Ronnie O’Sullivan handed nightmare draw as Rocket tries to bag £1m in three days | Other | Sport

Ronnie O’Sullivan has received a tough draw at the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, where he will be hoping to earn seven figures in just three days. Snooker’s richest prize will be on the line in Saudi Arabia due to a unique twist laid on by tournament bosses. The champion will take home £250,000 but there is an even bigger payout up for grabs.

The addition of a Golden Ball gives players the opportunity to complete a 167 break, the biggest in snooker history. It can only be potted at the end of a 147 and players who manage it are entitled to a huge bonus payout of £751,000. It means that if O’Sullivan wins the tournament and sinks the Golden Ball along the way, he will scoop just over £1million for three days’ work.

The draw has not been particularly kind to The Rocket, though. He will begin his campaign on the opening day of the tournament, where he will face either Masters champion Shaun Murphy or local player Ziyad Al–Qabbani.

If he gets through that fixture, O’Sullivan will go up against world champion Zhao Xintong in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, he would be greeted by Judd Trump or Mark Williams.

It means that if O’Sullivan is going to make snooker history in Saudi Arabia next month, he will need to do it the hard way.

The man from Essex won the inaugural staging of the event last year but did not get the opportunity to pot the Golden Ball. Before his victory, he was quizzed on how he would spend the money and gave a surprising answer.

Speaking in a World Snooker Tour video, he laughed: “I couldn’t spend a million dollars, [but I would buy] a school.”

O’Sullivan is no stranger to educating the next generation, having previously opened his own snooker academy in Saudi Arabia.

The venture was launched 12 months ago with the aim of developing the sport’s best talents from around the world. O’Sullivan has taken a hands-on role with the academy, making regular trips to the Gulf state to offer his expertise to budding professionals.

Speaking at the launch of the facility, which was opened by Saudi events kingpin Turki Alalshikh, he said: “This is a fantastic new facility and I am excited to be working here alongside the best talent in the Kingdom.

“In snooker, like most sports, there is no substitute for hard work, and this academy will give players an opportunity to practice in a great environment. I would love to see tour players and even world champions from Saudi Arabia one day.”