Jimmy White is at risk of being dumped from the World Snooker Tour (WST) after dropping to a lowly No. 93 in the rankings. The snooker icon was beaten in World Championship qualifying and now faces losing his professional status.
White was beaten 10-5 by Ashley Carty in the second round of qualifying in Sheffield. The 62-year-old has not made the main draw since 2006 but his latest defeat may have serious implications beyond his participation in snooker’s biggest event. Only the top 64 players in the two-year rankings – in addition to four who are not safe from the one-year list – automatically gain a tour card for the next two years.
In 2023, White regained his tour card because he was one of those four players who were not safe from the one-year rankings list. He had enjoyed an excellent season, which included qualifying for the UK Championship.
This year has been tough for the Whirlwind and it seems unlikely that he will earn a tour card through that avenue this time around. There was only one ranking event – the Northern Ireland Open – in which White reached the last 32.
A former world No. 2 who won 10 ranking titles, White’s best opportunity to win a tour card could come from the generosity of either the WST or the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. They sometimes hand out discretionary Invitational Tour Cards and White has benefitted from this twice before.
Alternatively, he could go back to Q School to win back his right to tour professionally.
White recently told former rival Stephen Hendry that he planned to play for a further three years. “For me to still be able to play and compete now is like a godsend,” he said on the Scot’s Cue Tips YouTube channel.
“I’m going to play for another three years, and if I don’t win a tournament I’m going to stop. I’m 62. People think, ‘Why are you doing it? You’re nuts’.”
White was diagnosed with ADHD over a year ago and confessed that it has helped him come to terms with some of the thoughts he experiences during matches.
He told the Metro: “I got diagnosed with ADHD about 18 months ago. Years ago when I was taking drugs and drinking I compressed that a little bit without knowing, because my attitude was win or lose I’ll have a booze, that’s how it was in the 80s. So there was a few missed opportunities but I’m not disappointed in that.
“Now I know that I don’t have 10-15 thoughts going on so I can focus. But I needed a bit of [Peter] Ebdon strength just to keep me cool when I’m playing. [Getting the diagnosis was] nuts. Completely nuts. I used to think, ‘What’s going on here? Shall I do this? Shall I do that?’”
