Canadian Masters

Canadian Masters

Tournament status
Ranking tournament:	1988
Minor ranking tournament:	-
Invitation tournament:	1985-1987
Tournament dates of the last edition
Venue:	Minkler Auditorium , Toronto
Prize money (total):	199,992 ₤
Prize money (winner):	£ 40,000
Frames in the final:	Best of 17
Records
Most wins:	Cliff Thorburn  (4 ×)
Highest Break:	146 John Spencer 1977
Venue (s) on the map
Toronto

The Canadian Masters was a professional snooker tournament that was part of the Snooker Main Tour between 1974 and 1980 as the Canadian Open and between 1985 and 1988 as the Canadian Masters .

history

Canadian Open

In 1974 were in Canadian Toronto the under Canadian National Exhibition for the first time hosted the Canadian Open. In addition to five professional players, eleven, mostly Canadian, amateur players took part in the tournament. In the final, local hero Cliff Thorburn defeated Northern Irish Dennis Taylor . The tournament took place again a year later, this time with eight professionals and eight amateurs. In addition to a prize money increase, there was prize money for all players and, for the first time, a prize for the highest break. In the final, the Northern Irishman Alex Higgins defeated the multiple world champion John Pulman .

Also in 1976 Higgins was in the final, but he lost to the Englishman John Spencer . In addition to a slight decrease in the prize money, the price for the highest break has also been abolished. Furthermore, with Bernie Mikkelsen and Stan Holden , amateur players played Centurys for the first time, with Mikkelsen not only reaching the semi-finals with a 141 break but also setting a new record for the highest break. This was stopped immediately in 1977 when John Spencer just missed a maximum break with a 146 break . In a new edition of the 1976 final, Higgins defeated Spencer this time, so that Higgins was the record winner with two wins from then on. In addition, the prize money was increased by around £ 3,000 , so that the prize money was £ 7,154, and this time nine professionals and therefore seven amateurs took part in the tournament instead of eight.

In the following year the number of participants was increased from 16 to 18, at the same time the number of amateurs was increased to ten, with which eight professionals took part in the tournament. In addition, on the one hand the prize money increase of the previous year was reversed and on the other hand the prize money for all participants was abolished, so that the £ 4,103 went only to the winner and finalist. For the first time, an amateur made it to the final with Tony Meo , where he failed at 15:17 to Cliff Thorburn , so that Thorburn drew level with Higgins. The following year Thorburn defended his title so that he became the sole record winner. With a significantly larger field of 39 players, 17 professionals played against 22 amateurs, with only the winners and finalists receiving prize money, which was also reduced by a quarter.

With the cue manufacturer Dufferin Cue, the Canadian Open got a sponsor for the first time in 1980. At the same time, the prize money was increased by 30% and spread again to all participants. The number of participants decreased to 24, with 16 professionals and eight amateurs taking part. For the third time in a row and for the fourth time overall, Cliff Thorburn won, who defeated Terry Griffiths in the final. However, with the end of the 1980s, the Canadian Open was abolished as it clashed with the earlier start of the season in Great Britain.

Canadian Masters

In 1985, the tournament was revived as an invitational tournament under the name Canadian Masters . The field of eight professional players played in the studios of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in Toronto. In the final there was a new edition of the World Cup final in 1985 , so that Dennis Taylor won his first title at the tournament. The tournament, sponsored by table manufacturer BCE, had significantly more prize money than the Canadian Open, with a prize pool of £ 47,500. After Ray Reardon had played the highest break with a 133 break in 1985 , Steve Davis played the second highest break in tournament history with a 143 break in 1986. Last year's finalist Davis defeated Willie Thorne in the final and won his first Canadian Masters title. In addition to a further increase in the prize money to £ 62,497, an extra price was again introduced for the highest break. In 1987 the tournament became part of the World Series , which increased the prize pool to £ 75,000. The sponsor also changed, now the Labatt Brewing Company sponsored the tournament. Dennis Taylor won his second title, at the same time he played the highest break of the tournament with a 127 break, for which there was again no prize money.

