RICKY Walden was unable to knock Ronnie O’Sullivan out of the world’s top 16.
The Chester potter, 29, needed to win the 12th and final round of the Players Tour Championship (PTC) series to take the place of the legendary Rocket among the sport’s elite.
But his hopes were dashed by Joe Perry at the Munich event.
His quarter-final exit means Walden remains 18th in the world rankings.
And that means, unlike O’Sullivan and the rest of the top 16, he will have to qualify for the Welsh Open, Haikou World Open and China Open.
Walden was one of 16 players competing in the conclusion of PTC 12 in Germany at the weekend.
He beat Xiao Guodong 4-2 in the fourth round to book his place in the last eight – but that is where his run came to an end as Perry recorded a 4-1 victory.
The world number 26 eventually went down 4-2 to Stephen Maguire in the final.
Walden, who on Saturday will attempt to qualify for the Haikou World Open in South China, finished 15th in the PTC Order of Merit.
As a result he will join the rest of the top 24 at the PTC Grand Finals in Galway, Ireland, in March.
