Tour Survival 2021: Four To Go
Following the conclusion of the Cazoo Players Championship this weekend, there will be just four remaining events to be completed before the end of the season as the battle for ‘Tour Survival’ reaches its climax.
Earlier this month we took our first look at this season’s standings and so following the completion of the recent Welsh Open and this week’s action in Milton Keynes (with the lower affected players already out at the time of writing), we take a look at the updated tables.
For a full reminder of how the players currently on tour can retain their places for 2021/22, check out our previous article for the full explanation.
Top 64
In the race to finish the season ranked inside of the world’s top 64 on the official ranking list, there were important first round wins at the Welsh Open for Jimmy Robertson (61st) and Nigel Bond (62nd), who consolidated their positions just inside of the tour’s top half.
Of course the big mover, however, was Northern Ireland’s Jordan Brown (36th), who leapt up the list following his victory at the Celtic Manor. Although not himself in the Tour Survival battle, being on the first year of his current two-year card, his rise remains relevant nonetheless as he pushes Ian Burns (65th) outside of the top 64 as things stand.
One-Year List
The top eight players on the one-year ranking list, not already inside of the top 64 of the two-year list, will earn a fresh two-year tour card from the start of next season. The current standings are set out below, with position changes since the start of the Welsh Open marked:
- Jamie O’Neill (£23,000) +2
- Xu Si (£21,000) -1
- Chang Bingyu (£20,000) -1
- Sam Craigie (£19,500) +3
- Andy Hicks (£19,500) -1
- Chris Wakelin (£17,000) -1
- Luo Honghao (£17,000) -1
- Jackson Page / Igor Figueiredo (£16,000) – Page would take 8th on countback
In terms of movement, both Jamie O’Neill and Sam Craigie were the biggest winners at the Welsh Open as their opening round victories helped the pair to move further up the one-year list.
Outside of the current top eight, Jimmy White closed to within £2,000 of a potential tour card via the one-year list, while Gerard Greene and David Lilley were among those further behind to close the gap.
Next Stop
While four events remain this season, for almost all of these players it will of course only be three, with the Cazoo Tour Championship reserved for just the eight leading players on the one-year list.
The next competition will be the Gibraltar Open which is due to run from 1-7 March as the players jockey for position in the run up to the decisive World Championship in April.bond
