5-1 O'Sullivan looks big to star in his Far East season-opener

Hong Kong Masters
starts 7am Thursday

A stellar line-up have accepted the invitation to play in the Hong Kong Masters, which starts early on Thursday morning, and that is hardly surprising given the lucrative £315,000 prize pool up for grabs over this ultra-short format.

Every year it becomes rarer to see Ronnie O'Sullivan strut his stuff on foreign soil, so his acceptance is automatically noteworthy for punters, especially with him available at 5-1 to win just three matches.

The opposition is almost as good as it can be and this is the Rocket's seasonal bow, but he remains a force and at the prices he is worth taking a chance on.

O'Sullivan is a regular on the exhibition circuit and possesses bundles of experience having turned professional in 1992, so his lack of recent competitive action at this early stage of the season is almost redundant as a factor.

World champion Mark Selby heads the betting and has arguably one of the easier assignments in the first round facing inconsistent Aussie Neil Robertson.

Local hope Marco Fu has continued to climb the rankings in recent seasons and the Happy Valley man has slotted in at world number five.

He could be of interest at double-figure prices for those looking for a more exotic selection, but O'Sullivan's lively price means he simply cannot be ignored.

Recommendation
R O'Sullivan
2pts 5-1 bet365, Betfred, Sky Bet