The Riyadh Season Snooker Championship came to an end on Friday as Mark Allen lifted the trophy and took home £250,000 in prize money.
Back in March, snooker became the latest sport to head over to Saudi Arabia and O’Sullivan beat then-world champion Luca Brecel in the final with two century breaks to claim his 79th professional title.
The defending champion did not drop a frame in beating Ding Junhui 4-0 on Thursday to reach the semi-finals, but he was beaten by Allen.
The Northern Irishman then cruised to a 5-1 victory over Brecel in the final to seal a comprehensive victory.
When is the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship?
The Riyadh Season Snooker Championship 2024 took place from Wednesday, December 18 to Friday, December 20.
Where is the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship?
The event was held at the Global Theatre in Boulevard City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Who is playing at the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship?
The field in Riyadh included the top 10 players on snooker’s official rankings list following the end of the UK Championship, which Judd Trump won by beating Barry Hawkins 10-8 at the beginning of the month.
Trump is the current reigning world No1, followed by Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Allen, Mark Williams, Luca Brecel, Shaun Murphy, Ding Junhui and Zhang Anda.
Two additional wildcards completed the 12-player field competing in Riyadh, in Abdulraouf Saigh and Ahmed Aseeri.
Riyadh Season Snooker Championship fixtures and results
Round One
(all times GMT unless stated)
Wednesday, December 18
M1 - Ding Junhui 4-0 Abdulraouf Saigh
M2 - Zhang Anda 4-0 Ahmed Aseeri
Round Two
M3 - Shaun Murphy 0-4 Ding Junhui
M4 - Luca Brecel 4-0 Zhang Anda
Thursday, December 19
Quarter-finals
M5 - Mark Selby 2-4 Mark Allen
M6 - Kyren Wilson 3-4 Luca Brecel
M7 - Judd Trump 3-4 Mark Williams
M8 - Ronnie O'Sullivan 4-0 Ding Junhui
Friday, December 20
Semi-finals (Afternoon)
M9 - Mark Williams 2-4 Luca Brecel
M10 - Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-4 Mark Allen
Final
Luca Brecel 1-5 Mark Allen
How to watch Riyadh Season Snooker Championship
TV channel and live stream: Fans in the UK can watch the event live on DAZN.
Riyadh Season Snooker Championship prize money
There is a huge prize pool of £785,000 set aside for the 12 players in Riyadh.
The winner of the tournament will bank a cool £250,000, with the runner-up set to win £125,000.
There is £75,000 on offer for reaching the semi-finals and £50,000 for getting to the quarters.
A mammoth of £792,000 ($1m) will be won by the first player to hit a mammoth 167 break. Organisers have doubled the initial £395,000 they offered at the inaugural tournament back in March.
Riyadh Season Snooker Championship format
All matches in Riyadh will be played in a best-of-seven-frames format.
That will increase to best-of-nine-frames for the final.
How does the golden ball work?
The controversial new element is back! The 23rd ball coloured in gold - AKA the Riyadh Season ball.
The ball is worth 20 points and can be potted by those who have completed the usual maximum 147 break - comprised of 15 reds, 15 blacks and then all six colours in a row - to take their total break up to 167.
Only once that initial 147 is sealed can the golden ball be potted and it will be taken off the table once a 147 break is no longer possible for either player in any given frame.
A four-point penalty will be applied if the golden ball is inadvertently potted earlier or struck before the object ball by the cue ball.
The golden ball will be positioned in the middle of the baulk cushion from the outset of any given frame but will also stay where it lies if it is hit without an infringement while either player is still on for a potential 147 break.
