Snooker's new tour explained

The start of 2003/2004 season heralds the beginning of the LG Electronics Tour and a new Order of Merit.

LG ELECTRONICS TOUR Tournaments: LG Cup, British Open, UK Championship, Welsh Open, European Open, Irish Masters, Players Championship Points system: Last 128: 0, Last 96: 1, Last 80: 5, Last 64: 10, Last 48: 20, Last 32: 30, Last 16: 40, Quarter-finalists: 50, Semi-finalists: 60, Runner-up: 70, Winner: 100

The tour comprises of seven events and culminates in the Players Championship.

The LG Cup is the first event on the tour where all 128 players involved can start winning Order of Merit points as they bid for the end-of-season prize of £50,000.

Players ranked outside the top 64 start in the first round, while top 16 players are seeded through to the last 32.

No one can earn any points without winning their first match.

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Points accumulated in the final event, April's Players Championship, will be doubled.

Both the Masters and the World Championship remain separate from the main tour, while the official world ranking points system will still be in place.