Rankings Update: Fast Start For Selby
Mark Selby is the early front runner on the one-year ranking list and the BetVictor European Series following his triumph at last week’s BetVictor European Masters.
Selby beat Martin Gould 9-8 in a dramatic final on Sunday night to land the £80,000 top prize at the first completed ranking event of the 2020/21 season.
That gives him a substantial lead in the BetVictor European Series, after one of the six events. The top money-earner on that list at the end of the six-event series will bank an extra £150,000 bonus.
The top 32 on the one-year list, after the Scottish Open, will qualify for the World Grand Prix in December. Then in 2021 the top 16 will go on to the Players Championship and only the top eight will make the Tour Championship.
Gould reached his first ranking final since 2016, and despite narrowly missing out on the title, the £35,000 runner-up prize puts him in a strong position in second place on the one-year list. Judd Trump and Shaun Murphy both reached the semi-finals and they each bank £17,500.
Aaron Hill was one of three rookies to enjoy promising runs
Three rookie players all reached the last 16 – Peter Devlin, Aaron Hill and Pang Junxu – and they get their tallies going to the tune of £6,000.
On the official two-year ranking list, Selby remains in fourth place while Gould leaps from 53rd to 36th.
Selby has set himself the target of taking back the world number one position from Judd Trump. While Trump remains streaks ahead, £554,000 ahead of second-placed Ronnie O’Sullivan and £869,000 ahead of Selby, he has plenty of money to defend this season. The provisional end of season rankings show that Trump is just £308,500 ahead of Selby.
The two-year list is now used for seeding the English Open which runs from October 12 to 18 in Milton Keynes. The top 32 will all be seeded into the draw, with the other 96 players drawn at random. The draw and format for that event will be released soon.