finals
- Hossein Vafaei or Gary Wilson reaches the final
- Any of the next 45 players wins the title
Next up in 13th place is snooker’s latest world ranking event winner Zhang Anda, who leapt into the top 16 for the first time in his career following his breakthrough week at the International Championship. He will qualify for his Masters debut, unless he were to lose his opening match at the UK and four of the following were to happen:
- Robert Milkins or Barry Hawkins reach the last 16
- Tom Ford reaches the quarter-finals
- Ding Junhui or Ryan Day reaches the semi-finals
- Hossein Vafaei, Gary Wilson or Anthony McGill reaches the final
- Any of the next 44 players wins the title
Two-time ranking event winner Robert Milkins remains on course to qualify for what would be a third appearance at the Masters, with three outcomes required to deny him:
- Barry Hawkins reach the last 16
- Tom Ford or Ding Junhui reaches the quarter-finals
- Ryan Day or Hossein Vafaei reaches the semi-finals
- Gary Wilson, Anthony McGill or Chris Wakelin reaches the final
- Any of the next 44 players wins the title
The penultimate player to be considered is two-time Masters finalist Barry Hawkins, who stands in 15th place heading into the UK Championship. A last 32 exit, combined with two of the following would be enough to knock him out of contention:
- Tom Ford or Ding Junhui (countback) reaches the quarter-finals
- Ryan Day or Hossein Vafaei reaches the semi-finals
- Gary Wilson, Anthony McGill or Chris Wakelin reaches the final
- Any of the next 45 players wins the title
Currently ‘on the bubble’ in 16th position is Tom Ford, who is a two-time UK Championship semi-finalist and will be looking to earn a Masters debut in January. A last 32 defeat in York, together with one of the following scenarios would see him miss out:
- Ding Junhui reaches the last 32
- Ryan Day reaches the quarter-finals
- Hossein Vafaei reaches the semi-finals
- Gary Wilson, Anthony McGill, Chris Wakelin or Stuart Bingham reaches the final
- Any of the next 51 players wins the title
For those outside of the top 16, these requirements also represent their minimum targets if they are to move into contention, though they will of course need to first qualify for the venue stages, with the preliminary rounds due to begin this Saturday..
Regular updates on the latest standings will be published here at wpbsa.com during the final stages of the UK Championship.
