Tour Survival 2014/15 – Player by Player (March Update)

Following the conclusion of the Gdynia Open last weekend, the position of several players in the race to stay on tour is now far clearer and in some cases, out of their own hands. For others however, there is still much to play for with four ranking events remaining this season.

Continuing reading for my latest in-depth, player by player update on the race for main tour places for the 2015/16 season, up to date after the Gdynia Open event.

Click here to view the latest provisional end of season ranking list
Click here to view the latest European Tour Order of Merit (after 6/6 events)
Click here to view the final Asian Tour Order of Merit (after 3/3 events)
Click here to view my previous article on the early running
Click here to view my previous look from February 2015
Click here to view the prize money schedule for 2014/15

Who Stays on Tour?

This is explained in some detail on my previous article here, but in summary, the following players will retain their professional places for 2015/16:

All players ranked inside the top 64 on the two-year ranking list following the 2015 World Championship
All players ranked outside of the top 64 on the two-year ranking list, who have joined the tour for 2014/15 on the first year of a two-year tour card.
The top eight players ranked on the European Order of Merit, not already qualified as above.
The top four players ranked on the Asian Order of Merit, not already qualified as above.

Who will finish in the top 64?

Though it remains impossible to say with certainty what the final amount of money required to stay inside the top 64 will be, last season we saw Jimmy White take the 64th and final spot with prize money of £48,692 across the previous two seasons. With the general increases in prize money this season, I would estimate that the required amount this season will be between £50,000-£60,000, but time will tell.

In the circumstances, while players above could still fall back into the danger zone with a bad run over the coming months, for the purposes of this article I am going to look at this those currently 55th and below in the latest provisional end of season list.

Importantly, these players will all earn a one-year tour card for the following season, but will retain their prize money earned, rather than start again from zero, as those qualifying on a two-year card by any other means will have to.

Who is on the first year of a two-year card?

Simply put, those players who are safe due to being on the first year of a two-year tour card, are those highlighted in green on the latest provisional end of season rankings page.

For the avoidance of doubt, those players are:

Sam Baird, Scott Donaldson, Liam Highfield, Barry Pinches, Chris Melling, Michael Georgiou, Oliver Lines, Zhou Yuelong, Craig Steadman, Ian Burns, Tian Pengfei, Tony Drago, Joel Walker, David Grace, Michael Wasley, Lu Chenwei, Zak Surety, Mitchell Mann, Steven Hallworth, Ian Glover, Michael Leslie, Lu Ning, Liu Chuang, Zhang Anda, Lee Walker, Ju Reti, Rouzi Maimati, Rory Thor Chuan Leong, Steve Mifsud, Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon

What about the rest?

For everybody else, I will consider their prospects individually below, highlighting where they currently stand on the three respective lists and trying to summarise how they stand overall.

I have colour coded the competitions below to show at a glance how each player is currently positioned in each list.

Peter Lines

Money list: 57th – £55,618 (+11,036)

European Tour OOM: 72nd – £2,000 (-583)

Asian Tour OOM: 78th – £200 (-1,200)

Summary: With opening round wins to qualify for both the Indian Open and China Open tournaments recently, one of which came in a dramatic deciding frame against Chris Melling, Peter has strengthened his claim for a place in the world’s top 64 at the end of the season.

With an £11,036 cushion already, an opening round victory at the World Championship qualifiers next month would surely be enough to see Peter retain his place on tour for another season.

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh

Money list: 58th – £54,245 (+9,663)

European Tour OOM: 56th – £3,332 (+749)

Asian Tour OOM: 4th – £6,200 (+4,800)

Summary: Already assured of his main tour place through his position on the Asian Order of Merit, Thailand’s Thepchaiya Un-Nooh made doubly sure by cementing his position inside the top eight on the European Order of Merit, winning one match in Gdynia.

He will though be targeting a place inside the top 64 on the main two-year ranking list, which will allow him to retain the prize money that he has already won during the past two seasons, rather than see him return to zero points if he were to re-qualify through one of the other two lists.

His cause has been helped by the fact that he will earn at least an extra £4,000 (already added above), following his qualification for the Players championship Grand Finals, meaning that like Lines above, one win at the World Championship qualifiers and the £6,000 that would come with it, would likely to be enough to see him retain his top 64 place.

