Players Championship (snooker)

The Players Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. Held as the Players Tour Championship Finals from 2011 to 2016, it was rebranded as the standalone Players Championship in 2017. One of three events in the Players Series, it features the top 16 players on the one-year ranking list. Shaun Murphy is the reigning champion, having won the 2023 event.

This article is about the event that was formerly the final of the Players Tour Championship. It is not to be confused with the 2004 event that was a rebranding of the Scottish Open.
Players Championship
Tournament information
VenueAldersley Leisure Village
LocationAldersley, Wolverhampton
CountryEngland
Established2011
Organisation(s)World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association
FormatRanking event
Total prize fund£385,000[1]
Current champion Shaun Murphy (ENG)

History

After the establishment of the Players Tour Championship, the Players Tour Championship Finals was first held in 2011 at The Helix in Dublin,[2] between the top 24 players of the Order of Merit, who played at least six events; three in Sheffield and three in mainland Europe.[3] The event was sponsored by PartyCasino.[4] In 2012 the event moved to the Bailey Allen Hall in Galway,[5] and was sponsored by Betfair.[6] In 2013 the event was sponsored by Dafabet,[7] and the competition was expanded to 32 players. The field consisted of the top 25 players from the UK/European Order of Merit, the top four players from the Asian Order of Merit and the three APTC event winners. The seedings of the final was based on the combined list of both Order of Merits.[8]

In 2014 the event moved to the Guild Hall in Preston, England.[9] It was originally planned that the event would take place in Bangkok, Thailand,[10] but due to the political unrest in the country the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association decided to relocate the event.[11] The qualifying criteria were also changed for the 2014 event. The event still accommodated 32 players, but the number of qualified players from the Order of Merits was changed with 24 coming through the European Tour Order of Merit and eight through the Asian Tour Order of Merit.[12]

In the 2016/17 season, the Players Tour Championship was cancelled and the main event was renamed to Players Championship and moved to Llandudno, Wales.[13] It is now played between the top 16 players on a one-year ranking list.[14]

Winners
Year Winner Runner-up Final score Venue Season Refs
Players Tour Championship Finals (ranking)
2011  Shaun Murphy (ENG)  Martin Gould (ENG) 4–0 Dublin, Ireland 2010–11 [15]
2012  Stephen Lee (ENG)  Neil Robertson (AUS) 4–0 Galway, Ireland 2011–12 [16]
2013  Ding Junhui (CHN)  Neil Robertson (AUS) 4–3 2012–13 [17]
2014  Barry Hawkins (ENG)  Gerard Greene (NIR) 4–0 Preston, England 2013–14 [18]
2015  Joe Perry (ENG)  Mark Williams (WAL) 4–3 Bangkok, Thailand 2014–15 [19]
2016  Mark Allen (NIR)  Ricky Walden (ENG) 10–6 Manchester, England 2015–16 [20]
Players Championship (ranking)
2017  Judd Trump (ENG)  Marco Fu (HKG) 10–8 Llandudno, Wales 2016–17 [21]
2018  Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG)  Shaun Murphy (ENG) 10–4 2017–18 [22]
2019  Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG)  Neil Robertson (AUS) 10–4 Preston, England 2018–19 [23]
2020  Judd Trump (ENG)  Yan Bingtao (CHN) 10–4 Southport, England 2019–20 [24]
2021  John Higgins (SCO)  Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) 10–3 Milton Keynes, England 2020–21 [25]
2022  Neil Robertson (AUS)  Barry Hawkins (ENG) 10–5 Wolverhampton, England 2021–22 [26]
2023  Shaun Murphy (ENG)  Ali Carter (ENG) 10–4 2022–23 [27]

References
  1. "Snooker – Turnier-Info: Players Championship 2015" (in German). Eurosport Deutschland. 23 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  2. Turner, Chris. "Players Tour Championship". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
  3. "Euro Players Tour Championship 2–6 Entry Pack" (PDF). worldsnooker.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 August 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
  4. "PartyCasino.com Sponsor Snooker's PTC Finals". worldsnooker.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  5. "Snooker's elite are all cued up for Galway". Galway City Tribune. Archived from the original on 13 January 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  6. "Betfair to sponsor PTC Grand Finals". worldsnooker.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  7. "Dafabet Sponsor PTC Grand Finals". worldsnooker.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
  8. "The Players Tour Championship 2012/2013 season qualifying criteria" (PDF). worldsnooker.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  9. "Top Class Snooker Returns To Preston". worldsnooker.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 21 February 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  10. "Thailand To Host Players Championship". worldsnooker.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 26 November 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  11. "Players Championship To Change Location". worldsnooker.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 10 February 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  12. "European Open 2013/2014 Entry pack for the Bulgarian Open (ET1)" (PDF). worldsnooker.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  13. 2016/17 calendar
  14. "Every Pound Counts... Snooker Race Set to Start". World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  15. "PartyCasino.com Players Tour Championship Finals (2011)". Snooker.org. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  16. "Betfair Players Tour Championship Grand Finals (2012)". Snooker.org. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  17. "Dafabet Players Tour Championship Finals (2013)". Snooker.org. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  18. "Wyldecrest Parks Players Championship Grand Final (2014)". Snooker.org. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  19. "Players Championship Grand Final (2015)". Snooker.org. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  20. "Ladbrokes Players Championship Grand Final (2016)". Snooker.org. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  21. "Ladbrokes Players Championship (2017)". Snooker.org. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  22. "Ladbrokes Players Championship (2018)". Snooker.org. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  23. "Coral Players Championship (2019)". Snooker.org. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  24. "Coral Players Championship (2020)". Snooker.org. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  25. "Cazoo Players Championship (2021)". Snooker.org. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  26. "Cazoo Players Championship (2022)". Snooker.org. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  27. "Duelbits Players Championship". Snooker.org. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
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