Asian Classic
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Asian Classic Suntory Asian Classic 
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| Tournament type: | World ranking tournament |
| Attendees: | 414 |
| Venue: | Montien Riverside Hotel, Bangkok , Thailand |
| Opening: | September 9, 1996 |
| Endgame: | September 15, 1996
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| Winner: |
 Ronnie O'Sullivan
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| Finalist: |
Brian Morgan
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| Highest Break: | 135 ( Brian Morgan )
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The Suntory Asian Classic was a snooker tournament that was held from September 9th to 15th, 1996 at the Montien Riverside Hotel in Bangkok . The hotel had already hosted the Thailand Open in the spring . The tournament marked the start of the 1996/97 season and followed the Thailand Classic , which had also taken place in the Thai capital the previous year . In one respect, however, the tournament became more international: Instead of the Thai beer manufacturer Singha , the Japanese spirits and drinks brand Suntory sponsored the tournament.
The Thailand Classic winner John Parrott lost his opening game. Brian Morgan was number 49 in the world rankings and was the big underdog in the final. He put up a big fight for Ronnie O'Sullivan , but in the end it was a 9-8 win for the favorite. It was O'Sullivan's third ranking win.
There was no second edition or a successor to the tournament. From the following season only one tournament was held in Thailand, the Thailand Masters .
Prize money / world ranking points
Compared to the Dubai Classic and Thailand Classic in the past two years there was a slight increase of not quite £ 5,000 in prize money. There were small increases in the round of 16 and in the final qualifying rounds. With the points for the world rankings it was the other way around. There was a significant increase of 960 points for the winner and 340 points for the runner-up. In the lower ranks, however, nothing changed.
| placement | Prize money | Points a |
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| winner | £ 40,000 | 4,560 |
| finalist | £ 22,500 | 3,040 |
| Semi-finalist | £ 11,250 | 2,025 |
| Quarter finalist | £ 6,250 | 1,520 |
| Round of 16 | £ 3,180 | 1,330 |
| Last 32 | £ 2,075 | 1,140 (/ 570) |
| Last 48 | £ 1,130 | 855 (/ 570) |
| Last 64 | £ 1,000 | 640 |
| Last 96 | 665 pounds | 480 (/ 320) |
| Last 128 | - | 360 |
| Round 1-5 | - | 57-270 |
| Highest Break (Final Round) | £ 5,000 | |
| Highest Break (Qualification) | £ 1,000 | |
| All in all | £ 230,000 |
Main tournament
As in the Thailand Classic, there were four wildcard matches before the first round : four local players were given the opportunity to qualify for the main tournament.
Wildcard round
The games of the wildcard round took place at the start of the tournament on September 9th. The four lowest placed qualifiers in the world rankings had to face four selected amateurs. Again not all professionals could prevail, Surathep Phoochalaem was able to secure a place in the main tournament. Game mode for the four games was Best of 9 .
WC = wildcard Final roundThe top 16 of the world rankings were set for round one. Then there were the four winners of the wildcard games and the 12 remaining qualifiers. They were drawn to the top 16. The final was played in best-of-17 mode . Until then, all games were played as Best of 9. WC = wildcard finalBrian Morgan had reached quarterfinals twice in his career by then. After his victory against the world champion and world number one in the round of 16, he managed to march through to the final against other top players. Ronnie O'Sullivan had finals and titles to show, but in the past two seasons he had not reached the final of any ranked tournament. Also against the world number 9. Morgan started bravely and took a 3-0 lead without leaving O'Sullivan a single point. But the favorite caught himself and equaled to 3: 3. Morgan then pulled away again by three frames across sessions, two of which he won with a century break . But again O'Sullivan caught himself again with a 90s break and started a counter series that led to 6: 6. Morgan took the lead twice and would have only needed one frame to win at 8: 7. But O'Sullivan kept his nerve, saved himself in the decider and with a frame-decisive 71-point break he made the last point to 9: 8 victory. It was the only final in a ranked tournament for Morgan, even though he won Masters qualification a month later . It was O'Sullivan's third ranked title and the first of two titles this season.
Century breaksIt was Brian Morgan's tournament with the only blemish that he lost the decisive frame in the final. Three century breaks in the final weren't enough to win. This included the highest TV break of 135 points. In the qualification he had already achieved two Centurys, also there the highest with 146 points, which is achieved even less often than a “perfect” maximum break . £ 5,000 + £ 1,000 earned him the two highest breaks in extra bonuses. Morgan scored 6 of a total of 33 three-digit breaks in the tournament, and another 21 players contributed to the overall balance. In the main tournament there were 12 Centurys divided between 7 players, in the qualification 21 of 16 different players. Main tournament
qualification
swell
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