John Higgins facts for kids
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Higgins at the 2014 German Masters
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| Born | 18 May 1975 Wishaw, Lanarkshire, Scotland |
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| Sport country |  Scotland |
| Professional | 1992–present |
| Highest ranking | 1 (May 1998 – May 2000, May 2007 – May 2008, May–September 2010, December 2010 – May 2011) |
| Current ranking | 4 (as of 8 May 2018) |
| Tournament wins | |
| Ranking | 33 |
| Minor-ranking | 3 |
| World Champion |
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John Higgins is a famous Scottish professional snooker player. He was born on May 18, 1975, in Wishaw, Scotland. Since he became a professional player in 1992, he has won many important titles. He is known as one of the greatest snooker players ever.
John Higgins has won the World Snooker Championship four times. He has also won the UK Championship three times and the Masters twice. These three tournaments are called the "Triple Crown" events. Winning them shows how skilled a player is. John Higgins has won nine Triple Crown titles in total. This puts him among the top players in snooker history. He was also ranked the world number one player four times.
In 1994, just two years after starting his professional career, John Higgins won his first big tournament. He was the first teenager to win three ranking events in one season. He reached his first Triple Crown final in 1995 at the Masters, but he lost to Ronnie O'Sullivan. In 1998, he won his first World Championship. He beat Ken Doherty in the final.
John Higgins continued to win major titles. He won the UK Championship in 1998 and 2000. He also won the Masters in 1999. He won the World Championship again in 2007 and 2009. He also won the UK Championship in 2009 and 2010, and the Masters in 2006.
In 2010, there were some serious claims against John Higgins and his manager. They were accused of agreeing to lose parts of matches for money. An investigation found that John Higgins did not agree to lose matches. However, he was found guilty of making it seem like he might break the rules about betting. He also failed to report that someone had approached him about it. Because of this, he was banned from playing for six months and had to pay a fine.
After his ban, John Higgins returned to snooker and won his fourth World Championship in 2011. Even though he continued to play well, his results became less consistent. He reached three World Championship finals in a row from 2017 to 2019, but he lost each time. In the 2021–22 season, he reached five finals but lost them all. In the 2024–25 season, he won two ranking events, which was his best season since 2015.
John Higgins made his 1,000th century break in 2024. A century break is when a player scores 100 points or more in one turn. He is only the second player to reach this amazing milestone. He has also made 13 maximum breaks in his career. A maximum break is the highest possible score in one turn (147 points). He holds the record for being the oldest player to make a maximum break, at 48 years old. He also holds the record for the longest time between his first and most recent ranking tournament wins, which is over 30 years. John Higgins is part of the "Class of '92," a group of three famous players who all became professional in 1992. The other two are Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Williams.
Contents
Becoming a Professional Snooker Player
Early Career and First Big Wins
John Higgins started playing snooker as an amateur. In 1991, he played against Mark Williams in two junior finals. Higgins won the World Junior Masters, and Williams won the British Junior Championship. The next year, Higgins became a professional player.
In his first professional season, he reached the quarter-finals of the 1993 British Open. He was only 19 years old when he won his first major title, the 1994 Grand Prix. In the same season, he won two more big tournaments: the 1995 International Open and the 1995 British Open. This made him the first teenager to win three ranking events in one season.
He also reached the finals of the 1995 Welsh Open and the 1995 Masters, but he lost both. When he first played in the World Snooker Championship in 1995, he lost in the first round. Later that year, he won his fourth ranking title at the 1995 German Open.
More Success and First World Title
In 1996, John Higgins won the International Open again. He also reached the quarter-finals of the 1996 World Snooker Championship, where he lost a very close match to Ronnie O'Sullivan. At the 1996 UK Championship, he reached the final but lost to the world champion, Stephen Hendry, in a deciding frame.
He won his sixth ranking title at the 1997 European Open. He also won the 1997 German Open, which was his seventh ranking title. In 1998, he won his eighth ranking title at the British Open.
At the 1998 World Snooker Championship, John Higgins played incredibly well. He beat several top players, including Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-finals. In the final, he defeated the defending champion Ken Doherty to win his first World Championship. This was his ninth ranking title. He made a record 14 century breaks during that tournament. After this big win, John Higgins became the world number one player. He ended Stephen Hendry's eight-year streak at the top.