Cao Yupeng

Money list: 59th – £53,447 (+8,865)

European Tour OOM: 95th – £583 (-2,000)

Asian Tour OOM: 30th – £1,400 (+0)

Summary: For Cao Yupeng, a place inside the world’s top 64 looks to be well within his grasp, while as it stands he also has the safety net of his position on the Asian Order of Merit if he were to have a poor end to the season and drop out of that bracket.

Again, an opening round victory at the World Championship qualifiers would almost certainly make sure of his position inside the top 64.

Li Hang

Money list: 60th – £52,194 (+7,612)

European Tour OOM: 95th – £583 (-2,000)

Asian Tour OOM: 15th – £2,300 (+900)

Summary: As above with Cao Yupeng, Li Hang’s tour place will be guaranteed through the Asian Order of Merit whatever happens in the main ranking list, but he will of course be looking to stay inside the top 64 and give himself a platform on which to climb further up the rankings next season.

Again, an opening round victory at the World Championship qualifiers would likely do the job, or a few wins in either India or China this month.

Alfie Burden

Money list: 61st – £51,999 (+7,417)

European Tour OOM: 82nd – £1,166 (-1,417)

Asian Tour OOM: 27th – £1,500 (+100)

Summary: As above, Alfie has the safety net of the Asian Order of Merit, but will be looking to stay inside the top 64 with a strong end to the season and retain the ranking points that he currently has to his name going into next season.

Jamie Cope

Money list: 62nd – £43,873 (+7,374)

European Tour OOM: 44th – £4,332 (+1,749)

Asian Tour OOM: N/A

Summary: For Jamie Cope, his position on the European Order of Merit is more than high enough to make sure of his main tour status for next season if he were to drop out of the top 64, which at first glance looks to be a real danger with him down in 62nd position on the latest provisional end of season money list.

On closer inspection however, with a cushion of over £7,000 to 65th place, Jamie is still relatively well placed and if he can win at least £6,000 with an opening round win at the World Championship qualifiers, will give himself an excellent chance of remaining inside the top 64.

Tom Ford

Money list: 63rd – £51,324 (+6,742)

European Tour OOM: 95th – £583 (-2,000)

Asian Tour OOM: 13th – £2,500 (+1,100)

Summary: As with a few of the players already mentioned, Tom has made sure of his main tour status thanks to his performances at the season’s three Asian Tour events, but in 63rd position is not yet sure of his place inside the top 64 at the end of the season with four ranking events still to be completed.

Already out of the China Open and not having qualified for the Players Championship Grand Finals, Tom will be hoping to secure some extra prize money either in India or Sheffield.

Nigel Bond

Money list: 64th – £49,657 (+5,075)

European Tour OOM: 62nd – £2,749 (+166)

Asian Tour OOM: N/A

Summary: The man very much ‘on the bubble’ as far as his long held top 64 place is concerned is Nigel Bond and with less than £6,000 separating him and Northern Ireland’s Joe Swail, he is currently the only player who is potentially a single match away from dropping outside of that all-important bracket.

Thankfully for Nigel, barring something very unusual happening between now and the end of the season, his results on the European Tour this season look to have been strong enough to at least assure him of a tour place via that list, while he has also qualified for both the upcoming Indian and China Open events.

Joe Swail

Money list: 65th – £44,582 (-5,075)

European Tour OOM: 34th – £5,083 (+2,500)

Asian Tour OOM: N/A

Summary: The first man currently set to finish outside of the world’s top 64, Northern Ireland’s Joe Swail must bridge a gap of just over £5,000 to Bond before the end of the season if he is to claim a top 64 place. Like Bond, he has qualified for both Mumbai and Beijing, while a victory at the World Championship qualifiers could see him overtake the former world finalist with a single win.

Joe also has the benefit of having finished high enough up the European Order of Merit to have made sure of his tour status via that route whatever happens, so the pressure is off to some degree as he heads towards the end of the season.

Marcus Campbell

Money list: 66th – £43,404 (-6,253)

European Tour OOM: 95th – £583 (-2,000)

Asian Tour OOM: 78th – £200 (-1,200)

Summary: Having struggled for much of the last 18 months, the situation had looked to be a bleak one for Scotland’s Marcus Campbell, but in recent weeks he has shown much improved form to qualify for the final stages of both the Indian and China Open tournaments.

Not in contention via any other route, the situation for Marcus is now therefore relatively simple, with him having to gain £6,253 on Nigel Bond between now and the end of the season if he is to avoid having to re-qualify for the main tour via Q School in May.

