John Higgins facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
John Higgins
MBE
Tournament wins
Higgins at the 2014 German Masters
Born	(1975-05-18) 18 May 1975 (age 50) Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, Scotland
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)
Ranking	31
Minor-ranking	3
World Champion	1998 2007 2009 2011

John Higgins (born 18 May 1975) is a professional snooker player from Scotland. He is known as one of the greatest snooker players ever. He has won 31 major tournaments that count towards his world ranking. This places him third on the all-time list, behind Ronnie O'Sullivan and Stephen Hendry.

Since he became a professional player in 1992, John Higgins has won many important titles. These include four World Championships. He also won three UK Championships and two Masters titles. These nine titles are part of what is called the "Triple Crown" in snooker. Only a few players have won more Triple Crown titles than him.

Higgins is also very good at making high scores in a single turn. He has made over 900 century breaks. A century break means scoring 100 points or more without missing. He has also made 13 maximum breaks. A maximum break is the highest possible score in one turn, which is 147 points. He is the oldest player to make a maximum break in a professional game. He achieved this at 48 years old in 2024. John Higgins has been ranked as the world number one player four times. He is part of the famous "Class of '92" group. This group includes him, Ronnie O'Sullivan, and Mark Williams. All three became professional players in the same season.

In 2010, there were some serious claims made against Higgins. An investigation looked into whether he had agreed to lose games for money. The investigation found that he did not fix matches. However, he was found to have acted in a way that could harm the sport's reputation. This was because he did not report an offer to break the rules. He also gave the impression that he might agree to it. Because of this, Higgins was banned from playing for six months. He also had to pay a fine of £75,000.

After winning his fourth world title in 2011, Higgins's performance became less steady. He reached the World Championship final three times in a row. This was between 2017 and 2019. But he lost each of those finals. He lost to Mark Selby in 2017. He lost to Mark Williams in 2018. And he lost to Judd Trump in 2019. In the 2021–22 season, he reached five major finals but lost them all. One of these was the 2022 Tour Championship. He was leading 9–4 but ended up losing 9–10.

John Higgins's Snooker Journey
John Higgins's Life Outside Snooker
Images for kids
See also

John Higgins's Snooker Journey

Starting as a Pro and First World Title

John Higgins and Mark Williams were both amateur players. They played against each other in two finals in 1991. Higgins won the World Junior Masters. Williams won the British Junior Championship. The next year, Higgins became a professional player. In his first season, he reached the quarter-finals of the 1993 British Open. He lost 3–5 to Jimmy White.

When he was 19, Higgins won his first ranking title. He beat Dave Harold 9–6 in the final of the 1994 Grand Prix. In the same season, he also won 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. He lost both of these finals 3–9. His first time playing in the World Snooker Championship was in 1995. He lost in the first round to Alan McManus. Later that year, he won his fourth ranking title. This was at the first ever 1995 German Open. He beat Ken Doherty 9–3 in the final.

At the 1996 International Open, he won the championship again. He beat Rod Lawler 9–3 in the final. Later that season, at the 1996 World Snooker Championship, he reached the quarter-finals. He was playing against O'Sullivan and was leading 12–10. But he lost the match 12–13. At the 1996 UK Championship, he reached the final. He played against the world champion, Stephen Hendry. Higgins was losing 4–8 but then won five games in a row to lead 9–8. However, he lost the final 9–10. He won his sixth ranking title at the 1997 European Open. He beat Parrott 9–5 in the final. He reached the quarter-finals again at the 1997 World Championship. He lost 9–13 to the player who won the tournament, Doherty. He won the 1997 German Open. He beat Parrott 9–4 in the final. He won his eighth ranking title at the 1998 British Open. He beat Hendry 9–8 in the final.

At the 1998 World Snooker Championship, Higgins played very well. He beat several top players. In the final, he defeated the defending champion Doherty 18–12. This was his first World Championship title. He made 14 century breaks during the tournament. This was a record at the time. After winning the world title, Higgins became the world number one. He ended Hendry's eight years at the top.

