Further to my post a couple of days ago linking to the entry lists for the PTC5-9 events I have now had a chance to look through them and identify the professional absentees, while there is also important news on both PTC6 and PTC7 to bring you…
PTC Absentees
As mentioned previously, there are a number of notable absentees from some of the upcoming PTC events, particularly the PTC6 event from Warsaw, Poland which remember is the final event before the season’s first seedings revision. The full list of absentees is as follows:
PTC5
Igor Figueiredo, Bjorn Haneveer
PTC6
Mark Allen, Jamie Burnett, Igor Figueiredo, John Higgins, Stephen Hendry, Bjorn Haneveer, Ian McCulloch, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby, Jimmy White, Mark Williams, Ding Junhui, Ken Doherty, Joe Meara
PTC7
Bjorn Haneveer, Ding Junhui, Simon Bedford, Igor Figueiredo
PTC8
Igor Figueiredo, Ding Junhui, Bjorn Haneveer
PTC9
Mark Allen, Ding Junhui, Igor Figueiredo, Joe Meara
Looking at those names, the most startling observation is that there are 14 professionals who have not entered the PTC6 event in Poland, including six players currently inside the provisional top 16.
Quite why this is the case I do not know but coming just before the seedings cut-off in October the decision to enter could prove costly for some, none more so than Stephen Hendry who currently sitting approximately 1,500 points adrift of the top 16 on the latest projected seedings list will now need strong performances in both Shanghai and Sheffield if he is to eradicate that gap. Ronnie O’Sullivan too is far from secure yet inside the elite group while Mark Allen who has also elected to skip the PTC9 event in Antwerp is not yet safe either.
Looking further down the list Ian McCulloch’s absence is another that could be costly as down to 68th on the projected seedings already, he looks set to drop out of the top 64 at the first cut-off point. With more points to come off during the remainder of this season than those above him I fear that Ian will struggle to retain his tour card for 2012/13 without a strong run or two during the next few PTC events.
Other observations? You will notice that Bjorn Haneveer will be absent until PTC9, presumably due to the shoulder problems made public a short time ago while Igor Figueiredo continues to be absent due to a lack of sponsorship.
Ding Junhui has also opted to skip four PTCs which while not likely to see him exit the top eight in a hurry, effectively ends any chances of an assault on the world number one spot which looks likely to head to Mark Selby at the next seedings revision.
PTC6 Draw and Playing Schedule Released
On the subject of PTC6, World Snooker have now released the draw and tournament schedules for both the amateur and professional stages which you can access by clicking here.
I have not had a chance to study the professional draw in great detail yet but I will follow the amateur match between Ben Harrison and Reanne Evans with interest.
PTC7 Turns Pink
Following recent criticism of the dress code for PTC events, eg the fact that waistcoats and bowties have been required, good news for players for PTC7 as with October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the South West Snooker Academy has teamed up with World Snooker to turn snooker pink.
This means that players will be required to wear pink shirts for the evening, either one of their own or a specially branded polo shirt printed with both the Pink Ribbon and Haven House logos. These will be available to purchase for both players and spectators at the Academy.
All for a good cause, it is also another way of giving the event its own identity which is always important for tournaments and hopefully I will be able to get there to bring you the latest from behind the scenes.