In Saudi Arabia, Ronnie O’Sullivan has already been thoroughly humiliated by the snooker “golden ball.”

There will be a new golden snooker ball at this week’s Saudi Arabian competition.

The Riyadh Season World Masters last week created a stir when a new golden snooker ball was unveiled for the competition. Ronnie O’Sullivan and a few other celebrities have the chance to set a new record maximum break of 167 in Saudi Arabia, which is worth 20 points.

Topping the jackpot at £395,000, the first player to pot the golden ball and make a 167 break is up for grabs. According to the rules, hitting the 23rd ball on the table will result in a foul if it is hit any other time other than following a 147 break.

After a 147, all eyes will be on the player who can make the difficult shot, with the golden ball put in line with the brown along the baulk cushion. The amount of money up for grabs is really tempting, since it’s almost the same as the £500,000 awarded to the winner of the World Championship on May 6.

It will be World Snooker Tour history if any of O’Sullivan, Luca Brecel, Judd Trump, Mark Allen, Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy, Mark Williams, Ali Carter, John Higgins, Ding Junhui, Omar Alajlani, or Ali Alobaidli manages a 167.

On the other hand, the world of snooker has witnessed golden balls before. The late Tom O’Connor hosted a game show called “Pick Pockets” in 1988 with a snooker theme. The show featured a brand-new, thrilling golden ball.

A loud cheer went up and a glittering golden ball was set down on the blue area after former professional player David Taylor finished the show’s mission of clearing the table. Taylor managed to position the cue inside the D and made the first-ever attempt at a stroke on a golden ball.