Stuart Carrington

Money list: 67th – £42,733 (-6,924)

European Tour OOM: 42nd – £4,417 (+1,834)

Asian Tour OOM: N/A

Summary: Heading into the Gdynia Open, Stuart Carrington held the final qualifying spot for the main tour and needed a run to make sure of his tour card for the next season and he duly delivered with a last 16 appearance seeing him vault up to 42nd place on the final European Order of Merit.

With his tour card now safe, he will be targeting a place inside the top 64, which would crucially see him retain the prize money that he has already won at the start of next season.

Jimmy White

Money list: 68th – £40,799 (-8,858)

European Tour OOM: 52nd – £3,666 (+1,083)

Asian Tour OOM: 40th – £1,000 (-400)

Summary: The situation looked to be good for Jimmy White on the European Order of Merit heading into the Gdynia Open and so it has proved, despite his opening round defeat to Jamie Burnett in Poland.

Thanks to his results earlier in the campaign, Jimmy is now certain of retaining his main tour place next season thanks to his results at European Tour events, but following a run of defeats which have seen him fail to make it to either the Indian or China Open events, he will now need to win at least two matches at the World Championship qualifiers if he is to retain his top 64 place and avoid his points being reset to zero.

Robin Hull

Money list: 69th – £39,166 (-10,491)

European Tour OOM: 82nd – £1,166 (-1,417)

Asian Tour OOM: N/A

Summary: For Robin Hull, it looks likely that Finland’s only professional will now have to repeat his run to the Crucible a year ago if he is to stand any chance of retaining his main tour status at the end of the season.

Still in both the Indian and China Open events however, he does have other opportunities to gain the money that he needs and as a player who would surely be ranked significantly higher had he been able to play more during the past two years, he cannot be discounted from doing so.

Noppon Saengkham

Money list: 70th – £38,821 (-10,836)

European Tour OOM: 43rd – £4,333 (+1,750)

Asian Tour OOM: 50th – £800 (-600)

Summary: Thanks largely to his run at the Libson Open just before Christmas, Thailand’s Noppon Saengkham is certain to stay on the main tour for next season, but following qualifying round defeats at both the Indian and Chinese Open events, looks unlikely to do so as a member of the top 64 short of a run to the Crucible.

Chris Wakelin

Money list: 71st – £31,415 (-18,242)

European Tour OOM: 22nd – £7,416 (+4,833)

Asian Tour OOM: N/A

Summary: As with Noppon above, Chris is assured of his main tour place for the next two seasons thanks to his results at the season’s six European Tour events, but in Wakelin’s case barring a deep run in either India, the World Championship or at the Players Championship Grand Finals in Thailand, the top 64 looks to be out of reach for him at this stage.

Dave Harold

Money list: 73rd – £25,433 (-24,224)

European Tour OOM: 95th – £583 (-2,000)

Asian Tour OOM: N/A

Summary: For Dave Harold, already out of the Indian Open and China Open events, as well as being out of contention on the European and Asian Orders of Merit, nothing less than a run to the World Championship quarter-finals would be sufficient to see him retain his place on tour for next season.

Lyu Haotian

Money list: 74th – £23,289 (-26,368)

European Tour OOM: 121st – £0 (-2,583)

Asian Tour OOM: 70th – £400 (-1,000)

Summary: As with Dave Harold above, Lyu requires a run to the World Championship quarter-finals in order to maintain his main tour status next season.

Alex Davies

Money list: 76th – £22,194 (-27,463)

European Tour OOM: 72nd – £2,000 (-583)

Asian Tour OOM: N/A

Summary: Having narrowly missed out on a place through the European list by one match in Gdynia, Alex must also reach at least the quarter-finals of the World Championship to retain his tour place for next season.

Fraser Patrick

Money list: 77th – £22,099 (-27,558)

European Tour OOM: 34th – £4,500 (+1,917)

Asian Tour OOM: 57th – £600 (-800)

Summary: Like those immediately above him, Fraser Patrick will need something spectacular if he is to finish up inside the top 64 of the main ranking list by the end of the season, but thanks to his results at European Tour events this season is at least assured of his main tour place for next season via that route already.

James Cahill

Money list: 80th – £18,450 (-31,207)

European Tour OOM: 61st – £2,583 (+0)

Asian Tour OOM: 78th – £200 (-1200)

Summary: For James Cahill, his opening round defeat at the Gdynia Open left him in a perilous position as the eighth man currently in play to gain a main tour card through the European Order of Merit, but as those immediately below him fell by the wayside during the course of the weekend, he was able to hold onto that spot and must now face an anxious wait to learn whether he will in fact earn a new two year tour card through this list.

