Betting company Coral has retained title sponsorship rights to the Shoot-Out snooker competition through an extended agreement with the World Snooker governing body.
The two-year agreement covers the 2017 and 2018 editions of the tournament, which will continue to be officially known as the Coral Shoot-Out.
“Snooker’s ever-growing audience, both in terms of fans in the arenas and television viewers, ensures that as title sponsor Coral will generate tremendous exposure for their brand,” World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn said.
The 2016 edition of the Shoot-Out took place at The Hexagon in Reading, England from February 12-14. Finland’s Robin Hull (pictured) won the event, which marked Coral’s first as title sponsor.
Next year’s Shoot-Out takes place from February 23-26 and, for the first time, the tournament will act as a world ranking event. A total of 128 players will compete for a shared prize fund of £146,000 (€168,000/$188,000).
The Shoot-Out features a one-frame knock out format with all matches lasting a maximum of 10 minutes, using a shot clock of 15 seconds for the first five minutes and 10 seconds for the last five.