England’s Ronnie O’Sullivan criticises current structure of PTC events – Snooker news
England’s Ronnie O’Sullivan showed excellent potting skills in the current season’s Players Tour Championship (PTC) events to claim two of them, PTC1 and PTC7. Despite becoming the only player to win two PTC events in the same season, the Englishman is not
at all happy, especially with the current structure of ranking events.
The former three-time world snooker champion does not like smaller events containing ranking points for potters, as he believes they waste their time and money participating in such events. He believes that lower ranked cueists cannot afford to participate
in such tournaments, while top players are not rewarded the way they should be. Either way, these events are nothing but a waste of time and money according to the English cueist.
The 35-year-old cueist criticised snooker’s governing body and organisers of such events, adding that they have sort of blackmailed him. The Wordsley potter thinks the structure of Players Tour Championship is not good and players have to participate in
such small events to place them in higher ranks, as competitions carry ranking points.
While speaking to local media at the final of 2011 Rileys Future Star, the English potter said, “I feel like I’m being raped when I’m playing in them. I feel I’m being blackmailed. They put these ranking events on and ranking points at these tournaments
and it just feels like the winner’s prize is not great, the loser’s prize…”
The Rocket further added, “Most players are going there and losing money, but they’re putting ranking points on so it’s forcing the players to play in it, which is not great, but what do you do? You have to go. The lower-ranked players can’t afford it and
the top-ranked players don’t really get rewarded for what they do, so no-one is a winner.”
O’Sullivan clinched the recently finished PTC7 title beating Welshman, Matthew Stevens, 4-2 and pocketed £10,000. He grabbed the very first event of PTC too, where he defeated Joe Perry and thus, became the only player to win two PTC events in the same season.
Tags: