The world number one participated in Group Seven of the championship on Wednesday in Leicester, having won both of his opening two matches by the same score of 3-2 over Sam Craigie and Elliot Slessor.
He lost 3-0 to Jak Jones in his third round, and he still had two matches left. He then lost 3-2 to Joe O’Connor in his following encounter.
The Rocket, however, has withdrawn, according to tournament organizers, who verified this on Wednesday night. The six players who are still in the group will play until the finish on Thursday.
The other two players in the group are Pang Junxu and Jordan Brown. The six men will compete to advance to the Winners’ Group.
With berths already reserved by Stuart Bingham, Chris Wakelin, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, John Higgins, and Kyren Wilson, it’s the final chance to qualify for the Winners’ Group, which is scheduled for March 12–13.
O’Sullivan will next go to Saudi Arabia to compete in the World Masters of Snooker, a high-profile invitational tournament that begins on Monday in Riyadh.
O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Allen, Mark Selby, Luca Brecel, Shaun Murphy, Ali Carter, Mark Williams, and Omar Alajlani of Saudi Arabia and Ali Alobaidli of Qatar are the two wildcards joining the top eight players in the world.
In addition to offering a prize of £250,000 to the victor, the tournament will include the new golden ball, which will enable a new 167 break.
The ball will be on the table at the beginning of each frame, but it cannot be potted until a 147 break, which is worth 20 points and results in a 167.
The gold ball will be taken from the table if a 147 cannot be made during that frame.
