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Ronnie O'Sullivan
OBE
Ronnie O’Sullivan at Snooker German Masters (DerHexer) 2015-02-06 07.jpg
O'Sullivan at the 2015 German Masters
Born (1975-12-05) 5 December 1975 (age 48)
Wordsley, West Midlands, England
Sport country  England
Professional 1992–present
Highest ranking 1 (May 2002 – May 2003, May 2004 – May 2006, May 2008 – May 2010, March–August 2019, April 2022 – May 2024)
Current ranking 2 (as of 8 May 2018)
Tournament wins
Ranking 41
Minor-ranking 3
World Champion
  • 2001
  • 2004
  • 2008
  • 2012
  • 2013
  • 2020
  • 2022

Ronald Antonio O'Sullivan OBE (born 5 December 1975) is an English professional snooker player. Widely recognised as one of the most talented and accomplished players in snooker history, he has won the World Snooker Championship seven times, a modern-era record he holds jointly with Stephen Hendry. He has also won a record eight Masters titles and a record eight UK Championship titles for a total of 23 Triple Crown titles, the most achieved by any player. He holds the record for the most ranking titles, with 41, and has held the top ranking position multiple times.

After winning amateur titles including the IBSF World Under-21 Snooker Championship, O'Sullivan turned professional in 1992, aged 16. He won his first ranking event at the 1993 UK Championship aged 17 years and 358 days, and remains the youngest player to win a ranking title. He is also the youngest player to win the Masters, having claimed his first title in 1995, aged 19 years and 69 days. Now also noted for his longevity in the sport, he is the oldest winner of all three Triple Crown events, having won his seventh world title in 2022, aged 46 years and 148 days; his eighth UK Championship title in 2023, aged 47 years and 363 days; and his eighth Masters title in 2024, aged 48 years and 40 days. As of 2024, he has made a record 32 appearances in the final stages of the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible, surpassing the previous record of 30 appearances set by Steve Davis.

O'Sullivan made his first competitive century break at age 10 and his first competitive maximum break at age 15. He is the only player to have achieved 1,000 century breaks in professional competition, a milestone he reached in 2019, and which he has since extended to over 1,200 centuries. He has made the highest number of officially recognised maximum breaks in professional competition, with 15, and holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest competitive maximum break, compiled in a time of 5 minutes and 8 seconds at the 1997 World Championship.

..... Known as a controversial and outspoken figure on the professional tour, he has been disciplined on several occasions by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association for his behaviour and comments. Outside his playing career, he works as a pundit for Eurosport's snooker coverage and has written crime novels, autobiographies, and a health and fitness book. ..... He was awarded an OBE in 2016.

Career summary

Ronnie O’Sullivan at German Masters Snooker Final (DerHexer) 2012-02-05 65
O'Sullivan with the 2012 German Masters trophy

O'Sullivan began playing snooker at age 7 and soon became a noted amateur competitor, winning his first club tournament at age 9, making his first competitive century break at age 10, and winning the British Under-16 Championship at age 13. At the 1991 English Amateur Championship, aged 15 years and 98 days, he made his first competitive maximum break, then the youngest player ever to do so in a recognised tournament. In the same year, he won the IBSF World Under-21 Snooker Championship and Junior Pot Black.

After turning professional in 1992, aged 16, he won 74 of his first 76 qualifying matches, including a record 38 consecutive professional victories. He qualified for the televised stages of the 1993 World Championship, losing 7–10 to Alan McManus on his Crucible debut. He claimed his first ranking title later that year, beating Hendry 10–6 in the final of the 1993 UK Championship seven days before his 18th birthday to become the youngest ever winner of a ranking event, a record he still holds. In the following season, he won the 1995 Masters aged 19 years and 69 days to become the youngest Masters champion.

Between 1996 and 1999, O'Sullivan reached three World semi-finals in four years. At the 1997 World Championship, he achieved his first maximum break in professional competition. Compiled in a time of 5 minutes and 8 seconds, it remains the fastest competitive maximum break in snooker history, which is listed as a Guinness World Record. He won his second UK title later that year at the 1997 UK Championship. Despite these successes, his career also became marred by controversy in the late 1990s. During the 1996 World Championship, he assaulted an assistant press officer, for which he received a suspended two-year ban and a £20,000 fine. .....

He reached his first World final in 2001, where he defeated John Higgins 18–14 to claim his first World title and reached number two in the world rankings. He won his third UK Championship later that year, which helped him attain the world number one ranking for the first time in the 2002–03 season. With veteran six-time World Champion Ray Reardon acting as his coach and mentor, he won his second World title in 2004, defeating Graeme Dott 18–8 in the final, after which he held the number one ranking for the next two seasons. He added his second Masters title in 2005, ten years after his first. His behaviour became notably erratic in the mid-2000s as he battled clinical depression. During the 2005 World Championship, he shaved his head mid-tournament and exhibited what The Independent called a "public emotional disintegration" while losing 11 of the last 14 frames in his quarter-final defeat against Peter Ebdon. At the 2005 UK Championship, he sat with a wet towel draped over his head during his match against Mark King. Trailing Hendry 1–4 in their best-of-17-frames quarter-final at the 2006 UK Championship, he abruptly conceded the match during the sixth frame and left the arena. Hendry was awarded the match 9–1 and O'Sullivan was fined £20,800 over the incident.

