With the 2010 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters a little under three weeks away, Matchroom Sport can announce the 64 players contesting the 17th annual running of pool's most prestigious invitational event.
Taking place at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas from Wednesday 12th to Sunday 16th May, the Masters features 40 invited stars of the game as well as 24 qualifiers from around the world. Collectively the field holds 27 WPA World Championships, 15 US Open titles and 15 Masters wins between them, and in addition there are 23 Mosconi Cup players in attendance.
“This is the strongest field imaginable and whoever wins the Masters this year will be carrying off a title every bit as impressive as a World Championship,” said Matchroom Sport Chairman Barry Hearn.
“All the big names from America, Europe and the Philippines will be there and there will also be qualifiers from some of the lesser pool nations who have fought tooth and nail to make it to Vegas.
“Darren Appleton will have a big job on his hands to defend his Masters title, and it's going to take a real fighter to win this tournament. Anyone of about 35 players has a realistic chance of carrying it off,” he added.
In total there are 11 players representing American hopes including the likes of Johnny Archer, Earl Strickland, Shane Van Boening, Dennis Hatch, Rodney Morris and Corey Deuel.
The next biggest contingent comes from the Philippines with possibly the strongest ever gathering of Pinoy sharpshooters on US soil. Reyes, Bustamante, Alcano, Orcollo and Pagulayan are just five of the eight Filipinos and no one would bet against a Masters win from one of them.
The third biggest representation comes from the country that has made the most ground over the past few years – England. Now arguably the strongest nation in Europe, they will be represented by reigning Masters Champion Darren Appleton, World 8 Ball Champ Karl Boyes and World 9 Ball Champion Daryl Peach who are just three of the big guns from across the water.
Elsewhere, Germany has Ralf Souquet, Thorsten Hohmann, Thomas Engert and Oliver Ortmann flying the flag, and there are plenty of strong players from across Europe and Asia vying for the title.
After 17 years as a 16-player invitational competition, the Masters, one of the longest established tournaments in pool, has moved to 64 players. The first two days of the main event in May feature double elimination play on a multi-table set-up as the field reduces down to 32.
The event then goes to single elimination and the last 16 is played out in a single table arena setting in front of the TV cameras, culminating in the final on the evening of Sunday, May 16. Television is produced by Matchroom Sport and will be seen as 15 x one hour programmes in 14 countries around the world with more to be added to the list.
The Masters offers a $100,000 prize-fund with $20,000 going to the eventual champion.
The Field
Ben Nunan (Australia)
Jasmin Ouschan (Austria)
Noel Bruynooghe (Belgium)
Ahmad Taufiq (Brunei)
Tyler Edey (Canada)
John Morra (Canada)
Imran Majid (England)
Daryl Peach (England)
Mark Gray (England)
Darren Appleton (England)
Allison Fisher (England)
Kevin Uzzell (England)
Karl Boyes (England)
Mika Immonen (Finland)
Ralf Souquet (Germany)
Thorsten Hohmann (Germany)
Thomas Engert (Germany)
Oliver Ortmann (Germany)
Niels Feijen (Holland)
Huidji See (Holland)
Raj Hundal (India)
Ricky Yang (Indonesia)
Muhammad Zulfikri (Indonesia)
Naoyuki Oi (Japan)
Toru Kuribayashi (Japan)
Yu Ram Cha (Korea)
Ga Young Kim (Korea)
Tony Drago (Malta)
Tron Engebakk (Norway)
Efren Reyes (Philippines)
Francisco Bustamante (Philippines)
Dennis Orcollo (Philippines)
Lee Van Corteza (Philippines)
Marlon Manalo (Philippines)
Ronnie Alcano (Philippines)
Alex Pagulayan (Philippines)
Roberto Gomez (Philippines)
Bartosz Rozwadowski (Poland)
Radoslaw Babica (Poland)
Ruslan Chinakhov (Russia)
Jayson Shaw (Scotland)
David Alcaide (Spain)
Carlos Cabello (Spain)
Marcus Chamat (Sweden)
Ko Pin-yi (Taiwan)
Kuo Po Cheng (Taiwan)
Lo Li-wen (Taiwan)
Evgeni Novosad (Ukraine)
Johnny Archer (USA)
Corey Deuel (USA)
Charlie Williams (USA)
Rodney Morris (USA)
Shane Van Boening (USA)
Oscar Dominguez (USA)
John Schmidt (USA)
Dennis Hatch (USA)
Earl Strickland (USA)
Ernesto Dominguez (USA)
David Grau (USA)
Do Hoang Quan (Vietnam)
Luong Chi Dung (Vietnam)
There is one more wildcard to be invited and there are two more qualifying spots available in the all-day event at Pool Sharks in Las Vegas on Tuesday 11th May. Further details can be obtained from info@matchroom.com
Working in conjunction with Cuesports International, the Masters takes place during the annual BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships, which sees thousands of players and fans flock to the Riviera for a lengthy festival of pool.
