Welsh Open (snooker)
.jpg) |
|
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Motorpoint Arena |
| Location | Cardiff |
| Country | Wales |
| Established | 1992 |
| Organisation(s) | World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association |
| Format | Ranking event |
| Total prize fund | £310,000 |
| Current champion(s) |
 Stuart Bingham
|
The Welsh Open is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It replaced the Welsh Professional Championship, which started in 1980 and was only open to Welsh players.
Since the tournament's creation in 1992, Mark Williams has been the only Welsh player to win the championship (in 1996 and 1999). John Higgins and Ronnie O'Sullivan hold the record for the most wins, with four Welsh Open titles each. Stephen Hendry has won the tournament three times.
Stuart Bingham is the reigning champion.
The tournament began as a ranking tournament in 1992 initially in February after the Masters, but later took the spot of the Classic in January. The event was sponsored by Regal until 2003 (known as the Regal Welsh Open), but UK restrictions on tobacco advertising meant that it was without a sponsor until 2009. The tournament was sponsored by Totesport.com in 2010, by Wyldecrest Park Homes in 2011, by 888真人 in 2012, and by BetVictor from to 2013 to 2016. In 2017 the tournament will be sponsored by Coral.
In 1996 at the age of 17 years and 111 days Paul Hunter reached the semi-finals and became the youngest player to reach this stage of a ranking tournament.
John Higgins and Ronnie O'Sullivan jointly hold the record for the most Welsh Open titles, both having won the event on 4 occasions.
Like the Welsh Professional Championship, it was played at the Newport Centre in Newport, before moving to the Cardiff International Arena in 1999. It was moved back to Newport in 2005, where it remained until 2014. In January 2014, World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn announced that the 2014 tournament would be the last held in Newport, and that he would open negotiations to move the event to a larger venue, most likely in Cardiff. In June 2014, it was then announced that the 2015 event will be held at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff. The tournament currently takes place after the German Masters, and is broadcast by BBC Wales, Eurosport, CCTV, SMG, Now TV and Showtime Arabia.
...
Wikipedia