White And Fu Awarded Invitational Tour Cards

Six-time World Championship finalist Jimmy White and three-time ranking arena victor Marco Fu person been awarded invitational circuit cards to play connected nan World Snooker Tour for nan adjacent 2 seasons.

Englishman White, 62, and Hong Kong's Fu, 47, were progressive successful qualifying for this year's World Championship but failed to scope nan main draw successful Sheffield.

One of nan astir celebrated players successful snooker's history, White won nan 1984 Masters and nan 1992 UK Championship but ne'er lifted nan sport's biggest prize.

He was a runner-up successful six Crucible finals successful nan abstraction of 11 years, including 5 successful a statement betwixt 1990 and 1994.

Fu has reached finals astatine some nan Masters and nan UK Championship, while he doubly sewage to nan past 4 of nan World Championship.

In a associated statement, World Snooker Tour president Steve Dawson and WPBSA president Jason Ferguson said: "Jimmy and Marco person some been unthinkable ambassadors for snooker and they some proceed to bring truthful overmuch to our sport.

"They some stay very competitory arsenic players. Marco only conscionable missed retired connected a apical 64 ranking this play and Jimmy enjoyed immoderate good wins, notably beating Jackson Page and Hossein Vafaei astatine nan Northern Ireland Open.

"They some person a immense passion for snooker and galore millions of fans worldwide."