THE finals of next week’s Australian Snooker Goldfields Open are almost sold out.Organisers of the inaugural tournament, which brings 32 of the world’s best snooker players to Bendigo, have released extra seating for the finals because of the weight of bookings.The semi-finals and final, which will be held on Saturday, July 23 and Sunday, July 24, have only limited seats available.Friday’s two sessions are also selling strongly.Bendigo Stadium will host the tournament, starting on Monday morning. There will be two sessions of play each day starting at 1pm and 7.30pm.City of Greater Bendigo major events manager John Rossi said the staging of the Goldfields Open was a major coup for Bendigo.“It’s also a fantastic opportunity for local residents to attend an international, not-to-be-missed major sporting event featuring the world’s best in their own city,” Mr Rossi said.The field includes Australian star Neil Robertson, who sprung to prominence when he won last year’s world championship.England’s Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy will be keen to topple Scotland’s John Higgins, who won this year’s world championship in Sheffield. Asia will have a strong representation in Bendigo, headlined by Chinese star Ding Junhui.Bendigo’s snooker fraternity is getting behind the event by supplying volunteers to help with the day-to-day running of the tournament.Golden Square Snooker and Billiards Club president Geoff Gouge said the championship would help lift the status of the sport in Bendigo.“It’s fantastic for Bendigo and the sport,’’ he said.“We hope this event will help us generate some interest in snooker and billiards in Bendigo.“Even if we only get four extra people into snooker or billiards, that’s an extra team.“It should be a great week.”Tickets for the Australian Snooker Goldfields Open can be booked at the Bendigo Stadium.