After Becoming World Champion
Winning More Titles
In the 1998–99 season, John Higgins won the 1998 UK Championship and the 1999 Masters. By winning the UK, Masters, and World Championships, he completed a "career Triple Crown." This means he had won all three major snooker titles at least once. He was only the third player to hold all three titles at the same time.
John Higgins was the world number one for two seasons. He continued to win, including the 1999 Grand Prix and his second UK Championship in 2000. In 2001, he reached his second World Championship final but lost to Ronnie O'Sullivan. At the start of the 2001–02 season, he became the first player to win the first three tournaments of a season.
For a few years, John Higgins didn't win as many major titles. Some people thought he was distracted by becoming a father. But he soon found his top form again.
Amazing Comebacks and Wins
In the 2005 Grand Prix final, John Higgins beat Ronnie O'Sullivan easily. He became the first player to make four century breaks in a row in a ranking event. He also scored a record 494 points without his opponent scoring any. Ronnie O'Sullivan said he had "never seen anything like it."
Higgins and O'Sullivan also played in two Masters finals in 2005 and 2006. Higgins lost in 2005. But in 2006, he made an amazing comeback. He was losing 0–3, then won five frames in a row. In the deciding frame, O'Sullivan missed a shot, and Higgins cleared the table to win 10–9. This was his second Masters title.
Second and Third World Titles
At the 2007 World Snooker Championship, John Higgins had another incredible run. He beat Ronnie O'Sullivan and Stephen Maguire on his way to the final. Against Maguire, he was losing 10–14 but came back to win 17–15. In the final, he beat Mark Selby 18–13 to win his second World title. This win also made him world number one again.
In 2008, he won the Grand Prix for the fourth time. This was his first ranking tournament win in his home country, Scotland.
At the 2009 World Snooker Championship, John Higgins had some very close matches. His second-round and quarter-final matches both went to the very last frame, with Higgins winning 13–12. In the final, he beat Shaun Murphy 18–9 to win his third World title. This made him one of only nine players to win the World title three or more times.
In the 2009–10 season, he reached the final of the UK Championship but lost. He won the Welsh Open title by beating Ali Carter. He ended the season as world number one, even though he lost in the second round of the World Championship.
Challenges and Fourth World Title
Suspension and Return
In May 2010, John Higgins faced serious claims. A newspaper claimed he and his manager were involved in match-fixing. Higgins immediately said he was innocent. He explained that he had gone along with the conversation because he was worried about his safety.
An investigation was launched. The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) found that Higgins had told the truth. The serious charges of match-fixing were dropped. However, he was found guilty of making it seem like he would break betting rules. He was also found guilty of not reporting the approach to the authorities. Higgins was banned from playing for six months and fined £75,000.
John Higgins returned to professional snooker in November 2010. He quickly won a tournament, the Ruhr Championship. He then reached the final of the next event, the Prague Classic. At the 2010 UK Championship, he made an amazing comeback in the final. He was losing 2–7 and then 5–9 against Mark Williams. But he fought back to win 10–9. Because of these wins, he became world number one again.
In early 2011, Higgins had to withdraw from a tournament because his father was very ill. His father sadly passed away from cancer. A short time later, Higgins won the Welsh Open, dedicating his victory to his late father.
Winning His Fourth World Title
At the 2011 World Snooker Championship, John Higgins played brilliantly. He beat Stephen Lee, Rory McLeod, and Ronnie O'Sullivan. In the semi-finals, he beat Mark Williams. In the final, he defeated Judd Trump 18–15 to win his fourth World title. After this win, snooker legend Steve Davis said, "I think John Higgins is the best snooker player I've ever seen in my life."
Later Career (2011–Present)
After winning his fourth World title, John Higgins' form became a bit less consistent. In the 2011–12 season, he didn't win any major ranking events. He reached the semi-finals of the Masters but lost. He admitted he hadn't practiced much. At the 2012 World Championship, he lost in the second round.
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In the 2012–13 season, he won his 25th ranking title at the Shanghai Masters. He made a maximum break in the final of that tournament. He also won a smaller tournament, the Kay Suzanne Memorial Trophy. However, he didn't have much success in other big events that season. He lost in the first round of the 2013 World Snooker Championship. He said he was starting to doubt if he could stay at the top.
