After a pulsating UK Championship Final a week last Sunday between Judd Trump and Barry Hawkins where the Bristolian won 10-8, the sport mourned the passing of the 1979 World champion, Terry Griffiths.
‘Griff’ was a giant of the game, not just on the table but off it too. The triple crown winner was an inspirational mentor and coach to many of the game’s stars down the years including Stephen Hendry, Mark Allen, Ding Junhui and Mark Williams. Knowledge wise, the Llanelli man was the cream of the crop.
I’m sure at this week’s Scottish Open he will be remembered as fondly as his compatriot Ray Reardon, who passed away in July.
Griffiths’ last two finals as professional came in the Scottish Masters of 1989 and 1990, losing on both occasions to Stephen Hendry, whose name is on this week’s trophy in Edinburgh.
Gary Wilson has lifted the trophy for the past two years and is back to try for a hatrick of titles. Apart from a quarter-final out in Nanjing for the International Championship, his form coming into this week isn’t too dissimilar to the past two years. He will look for some inner inspiration again.
I expect there to be a late withdrawal from Ronnie O’Sullivan here. He did so last year and though he attended the English Open in September, it was on his doorstep in Essex where he proceeded to play left handed throughout in a loss to He Guoqiang. Ronnie will have his sights on a ninth Masters in January.
The big recipient here could be Pang Junxu who was due to face O’Sullivan in round two. Pang is up to a career high 26th in the world rankings and is 18th on the one-year list.
As consistent as any Chinese player on tour, he has a small disappointment to overcome this week after failing to qualify for the UK Championship in York, losing out to Stan Moody. That’s his first real blip on what’s been, not just a very encouraging season, but few years since becoming rookie of the year in 2021.
Pang made the semi-final of the last Home Nations event this season in Belfast. Pang beat Yuan Sijun, Luca Brecel, Martin O’Donnell and Neil Robertson on route before current world champion, Kyren Wilson beat him narrowly 6-4.
Pang is clearly a fan of this format. He made last seasons Welsh Open semi-final and at an identical format at the WST Classic last March, made his first ranking final losing to Mark Selby. Since the beginning of the 2022/23 season, he’s played 35 best-of-seven and won 23 of them, with four of his losses coming via a decider.
He wouldn’t have met him until the quarter-final stage but Judd Trump withdrew from this event on Wednesday which can’t be seen as a negative.
Pang is a laser focused individual who has an all-round game that can cope with any player on tour.
I see no reason to disregard him in the capital and he’s 22/1 for glory.
Perhaps John Higgins will be the happiest player in this quarter 3 due to not having to get past his nemesis Trump. Higgins won this event back-to-back in 1995 and 1996 then made further finals in 1998, 2016 and 2021. The big Celtic fan will be desperate to win a first ranking title in three years and incredibly 30 years on from his first back in 1994.
He’s not becoming a nearly man, he sadly is one and as great a player that he is, I wonder if he will ever win that 32nd ranking title. I can happily bypass him at 12/1.
The player to take advantage might be another Chinese youngster, Wu Yize who looks a lot more appealing at 25/1. Like most Chinese, it took the former World Under 21 champion a while to adjust to pro life but finished the 2021/22 season as rookie of the year.
It’s been a constant progression there on in from the 21-year-old, making a quarter-final at the 2022 European Masters, the semi-final of the 2023 Wuhan Open and earlier this season the final of the English Open where he lost valiantly 9-7 to Neil Robertson. Wu could hardly have had a harder route to the final either; Stuart Bingham, Ali Carter, Ben Woollaston and Judd Trump. In the last four, he beat India’s Ishpreet Chadha 6-0 who he’ll face in round two providing he comes through his opener with Farakh Ajaib.
Wu’s scoring power is another feather in his cap. He’s already struck 18 centuries this season after just nine all of last season. Having that to fall back on if you are in trouble really is a bonus.
I also like his resilience. A few weeks before his 5-3 win over Trump in Brentwood, he had led 4-0 against the same player out in Saudi Arabia and went on to lose 5-4. Many players would have caved in, but not Wu.
I think he’s got a fair chance of backing up the English Open run in Scotland.
