Barry Hearn has made a huge difference to the way World Snooker and the sport in general is now viewed. A couple of months ago you would find it hard to get excited about the future of the game but now it seems to be buzzing as one tournament rolls into another.
Todays announcement that the China Open sponsor will be Sanyuan Foods is now the third major sponsor that the chairman has produced since his appointment to the position. It's also good to see that the sport can attract more than just the gambling industry as a sponsor.
The qualifiers for the China Open get underway on Tuesday in Prestatyn and all the live scores can be followed on Global-Snooker here.... The final stages will then be held in Beijing Students University Stadium from the 29th March to the 4th of April.
