THE UK Snooker Championship returns this weekend as the top professionals fight it out for one of the most esteemed tournaments on the circuit.
Judd Trump is seeking to defend his crown after beating Barry Hawkins in last year’s final whilst Ronnie O’Sullivan is out to win it for the ninth time.
The Barbican Centre in York will be the stage yet again as players go head-to-head for the £250,000 jackpot.
Over £1.2million is up for grabs in total prize money but who is leading the way for the season so far?
Research from OLBG has a star-studded top-10 and here, SunSport goes through them one by one.
10. Wu Yize (£236,800)
Yize, 22, only turned pro in 2021 but picked up his first major title earlier this month at the International Championship in his home country, China.
The world No14 banked £175,000 for that but has otherwise struggled so far this year.
He was beaten by Mark Allen, next in this list, in the last-16 of this tournament 12 months ago but will hope to go further this time round.
9. Mark Allen (£269,850)
The 39-year-old has already tasted victory on English soil this year and is eyeing another.
He was a semi-finalist in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, earning £75,000 there, before going on to win the English Open in September.
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That was worth £100,000. Other semis in China and Northern Ireland have also been lucrative.
The Pistol won the UK Championship in 2022, beating Ding Junhui in the final. He had lost two previous finals before that (in 2011 and 2018).
8. Judd Trump (£286,017)
Current world No1 Trump has started to find his top form with a recent semi-final in Riyadh, final at the Champion of Champions, and final in Northern Ireland.
He is yet to win a major trophy this year but picked up £95,000 across two Middle East tournaments as well as £45,000 from Belfast.
Trump is a two-time UK Championship winner and has lost two finals as well. He is aiming to boost his season prize money significantly and turn that record positive.
7. Ronnie O’Sullivan (£324,683)
The Rocket needs no introduction but has been relatively quiet in ranking tournaments this year.
His tally is boosted massively by £200k for LOSING the Saudi Arabian Masters final to Neil Robertson in August.
Ronnie has serious pedigree at the UK Championship and would love to take it home again.
6. Shaun Murphy (£334,000)
Murphy has been a busy man this season, playing 10 tournaments.
He won the British Open and got £100,000 as the reward, also taking home £50k from the quarters in Riyadh.
The Magician has got around but not reached the final of this competition since 2017 when he lost to O’Sullivan.
5. Mark Selby (£335,750)
Into the top five and Selby has had a strong season to date, winning the Champion of Champions for £150,000.
He has three semis to his name as well worth a combined £131,000 plus £22k from the International Championship.
Selby won the UK Championship in 2016 and 2012, losing to Robertson in the final of 2013.
4. Mark Williams (£359,400)
Mark 2 has been consistent in getting to the latter stages with four quarter-finals to his name as well as the semis in Wuhan.
His big win came to the tune of £177,000 in Xi’an with £129k coming from his quarters.
The Welshman is 2-2 in UK Championship finals, last winning it in 2002.
3. Kyren Wilson (£374,800)
World No2 Wilson clocked the single biggest total of the list so far in winning the Shanghai Masters for £210,000.
He also has £100,000 from two quarter-finals in Saudi Arabia to go with £29,700 from last-eight exits at the Champion of Champions and Northern Ireland Open.
This would be his first UK Championship title.
2. Zhao Xintong (£441,350)
There is a big jump up to Xintong here and that is largely thanks to his huge win in Riyadh.
He took a giant £250,000 for beating Robertson in the final earlier this month.
The 28-year-old also has three semis worth £133,000 to boost that figure and make him the No2 on this list.
1. Neil Robertson (£707,300)
Leading the way by a mile is Robertson, who is jet fuelled by his Saudi Arabian Masters win.
That is worth half a million and would put him second in this ranking without playing another tournament.
He also has £125k from the Riyadh Season final. He comes into the competition off the back of an uncounted £35,000 from the Crucible Cup with Snooker 900 rules.
