After Australia gained its first ever world champion last year in the shape of Neil Robertson, it has now been handed its first world ranking tournament. World Snooker supremo Barry Hearn is in the process of expanding the game throughout the globe, and has targeted the Australian market as the next big move. The Australian Goldfield's Open will be held in Bendingo, Victoria, between the 18 and 24th of July this summer.
The deal will stretch to an initial three years, which will be extended should it be a success, which is something Hearn knows a thing or two about. 2010 world champion Robertson was quick to express his delight at the news, claiming the move was a dream come true to have a tournament in the state that he grew up in. Those looking at the snooker betting odds will know he has every chance of claiming the competition.
"This is a long-standing dream come true for me, as I am sure it is for many snooker players and fans in Australia. To have a world ranking event in my home state will be just unbelievable and I hope to get a lot of support," he said.
Also on the horizon for the snooker tour will be South America's first tournament, to be held in Brazil. The growing Asian market will be once again tapped into, this time with Thailand the destination of another new tournament on the calendar. Hearn won't settle with that though, and there is sure to be plenty of other ideas up his sleeve as he looks to expand snooker's growing popularity.
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