Ronnie O’Sullivan wins in Saudi Arabia as Ballon d’Or prize doubles to $1 million
RONNIE O’SULLIVAN has collected more than £1million in prize money this season after winning the inaugural World Masters of Snooker in Saudi Arabia.
The Rocket shone with two centuries as he defeated reigning world champion Luca Brecel 5-2 in the final, before next year’s controversial Gold Ball prize was DOUBLED TO $1 million.
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It represents his 79th professional title and for his efforts he received a check for £250,000 from Saudi paymasters.
This money goes along with the two separate £250,000 checks he received for winning the UK Championship and the Masters – plus £210,000 for lifting the Shanghai Masters at the start of the 2023-2024 season.
No one has made more money in a single snooker season, but to be honest, few players have ever played the sport as brilliantly as O’Sullivan.
The world number 1 was in great form as he defeated John Higgins 4-0 in the quarter-finals at 3am local time on Wednesday morning.
In the semi-finals he won 4-1 against Judd Trump before showing the Belgian Bullet why he is the best there is.
The 20-point Gold Ball gimmick, which offered an astonishing £400,000 bonus prize, never came into play during the three days in the Middle East as no one put together a 147.
But straight after the final, Saudi advisor Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Authority for Entertainment, took to the microphone to announce the special prize for reaching 167, which could reach $1 million – £800,000 by 2025.
O’Sullivan immediately joked: “I’ll make it [the golden ball] next year – you don’t want to get it all at once.
“I thought I would win the tournament this year and get the golden ball next year.”
The Rocket added: “It was a fantastic tournament, a beautiful venue.
“The crowd was great. It’s been a long time since we came to the Middle East.
“We have been treated so fantastically well. The players enjoyed it. The hospitality was fantastic. The culture here is fantastic.
“These are the tournaments you really want to play in. One table, a great audience. The music played between frames.
“It was like we were in some kind of rave. Like going back 25 years when I was young. It made it lively. It feels like a really fun festival. Everyone wants to go to Saudi Arabia.”
Brecel, 28, said: “I have enjoyed the last few days. The location is great. The audience was fantastic.
“Since I arrived in Saudi Arabia, I had the feeling that the people were very nice. I’m grateful to be able to play here. Hopefully it will be here for a long time.”
“The music was going between frames, it was like we were in some kind of rave – 25 years ago when I was young,” O’Sullivan said on Eurosport.
“It feels like a really fun festival.”