After His First World Title

In the 1998–99 season, Higgins won the 1998 UK Championship. He beat Matthew Stevens 10–6 in the final. He also won the 1999 Masters. He defeated Doherty 10–8 in that final. By winning the UK, Masters, and World Championships, Higgins achieved a career Triple Crown. He was only the third player to hold all three titles at the same time. The others were Steve Davis and Hendry.

Higgins was the world number one for two seasons. Then, Mark Williams took his place. Higgins and Williams met in the 1999 Grand Prix final. Higgins came back from being 2–6 down to win 9–8. They also met in the 2000 World Snooker Championship semi-finals. Higgins was leading 14–10 but lost 15–17. They played again in the 2000 UK Championship final. Higgins won 10–4 to get his second UK title. Higgins reached his second world final at the 2001 World Snooker Championship. But he lost 14–18 to O'Sullivan. At the start of the 2001–02 season, he made history. He was the first player to win the first three tournaments of a season. These were the 2001 Champions Cup, the 2001 Scottish Masters, and the 2001 British Open. He did not win a major title for three years after that. His next big win was the 2004 British Open.

In the 2005 Grand Prix final, Higgins beat O'Sullivan 9–2. He was 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. O'Sullivan said he had "never seen anything like it." Higgins and O'Sullivan also played in two Masters finals in a row. Higgins lost in 2005. In 2006, Higgins won his second Masters title. He made a great comeback to win 10–9.

Second and Third World Titles

At the 2007 World Snooker Championship, Higgins played very well. He beat Michael Holt, Fergal O'Brien, O'Sullivan, and Stephen Maguire. He was losing 10–14 against Maguire but won 17–15. He made the 1,000th century break at the Crucible Theatre. In the final, Higgins was leading Selby 12–4. Selby fought back, but Higgins won 18–13. This was his second World title. He became world number one again.

As World Champion, Higgins's best results were reaching the quarter-finals. This was in the Welsh Open and China Open. He helped start and promote the World Series of Snooker. This tour aimed to bring snooker to new places. He won the first event in June 2008. He beat Mark Selby 6–3 in the final. Higgins also helped create a new players' union. He won the Grand Prix for the fourth time in 2008. He beat Ryan Day 9–7 in the final. This was his first ranking tournament win in Scotland.

At the 2009 World Snooker Championship, Higgins won his matches. His second-round and quarter-final matches went to the very last frame. He beat Jamie Cope and Mark Selby 13–12. He then beat Mark Allen 17–13 in the semi-final. Higgins won the final 18–9 against Shaun Murphy. This made him the ninth player to win the World title three or more times.

In the 2009–10 season, he lost in the semi-final of the Grand Prix. He lost 5–6 to Neil Robertson. He also lost 8–10 to Ding Junhui in the UK Championship final. He had a great comeback against Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-final. He won the Welsh Open title by beating Ali Carter 9–4 in the final. He ended the season as world number one. This was despite losing to Steve Davis in the World Championship.

Challenges and Fourth World Title

In 2010, John Higgins faced some serious claims. He was filmed in a hotel room in Ukraine. The newspaper claimed he and his manager agreed to lose games for money. Higgins was immediately suspended from playing. He said he never fixed matches. He explained he played along because he feared for his safety.

An investigation was done. It found that Higgins did not fix matches. However, he was found guilty of "giving the impression" he would break betting rules. He also failed to report the offer made to him. Higgins received a six-month ban. He was also fined £75,000.

Higgins returned to playing professionally on 12 November 2010. He won his first tournament back, the Ruhr Championship. He beat Shaun Murphy 4–2 in the final. At the next event, he reached the final again. But he lost 3–4 to Michael Holt.

At the 2010 UK Championship, he reached his third final in a row. He made an amazing comeback against Mark Williams. He was losing 2–7 and 5–9. He won the final 10–9. Because of his great play, Higgins became world number one again.