In 2007, O'Sullivan won his third Masters title and his fourth UK Championship, which was his first ranking title in almost three years. He won his third World title in 2008, defeating Ali Carter 18–8 in the final, after which he held the world number one ranking for the next two seasons. He added his fourth Masters title in 2009. After two poor seasons that saw him fall out of the top ten in the world rankings for the first time, he began working with psychiatrist Steve Peters in 2011. A resurgent O'Sullivan captured his fourth World title in 2012, defeating Carter again by 18–11 in the final, after which he paid tribute to Peters' work with him. In the following season, he took an extended break from the professional tour. Despite having played only one competitive match all season, he returned to the Crucible for the 2013 World Championship and successfully defended his World title, defeating Barry Hawkins 18–12 in the final. In his 2014 Masters quarter-final against Ricky Walden, he set a new record for the most points scored without reply in professional competition, with 556, and went on to beat the defending champion Mark Selby 10–4 in the final to claim his fifth Masters title. At the 2014 World Championship, he reached a third consecutive world final, where he again faced Selby. Despite taking a 10–5 lead, O'Sullivan lost 14–18, his first World final defeat. Later in 2014, he won his fifth UK Championship, beating Judd Trump 10–9 in the final. However, he declined to defend his title the following year and pulled out of the 2015 UK Championship, citing debilitating insomnia. At the 2015 Masters, he made his 776th century break in professional competition, surpassing Hendry's record for the most career centuries.

Ronnie O'Sullivan with World Championship Trophy 2013
O'Sullivan after winning his fifth World title in 2013

O'Sullivan won two consecutive Masters tournaments in 2016 and 2017 for a record seven Masters titles. He also won two consecutive UK Championships in 2017 and 2018 for a record seven UK titles, attaining a total of 19 Triple Crown titles to surpass Hendry's total of 18. During the 2017–18 season, he won five ranking events. He defeated Neil Robertson 10–4 in the final to win the 2019 Players Championship. In the last frame of the match, he made his 1,000th century break in professional competition, becoming the first player to reach that milestone. He won his 36th ranking title at the 2019 Tour Championship, equalling Hendry's record and attaining the world number one ranking for the first time since May 2010.

At the 2020 World Championship, O'Sullivan came from 14–16 behind in the semi-final against Selby to win 17–16. He then defeated Kyren Wilson 18–8 in the final to win his sixth World title. The tournament also marked his 28th consecutive Crucible appearance, surpassing Hendry's record of 27. He reached his 58th ranking final at the 2021 Tour Championship, breaking Hendry's record of 57 ranking final appearances, but was defeated 4–10 by Neil Robertson. During the tournament, he made his 1,100th century break in professional competition. He lost five consecutive ranking finals in the 2020–21 season, but ended a 16-month title drought by winning his 38th ranking title at the 2021 World Grand Prix.

O'Sullivan defeated Trump 18–13 in the 2022 World Championship final to win his seventh world title, equalling Hendry for the most World titles in the modern era. Aged 46 years and 148 days, he became the oldest World Champion in snooker history, surpassing Reardon, who won his last title in 1978 aged 45 years and 203 days. O'Sullivan also surpassed Hendry's record of 70 Crucible wins, setting a new record of 74.

O'Sullivan defeated Marco Fu 6–4 to win the 2022 Hong Kong Masters. The final was played before an estimated 9,000 spectators, the largest audience ever to attend a snooker match. At the 2023 World Snooker Championship, O'Sullivan made a record 31st Crucible appearance, surpassing the previous record of 30 by Steve Davis. He made his 200th Crucible century break and his 1,200th century in professional competition during his second-round match against Hossein Vafaei. His reached the quarter-final, which was his 100th match at the Crucible, making him the first player to reach that milestone, but was defeated 10–13 by eventual winner Luca Brecel.

At the invitational 2023 Shanghai Masters, O'Sullivan defeated Brecel 11–9 in the final to claim his fourth consecutive, and fifth total, Shanghai Masters title, extending his winning streak at the tournament to 18 matches since 2017. He won record-extending eighth titles at both the 2023 UK Championship and the 2024 Masters, respectively defeating Ding Junhui and Ali Carter 10–7 in the finals. This extended his record number of ranking titles to 40 and Triple Crown titles to 23. Aged 47 years and 363 days when he won the UK Championship, and 48 years and 40 days when he won the Masters, he became the oldest winner of all three Triple Crown events. He also became simultaneously the youngest and oldest winner of both the UK Championship and the Masters. He won his 41st ranking title at the 2024 World Grand Prix with a 10–7 victory over Trump in the final, and went on to win the invitational 2024 World Masters of Snooker, the first professional snooker tournament held in Saudi Arabia, defeating Brecel 5–2 in the final. He subsequently signed a three-year ambassadorial deal with Saudi Arabia, which requires him to play in all World Snooker Tour events staged in that country, to establish a snooker academy in the Middle East, and to contribute to the development of the sport in the region.

