Snooker’s top stars call for chiefs to RIP UP world rankings system and introduce new format
SNOOKER chiefs have been urged to rip up the sport’s world rankings system and introduce a new format.
Players have been ranked based on their prize money won since the 2014/15 season.
However, leading stars Judd Trump and Mark Allen have called for a change to the rankings moving forward.
It comes after the first edition of the Saudi Arabia Masters in Riyadh, which had a £2.3million prize fund.
World number one Trump scooped the £500,000 top prize by beating Mark Williams in Saturday’s final.
His win extends his lead at the top of the world rankings, but Allen has called for a switch to a points-based system.
The move would allow for less weighting on snooker’s biggest tournaments.
Allen told BBC Sport: “You could pretty much lose in the first round of every tournament and win in Saudi and the Worlds and you’re probably going to be number one.
“It’s time to find a balance with a points-based system that we’ve been trying to get for the last few years.”
The Ace in the Pack agrees, with Trump adding: “The rankings still need to be looked at because we obviously have two big events now that stand out way above anything else so it is very difficult for anyone who doesn’t win one of them to be number one.
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“I would much rather be winning five or six events a year which would make you feel like a far more deserving number one.”
Trump currently tops the world rankings with £1,474,000 in prize money.
He also leads the one-year list with £576,000 won this year following his £500,000 payday in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, the Pistol is ranked third on £974,000 from ranking tournaments across the last two years.
Just £14,000 of that has come in this season, though, leaving him 47th in the world for 2024/25.
Allen was knocked out at the first hurdle at the Saudi Arabia Masters, losing to Xiao Guodong in round five in Riyadh.
The Northern Irishman will have a chance to bounce back later this month at the English Open, which starts on September 16.