Masters (snooker)
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The Masters, formerly the Benson & Hedges Masters is a professional snooker tournament. Although not a ranking event, it is regarded as one of the most prestigious tournaments on the circuit, earning more prize money than any other tournament except the World Championship.
The tournament was first held in 1975 in London. Ten players were invited. The final was won by John Spencer, who beat Ray Reardon 9-8 to win £2000. The match had reached 8-8 and, in the deciding 17th frame the scores were tied, meaning that a re-spotted black was necessary.
In its current format, 18 players compete. The top 16 seeds for ranking events are automatically invited, while the other players enter a qualifying tournament which grants the winner a wildcard place. The other place is awarded by the game's governing body at their discretion. These two wild cards have to play preliminary matches against the #15 and #16 seeds.
The tournament has seen many memorable matches, perhaps the most memorable being the 1991 final when Stephen Hendry beat Mike Hallett 9-8 after having trailed 7-0 and 8-2. The defeat effectively ended Hallett's days as a major force in the game. Another rather bittersweet memory was that of Ken Doherty's final black miss in a 147 attempt during the 2000 final, which he eventually lost to Matthew Stevens.
The event was sponsored by Benson & Hedges until 2003, but UK restrictions on tobacco advertising meant that it was without a sponsor the following year. In 2005, Rileys Club became sponsors of the event, but in 2006, Saga Insurance took over sponsorship of the tournament. 2006 was the last year the tournament was held at the Wembley Conference Centre, which is due to be knocked down in Summer 2006. From 2007, the tournament will take place at Wembley Arena
