The draw for this year's snooker Irish Masters has been made and in the expanded 32-man event, Irish number one Ken Doherty faces a difficult assignment against Dave Harold in the opening round. The Masters has traditionally incorporated an elite field of just 12, but now that the tournament enjoys world ranking status, the new look format means top Irish players Michael Judge and Fergal O'Brien must now pre-qualify.
Should Judge come through against Robert Milkins, he will play defending champion John Higgins in the first round, which will be played over the best of 9 frames, rather than the 11 frame matches of the old format.
Filed by Shane Murray
