These two events look quite different though from an amateur view point.
For the first up, the Riga Masters, there are no less than 10 amateur top ups, selected from the Q School order of merit (not all of those eligible have taken up the offer for whatever reason).
The top ups are; Hu Hao, Declan Brennan, Daniel Ward (held over to man venue as he is playing Neil Robertson), Charlie Walters, Ben Jones, Ashley Carty, Jamie Rhys Clarke and the final two, who have been drawn against each other, are James Silverwood and Jackson Page.
But for the next event, the China Championship, there are no top up places on offer. Four Chinese wildcards and two Invitational Tour Cards make up the shortfall from the pro entries.
Anyone shed any light on why that could be? The China draw was published first and I thought the removal of the entry fees for pros was the reason for the big take up. The Riga draw proved me wrong. No less than 7 of the top 10 haven’t entered, and it’s not as if they need help with entry fees anyway!
For the likes of Jackson Page, Ashley Carty and co, it will be a chance to prove that they should have been there by right, and may well be next year!
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