• [Daily Mirror Icon]
• Sport
• Other Sports
• Ronnie O'Sullivan

Ronnie O'Sullivan eyes up another huge payday as he signs up to new event

Ronnie O'Sullivan has his eyes on another massive snooker payday after winning the World Snooker Seniors Championship

[Ronnie O'Sullivan of England shakes hands with Shaun Murphy of England before the fourth round match on day 4 of the World Open Snooker 2026]

View 3 Images

Ronnie O'Sullivan will compete for 100,000 against the likes of Shaun Murphy(Image: Getty)

Ronnie O'Sullivan and Shaun Murphy will battle it out for a slice of 100,000 alongside two former world champions at the inaugural Global Snooker 900 Championship. The Rocket and The Magician have both enjoyed a remarkable run of form recently.

Murphy contested his fifth world final at the Crucible earlier this month and O'Sullivan returned to the iconic venue to scoop the World Seniors Snooker Championship on his debut appearance.

However, a very different Crucible will shortly play host to some of snooker's biggest names, including this celebrated duo, as the brand new Global Snooker 900 Championship gets underway at the Crucible Sports and Social Club in Reading.

Former world champions Kyren Wilson and Luca Brecel are amongst those vying for a portion of the 100,000 prize fund and they'll be required to compete under vastly different rules to standard snooker.

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! All the best sports news and much more on our dedicated Facebook page

The Snooker 900 format, devised by Jason Francis, restricts each frame to just 15 minutes. Gone are the marathon standoffs lasting well over an hour, such as those witnessed in Sheffield when eventual champion Wu Yize and Mark Allen played out the lengthiest frame in Crucible history, running to one hour and 40 minutes.

[Shaun Murphy embraces Wu Yize]

View 3 Images

Murphy lost to Wu in the final of the Worlds(Image: Getty)

Competitors must additionally adhere to a 20-second shot clock, similar to the ranking event, the Snooker Shoot Out. While frames are capped at 900 seconds, the tables and balls remain identical to those used in a standard professional match.

Other big names set to feature at the six-day event include Jimmy White, Ken Doherty, Anthony Hamilton, Joe Perry, Kaylan Patel, Tony Knowles, Tony Drago, Matthew Stevens, Dominic Dale and Stuart Bingham.

Fans can watch all the action for free via Pluto TV throughout the tournament, running from Tuesday, May 12 through to the final on Sunday, May 17. Matches will start as best-of-nine-frames before stepping up to best-of-11 from the semi-final stage onwards.

Snooker 900 creator Jason Francis said: "Launching the first-ever Global Championship with a 100,000 prize pot raises the stakes completely.

"This isn't an exhibition - our field is packed with World Champions and legends fighting hard for the title. The shot clock forces a fearless style of play, and it's going to be fascinating to see who handles the pressure this week."

[Ronnie O'Sullivan and Rob Walker]

View 3 Images

O'Sullivan will be in action on Friday(Image: Channel 5)

O'Sullivan enters the competition at the quarter-final stage on Friday alongside Murphy and will do so having already pocketed at least 30,000 following his seniors title triumph on Sunday.

He admitted after the win: "I came out and just tried to play match snooker, try and use my brain, play the right shot a little bit because this afternoon I was going for a lot.

"I have not been playing great these three years, my confidence is quite low and when I was getting into little situations, I was missing a few, I am just thinking, 'I never used to miss those balls.' But if I can get my confidence going then I would like to finish my career on a strong note, so that is my ambition left in the game."

Get Virgin's 300 travel voucher and Sky Sports deal

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

[Virgin Media]

78.99 p/m

Virgin Media

Get the deal here

Product Description

New customers signing up to Virgin Media's Max Volt bundle by May 13 will receive 300 vouchers to spend at Trip.com.

[Daily Mirror Icon]

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.