With his fate now entirely out of his own hands, he must now hope that a player ranked above him on the European list, such as Nigel Bond or Jamie Cope, is not knocked outside of the top 64 by someone who is not ranked higher than him on the European list, eg Marcus Campbell or Robin Hull. This is because in that instance, Bond for example would drop out of the top 64 and effectively take Cahill’s European place due to Nigel being higher on that list.

Last season, the likes of Tony Drago and Jimmy White had to wait until the second week of the Crucible to know whether they were safe, but hopefully for James at least, he will not have to wait quite that long this time around…

John Astley

Money list: 82nd – £18,360 (-31,297)

European Tour OOM: 95th – £583 (-2,000)

Asian Tour OOM: N/A

Summary: For John Astley, nothing less than a run to the semi-finals of the World Championship will keep him on tour.

Andrew Pagett

Money list: 85th – £16,583 (-33,074)

European Tour OOM: 91st – £1,000 (-1,583)

Asian Tour OOM: N/A

Summary: Andrew must also reach the semi-finals of the World Championship, or run deep at the Indian Open next week to stay on tour.

Elliot Slessor

Money list: 91st – £11,401 (-38,256)

European Tour OOM: 67th – £2,166 (-417)

Asian Tour OOM: 40th- £1,000 (-400)

Summary: Having lost out to amateur Marc Davis at the Gdynia Open, Elliot Slessor must now gain almost £40,000 by the end of the season, or there is an outside chance that he could claim a spot as the first man behind James Cahill on the European Order of Merit, if a player already inside the top eight qualifying spots on that last is able to climb into the top 64 at the end of the season.

For example, if Joe Swail or Jimmy White were to climb into the top 64 at the expense of say Tom Ford, then Slessor would take the extra spot that would be freed up through the European list.

Stranger things have happened…

Ross Muir

Money list: 94th – £9,835 (-39,822)

European Tour OOM: 72nd – £2,000 (-583)

Asian Tour OOM: 18th – £2,200 (+800)

Summary: For Ross Muir, his results at the season’s Asian Tour events have ensured that he will earn a new two-year tour card from next season.

Igor Figueiredo

Money list: 95th – £9,833 (-39,824)

European Tour OOM: 95th – £583 (-2,000)

Asian Tour OOM: N/A

Summary: Brazil’s Igor Figueiredo must reach the semi-finals of the World Championship if he is to avoid dropping off the tour.

Hammad Miah

Money list: 96th – £9,260 (-40,397)

European Tour OOM: 121st – £0 (-2,583)

Asian Tour OOM: N/A

Summary: As above.

Alex Borg

Money list: 98th – £8,649 (-41,008)

European Tour OOM: 95th – £583 (-2,000)

Asian Tour OOM: N/A

Summary: As above.

Andrew Norman

Money list: 99th – £8,160 (-41,497)

European Tour OOM: N/A

Asian Tour OOM: 78th – £200 (-1,200)

Summary: As above.

Allan Taylor

Money list: 102nd – £6,399 (-43,258)

European Tour OOM: 62nd – £2,749 (+166)

Asian Tour OOM: N/A

Summary: Thanks to his runs at the season’s European Tour events, Allan Taylor looks set to gain a fresh two-year tour card from the start of next season, but like the others above him would need to produce something spectacular if he is to claim a place inside the top 64.

Lee Page

Money list: 103rd – £5,860 (-43,797)

European Tour OOM: 91st – £1,000 (-1,583)

Asian Tour OOM: 78th – £200 (-1,200)

Summary: Requires a run to the World Championship semi-finals.

Chris Norbury

Money list: 104th- £5,750 (-43,907)

European Tour OOM: 95th – £583 (-2,000)

Asian Tour OOM: N/A

Summary: Requires a run to the World Championship semi-finals.

Ratchayothin Yotharuck

Money list: 105th – £5,433 (-44,224)

European Tour OOM: 95th – £583 (-2,000)

Asian Tour OOM: N/A

Summary: Requires a run to the World Championship semi-finals.

Cao Xinlong

Money list: 107th – £5,050 (-44,607)

European Tour OOM: 121st – £0 (-2,583)

Asian Tour OOM: 30th – £1,400 (+0)

Summary: As it stands, Cao Xinlong is set to claim a fresh two-year tour card through the Asian Order of Merit, although this could change if a player such as Alfie Burden or Li Hang were to drop outside of the top 64 on the main two-year ranking list and take the spot from him.