Top 16 Lineup for UK and Masters Confirmed

The top 16 players in the updated world rankings will qualify automatically for two of snooker's biggest tournaments, the UK Championship and the Masters.


The cut-off point for seeding those events fell on Monday, with the top 16 guaranteed a place in those two BBC-televised events, as well as the German Masters.


Stuart Bingham and Martin Gould are both seeded among the top bracket for the first time, with Londoner Gould set to make his debut in the Masters in January. The full top 16 is:


1. Mark Selby
2. Mark Williams
3. John Higgins
4. Neil Robertson
5. Ding Junhui
6. Shaun Murphy
7. Ali Carter
8. Judd Trump
9. Stephen Maguire
10. Graeme Dott
11. Stuart Bingham
12. Mark Allen
13. Stephen Lee
14. Ronnie O'Sullivan
15. Matthew Stevens
16. Martin Gould


Stephen Hendry is in 21st place, which means that he will have to qualify for the UK Championship and could miss the Masters for the first time since 1989. There will be no wild cards for the Masters, unless a player seeded outside the top 16 wins the UK Championship.


The Masters runs from January 15 to 22 at Alexandra Palace, and the UK Championship is from December 3 to 11 at the York Barbican. TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW FOR BOTH EVENTS - see www.worldsnooker.com/tickets. The draw for both tournaments will take place shortly. The UK Championship qualifiers run from November 6 to 9 at the South West Academy in Gloucester.


Neil Robertson, who won the Players Tour Championship event in Poland on Sunday, said: "My target now is to keep this form going for the next few events, and I particularly want to do well in the UK and the Masters. I don't have a great record in either and I was disappointed to lose in the quarter-finals of both last season. I didn't prepare well enough last time, but this season I have been working really hard and that is paying off."


The German Masters runs from February 1 to 5 in Berlin. The top 64 in the new rankings also qualify for the World Snooker Shoot-Out in Blackpool from January 27 to 29, with tickets on sale at www.worldsnooker.com/tickets.