Ronnie O'Sullivan is BOOED by angry snooker fans at the Scottish Open after making last-minute withdrawal
- The seven-time world champion withdrew from the Scottish Open at late notice
- Ronnie O'Sullivan was set to play in an opening match against Xing Zihao
- Fans were left angered as O'Sullivan pulled out of the Edinburgh competition
Ronnie O'Sullivan's absence at the Scottish Open was met by a chorus of furious boos from supporters after the snooker icon decided to withdraw from the competition at the last minute.
The 49-year-old was set to appear in a first-round opening match against Xing Zihao on Tuesday evening before making a late decision to pull out of the tournament.
O'Sullivan waited until less than 24 hours before he was set to take to the table at Meadowbank Sports Centre in Edinburgh to inform tournament organisers that he wouldn't be playing.
The news sparked anger and shock amongst supporters who have become incensed with the serial world champion's actions over the past year that has seen him withdraw from other tournaments.
O'Sullivan has already missed the British Open, Wuhan Open, and Northern Ireland Open during the current campaign and previously pulled out of the Scottish Open again last year.
There was no reason offered by the seven-time world champion for his sudden absence that allowed Zihao to be given a bye to the next round of the competition.
Ronnie O'Sullivan's absence at the Scottish Open was met by a chorus of furious boos from supporters
The 49-year-old was set to appear in a first-round opening match on Tuesday evening
O'Sullivan will miss the chance to claim the £100,000 prize money on offer at the Scottish Open, but will feature at next week's 12-man Riyadh Season Snooker Championship that gives players a chance at banking over £700k.
His withdrawal from the Edinburgh event was a heavy blow for paying punters to take after world No.1 Judd Trump and three-time world champion Mark Williams also pulled out.
One paying ticketholder who had dreamed at watching O'Sullivan in live competition labelled the controversial figure as an 'absolute disgrace' for withdrawing so late.
'I can't believe Ronnie has pulled out of the tournament. I got the train from Inverness and have tickets for his opening match,' the aggrieved fan told the Edinburgh news.
O'Sullivan will miss the chance to claim the £100,000 prize money on offer at the Scottish Open
'He's an absolute disgrace for doing this hours before he was meant to play. It cost me a fortune.'
Meanwhile, one possible explanation for O'Sullivan's decision could be his preference to compete overseas instead of in the United Kingdom.
He previously glamorised the support received in Asia in contrast to the UK, stating last year: “Some of the tournaments in the UK don't feel special. For me, I want to play in the best tournaments with the best crowds.
'I feel like I get more support and people like me better here in Asia than they do in my own country,' he added.