Higgins lost in the first round of the 2011 Masters. He then had to leave the German Masters. He went home because his father was very ill. His father sadly passed away from cancer. A short time later, Higgins won the Welsh Open again. He beat Stephen Maguire 9–6 in the final. He dedicated his win to his late father. Higgins also won the 2011 Hainan Classic. He reached the quarter-finals of the China Open. He then won the 2011 Scottish Professional Championship.

In the 2011 World Snooker Championship, Higgins played brilliantly. He beat Stephen Lee, Rory McLeod, and Ronnie O'Sullivan. He then beat Mark Williams 17–14 in the semi-finals. Higgins went on to defeat Judd Trump 18–15 in the final. This was his fourth world title. Steve Davis said Higgins was "the best snooker player I've ever seen." Despite winning, Higgins lost the world number one ranking to Mark Williams.

After His Fourth World Title (2011–2017)

In the 2011–12 snooker season, Higgins reached only two quarter-finals. His best result was reaching the semi-finals of the Masters. He lost 4–6 to Shaun Murphy. Before the 2012 World Snooker Championship, he said he hadn't practiced much. He lost in the second round to Hendry. Higgins said it was the worst he had ever played at the Crucible. He finished the season ranked world number five.

Higgins at 2013 German Masters

Higgins started the 2012–13 season by winning his 25th ranking title. This was at the Shanghai Masters. He came back from 2–7 down to beat Judd Trump 10–9. He made a maximum break in that final. He made another maximum break at the 2012 UK Championship. He also won a smaller tournament, the Kay Suzanne Memorial Trophy. He beat Trump 4–2 in the final. He also reached the final of the Bulgarian Open. But he lost 0–4 to Trump. Higgins did not have much success for the rest of the season. He lost in the first round of the 2013 World Snooker Championship. He finished the season ranked 11th. This was his lowest ranking in 17 seasons.

He won the minor-ranking 2013 Bulgarian Open. He beat Neil Robertson 4–1 in the final. He reached the final of the first major ranking event of the season. This was the 2013 Wuxi Classic. He lost 7–10 to Robertson. Higgins had a tough time with his form. He said he was "searching for something that is not there." He lost in the last 16 of the 2013 UK Championship. He then dropped to number 12 in the world rankings.

Before the 2014 Masters, Higgins said he had been feeling very down. But he felt he was playing better. He beat Stuart Bingham 6–2. But he lost 5–6 to Mark Selby in the quarter-finals.

Higgins at the 2014 German Masters

At the 2014 German Masters, Higgins lost 3–5. At the 2014 Welsh Open, he lost 1–5 to O'Sullivan. He lost in the first round of the World Championship again. He lost 7–10 to Alan McManus. Higgins said he was now just a "journeyman top-16 player." He finished the season as world number 11.

Higgins continued to struggle at the start of the 2014–15 season. He lost early in several tournaments. At the 2014 UK Championship, he was worried about his ranking. But he won three matches to reach the last 16. He lost 5–6 to Anthony McGill. This kept him in the top 16. At the Masters, he lost to Mark Allen. But he felt his form was improving.

In the 2015 German Masters, Higgins lost in the first round. But at the Welsh Open, he played very well. He reached the final and beat Ben Woollaston 9–3. This was his fourth Welsh Open title. It was his first ranking title in two and a half years. He lost early in the 2015 Indian Open and other tournaments. In the China Open, he reached the quarter-finals. At the 2015 World Snooker Championship, he won his first match since 2012. But he lost 9–13 to Ding Junhui in the second round.

Higgins won his 27th ranking title at the 2015 Australian Goldfields Open. He beat Martin Gould 9–8 in the final. Later that year, he won the 2015 International Championship. He beat David Gilbert 10–5. This put him level with Steve Davis for total ranking events won. Higgins reached the quarter-finals of the 2015 UK Championship. He made his 600th century break in that match. But he lost 5–6 to Neil Robertson. Higgins reached the semi-finals of the China Open. But he lost 5–6. He reached the quarter-finals of the 2016 World Snooker Championship. But he lost 13–11 to Alan McManus. He said he "cracked under pressure."