When held in 1988, the tournament was the first North American snooker tournament to influence the world snooker rankings . As a result, the field has increased to 126 and the prize money to almost £ 200,000 - including a prize for the highest break. While the qualification in England and the round of 32 took place in the Chinos Hotel , the remainder of the tournament was held in the Minkler Auditorium with around 1000 seats. The tournament, which was again sponsored by BCE, was won by Jimmy White by beating Steve Davis 9-4. Dennis Taylor played the highest break again , this time with a 132 break. Nevertheless, the tournament was abolished with the start of the next season.

winner

year	venue	winner	Result	finalist	Main sponsor	season
Canadian Open (non-ranking tournament)
1974	Toronto	Cliff Thorburn	8: 6	Dennis Taylor	-	1974/75
1975		Alex Higgins	15: 7	John Pulman		1975/76
1976		John Spencer	17: 9	Alex Higgins		1976/77
1977		Alex Higgins	17:14	John Spencer		1977/78
1978		Cliff Thorburn	17:15	Tony Meo		1978/79
1979		Cliff Thorburn	17:16	Terry Griffiths		1979/80
1980		Cliff Thorburn	17:10	Terry Griffiths	Dufferin cue	1980/81
Canadian Masters (invitation tournament)
1985	Toronto CBC TV Studios	Dennis Taylor	9: 5	Steve Davis	BCE	1985/86
1986		Steve Davis	9: 3	Willie Thorne		1986/87
1987		Dennis Taylor	9: 7	Jimmy White	Labatt's	1987/88
Canadian Masters (ranked tournament)
1988	Toronto - Minkler Auditorium	Jimmy White	9: 4	Steve Davis	BCE	1988/89

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} Chris Turner: Canadian Open / Canadian Masters - World Ranking and Invitation Events. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive, 2011, archived from the original on April 18, 2016 ; accessed on March 26, 2019 (English).  
2. ↑ Ron Florax: 1974 Canadian Open. CueTracker.net, accessed March 26, 2019 .  
3. ^ Ron Florax: 1975 Canadian Open. CueTracker.net, accessed March 26, 2019 .  
4. ^ Ron Florax: 1975 Canadian Open - Finishes. CueTracker.net, accessed March 26, 2019 .  
5. ^ Ron Florax: 1976 Canadian Open. CueTracker.net, accessed March 26, 2019 .  
6. ^ Ron Florax: 1976 Canadian Open - Finishes. CueTracker.net, accessed March 26, 2019 .  
7. ^ Ron Florax: 1977 Canadian Open. CueTracker.net, accessed March 26, 2019 .  
8. ^ Ron Florax: 1977 Canadian Open - Finishes. CueTracker.net, accessed March 26, 2019 .  
9. ^ Ron Florax: 1978 Canadian Open. CueTracker.net, accessed March 26, 2019 .  
10. ^ Ron Florax: 1978 Canadian Open - Finishes. CueTracker.net, accessed March 26, 2019 .  
11. ^ Ron Florax: 1979 Canadian Open. CueTracker.net, accessed March 26, 2019 .  
12. ^ Ron Florax: 1979 Canadian Open - Finishes. CueTracker.net, accessed March 26, 2019 .  
13. ^ Ron Florax: 1980 Canadian Open. CueTracker.net, accessed March 26, 2019 .  
14. ^ Ron Florax: 1980 Canadian Open - Finishes. CueTracker.net, accessed March 26, 2019 .  
15. ↑ Ron Florax: 1985 Canadian Masters. CueTracker.net, accessed March 26, 2019 .  
16. ^ Ron Florax: 1985 Canadian Masters - Finishes. CueTeacker.net, accessed on March 26, 2019 .  
17. ^ Ron Florax: 1986 Canadian Masters. CueTracker.net, accessed March 26, 2019 .  
18. ^ Ron Florax: 1986 Canadian Masters - Finishes. CueTracker.net, accessed March 26, 2019 .  
19. ↑ Ron Florax: 1987 Canadian Masters. Cuetracker.net, accessed on March 26, 2019 .  
20. ↑ Ron Florax: 1987 Canadian Masters - Finishes. Cuetracker.net, accessed on March 26, 2019 .  
21. ↑ ^{a b} Ron Florax: 1988 Canadian Masters. Cuetracker.net, accessed on July 16, 2018 .  
22. ↑ Ron Florax: 1988 Canadian Masters - Finishes. Cuetracker.net, accessed on July 16, 2018 .