In 2013, he won the Bulgarian Open. He also reached the final of the Wuxi Classic but lost to Neil Robertson. For a while, he struggled with his game. He even changed his snooker cue several times, trying to find his best form.
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By 2014, John Higgins said he had been feeling very down about his game. But he felt he was starting to play better. He reached the quarter-finals of the 2014 Masters, but lost. He also reached the quarter-finals of the Welsh Open and the Players Tour Championship Finals. He lost in the first round of the 2014 World Championship. He even said he felt like "a journeyman top-16 player now," meaning he didn't see himself as a top contender anymore.
However, John Higgins proved himself wrong. In 2015, he won his fourth Welsh Open title, his first ranking title in two and a half years. He then won the 2015 Australian Goldfields Open and the 2015 International Championship. These wins put him level with Steve Davis for the total number of ranking titles won.
In 2016, he reached the semi-finals of the China Open. At the 2016 World Snooker Championship, he reached the quarter-finals but lost. He said he "cracked under pressure."
Later in 2016, John Higgins won the China Championship, earning a large prize. He also won the Champion of Champions tournament, beating Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final. He made his eighth maximum break in the 2016 Northern Ireland Open. He reached the final of the 2016 Scottish Open but lost. In 2017, he won the non-ranking Championship League.
At the 2017 World Snooker Championship, John Higgins reached his first World final in six years. At 41, he was the oldest finalist in 35 years. He played Mark Selby in a rematch of the 2007 final. Higgins took a big lead, but Selby made a comeback, and Higgins lost 15–18.
Recent Years (2017–Present)
John Higgins continued to win. He won the 2017 Indian Open and his 30th ranking event at the 2018 Welsh Open. He also reached the final of the 2018 World Snooker Championship, but lost to Mark Williams. In 2019, he reached the World Championship final again, but lost to Judd Trump. This was his third World Championship final in a row and his eighth overall.
In 2019, John Higgins passed Stephen Hendry's record for career century breaks. He made his 800th career century in 2020.
In the 2020–21 season, Higgins reached the Masters final but lost. On February 28, 2021, he defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan in the Players Championship final. This was his 31st ranking title and his first in three years. He said it was the "best week of [his] snooker career" because of how well he played. In one match, he beat Mark Selby 6–0, outscoring him by a huge margin.
Before the 2021–22 season, John Higgins lost a lot of weight. He reached several finals that season but lost them all. He lost the 2021 Northern Ireland Open final, the 2021 English Open final, the 2021 Scottish Open final, and the 2021 Champion of Champions final. He also lost the 2022 Tour Championship final after being five frames ahead. He admitted these losses would leave "real mental scars." At the 2022 World Championship, he reached the semi-finals but lost to Ronnie O'Sullivan.
In 2024, John Higgins reached the quarter-finals of the World Championship. In September 2024, he made his 1000th career century at the English Open. He is only the second player to achieve this, after Ronnie O'Sullivan. He was also runner-up at the 2024 British Open.
In 2025, John Higgins won his 32nd ranking event at the World Open. At 49 years old, he became the oldest player to win a ranking title since 1982. He then won his second title of the 2024–25 season at the Tour Championship, beating Mark Selby in the final. He reached the quarter-finals of the 2025 World Snooker Championship, but lost a very close match to Mark Williams.
Personal Life
John Higgins married his childhood sweetheart, Denise Whitton, in 2000. They have three children together. He is a big fan of the football club Celtic F.C. and also supports Everton. He enjoys playing poker in his free time.
In 2008, John Higgins was given an award called the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his achievements.
In 2010, John Higgins appeared on the BBC show Celebrity Mastermind, where he answered questions about the TV series Dallas. He also appeared on ITV's Mr. and Mrs. with his wife Denise. They won £30,000 and donated it to a hospice that cared for his father.
A study at the University of Limerick named John Higgins the highest-performing snooker player from 1968 to 2020. This shows how highly regarded he is in the world of snooker.
Images for kids
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Higgins at the 2014 German Masters
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Higgins at 2013 German Masters
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Higgins at the 2014 German Masters
See also
In Spanish: John Higgins para niños