Higgins lost in the quarter-finals of the 2016 English Open and International Championship. He won the first ever China Championship. He made three century breaks in a row to win the final 10–7. This was a huge prize money win. At the 2016 Champion of Champions, he beat Ding Junhui in the semi-finals. Higgins then defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan 10–7 in the final. This was his second title in a week. In the 2016 Northern Ireland Open, he made his eighth maximum break. He lost to Selby in the quarter-finals of the 2016 UK Championship. He reached the final of the Scottish Open. But he lost 4–9 to Marco Fu. Higgins won the non-ranking Championship League.

At the 2017 World Snooker Championship, 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 10–4 lead. But he lost 12 of the next 14 games. He eventually lost 15–18.

From 2017 to Today

He won the 2017 Indian Open. He defeated Anthony McGill 5–1 in the final. The next year, he won his 30th ranking event. This was at the 2018 Welsh Open. He beat Barry Hawkins 9–7 in the final. Higgins also reached the final of the 2018 World Snooker Championship. But he lost again to Mark Williams. At the 2019 World Snooker Championship, Higgins reached the final once more. But he was beaten 18–9 by Judd Trump. This was Higgins' third World Championship final in a row. It was his eighth overall.

Higgins passed Stephen Hendry's record of 775 career century breaks. This happened during the 2019 Scottish Open. He made his 775th century on December 11. He made his 776th the next day. Higgins made his 800th career century on the first day of the 2020 Champion of Champions.

In the 2020–21 season, Higgins reached his first Masters final since 2006. He beat Mark Allen, Ronnie O'Sullivan, and David Gilbert. However, he lost to Yan Bingtao 8–10 in the final. On February 28, 2021, Higgins defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final. This was at the Players Championship. He claimed his 31st ranking title. This was his first ranking title in three years. After his win, Higgins said it was "the best week of [his] snooker career." In his quarter-final against Mark Selby, Higgins won 6–0. Selby said Higgins "froze me out from start to finish."

Before the 2021–22 snooker season, Higgins lost a lot of weight. He started taking spin classes. He weighed 217 pounds during the 2021 World Championship. But he started the new season at 168 pounds. At the 2021 Northern Ireland Open, he lost the final 8–9 to Mark Allen. He had been leading 8–6. At the 2021 English Open, he lost the final 8–9 to Neil Robertson. He had been leading 8–6 again. These losses made Higgins doubt his ability to win finals. He said he didn't "really got it at this level." Higgins then lost the 2021 Champion of Champions final. He also lost the 2021 Scottish Open final. Even though he lost early at the Gibraltar Open, he won a £150,000 bonus. This was for winning the most prize money in a series of events. At the 2022 Tour Championship, he came back from 4–8 down. He beat Zhao Xintong 10–9. He called it one of his "best ever wins." He then faced Robertson in the final. Higgins was leading 9–4. But he lost his fifth major final of the season. Robertson won six games in a row to win 10–9. Higgins said this loss would leave "real mental scars." At the 2022 World Championship, Higgins won his quarter-final. But he lost 11–17 in the semi-finals to O'Sullivan. He finished the season ranked fifth in the world.

John Higgins's Life Outside Snooker

John Higgins married Denise in 2000. They have three children together. Higgins loves football and supports Celtic F.C. and Everton. He also enjoys playing poker. Higgins was given an honor called Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2008.

In January 2010, Higgins appeared on the BBC show Celebrity Mastermind. He answered questions about the TV show Dallas. He finished third. In February of that year, Higgins and his wife Denise were on ITV's Mr. and Mrs.. They won £30,000. They gave the money to The Dalziel Centre. This is a special place for cancer patients. Higgins became a supporter of the center after they helped his father.

A study at the University of Limerick looked at snooker players from 1968 to 2020. John Higgins was named the best-performing player. He was ranked higher than Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Williams, and Stephen Hendry.

Images for kids

John Higgins at Snooker German Masters (DerHexer) 2013-01-30 02.jpg

Higgins at 2013 German Masters
Higgins at the 2014 German Masters