O'Sullivan's other career highlights include three World Grand Prix titles, two Players Championship titles, four Welsh Open titles, two Scottish Open titles, two German Masters titles, four Irish Masters titles, two China Open titles, two Champions Cup titles, ten Premier League titles, four Champion of Champions titles, three Scottish Masters titles, and five Shanghai Masters titles.

Playing style

Ronnie O'Sullivan PHC 2011-1
O'Sullivan during the 2011 Paul Hunter Classic

Known for his fast and attacking style of play, O'Sullivan gained the nickname "The Rocket" after winning a best-of-nine frame match in a record 43 minutes during his debut season as a professional. A prolific breakbuilder and solid tactical player, he has stated his disdain for long, drawn-out games, saying that they harm the game of snooker. He is right-handed but can play to a high standard with his left hand and routinely alternates where needed, enabling him to attempt shots with his left hand that would otherwise require a rest or spider. When he first displayed this left-handed ability in the 1996 World Championship against Alain Robidoux, the Canadian accused him of disrespect and refused to shake hands after the match.

Status

O'Sullivan is highly regarded in snooker, with several of his peers regarding him as the greatest player ever, and some labelling him a "genius". After losing 6–17 to O'Sullivan in the 2008 World Championship semi-final, Hendry described him as "the best player in the world by a country mile". In 2024, Hendry agreed that there was no longer any question as to whether O'Sullivan was the greatest snooker player of all time, also calling him an "artist". However, O'Sullivan himself has dismissed the suggestion that he is the greatest player and has identified Hendry as the greatest due to his domination of snooker.

One of the most popular players on the circuit, he is noted for being a "showman", and is credited with helping improve the image of snooker with the general public. He has often been compared with Alex Higgins and Jimmy White for his natural talent and popularity. In December 2020, O'Sullivan was nominated for the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year Award, becoming the first snooker player to receive a nomination since Hendry in 1990. He was nominated for a second time in December 2022.

However, O'Sullivan sometimes lacks confidence or interest, and has performed inconsistently throughout his career, with observers noting the "two Ronnies" aspect of his character.

Criticisms of snooker

After Barry Hearn took charge of World Snooker in 2010, O'Sullivan became a vocal critic of how Hearn reconfigured the professional tour. He took issue with increased travel expectations, flat 128 draws that required top professionals to play more rounds against lower ranked opponents, reduced prize money for maximum breaks, and tournament venues he saw as inadequate. He accused snooker's governing body WPBSA of bullying and intimidating him, claimed that Hearn was running a "dictatorship", protested alleged mistreatment by snooker's authorities by giving robotic or monosyllabic responses in interviews, and refused opportunities to make maximum breaks in apparent protest over inadequate prize money for the achievement. In 2018, he threatened to form a breakaway snooker tour akin to the split in darts.

During the 2020 World Championship, O'Sullivan publicly criticised the standard of new players coming into snooker, stating that he would have to "lose an arm and a leg to fall out of the top 50". He was also critical of the tournament organisers' decision to allow fans into the final during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, O'Sullivan claimed on a podcast interview that most snooker players had wasted their lives. He called snooker a "bad sport" that can cause "a lot of damage", suggesting that the antisocial nature of solitary practice in a darkened environment can stunt players' personal development. He stated that he would not support his own children if they chose to become snooker players, and said that if he could live his sporting career over again, he would pursue golf or Formula One instead.

Other endeavours

Broadcasting

Eurosport signed an exclusive deal with O'Sullivan in March 2014 to make him its global ambassador for snooker, with the goal of driving its international appeal. As part of this deal, O'Sullivan created a special snooker series for the network called The Ronnie O'Sullivan Show, which included his insights into the game, interviews with other professional players, and playing tips. He also wrote for Yahoo! websites and mobile apps during the 2014 World Championship. He frequently appears as a pundit on Eurosport's snooker coverage, alongside Jimmy White and Neal Foulds.

In 2015 and 2016, O'Sullivan co-hosted the Midweek Matchzone show with Chris Hood on Brentwood radio station Phoenix FM. In 2017, he starred in miniseries Ronnie O'Sullivan's American Hustle with broadcasting friend Matt Smith, in which the pair toured different cities in the United States learning the art of pool hustling.

Author

Ronnie O’Sullivan at Snooker German Masters (Martin Rulsch) 2014-01-30 07
O'Sullivan at a 2014 book signing

O'Sullivan has written three crime novels in collaboration with author Emlyn Rees: Framed (2016), Double Kiss (2017), and The Break (2018). Although the novels are not autobiographical, they are loosely based on his early experiences and family life. He has also written two autobiographies. His first, Ronnie: The Autobiography of Ronnie O'Sullivan, was published in 2003; and his second, Running: The Autobiography, was published in 2013.

O'Sullivan has also coauthored a health and fitness book with nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert entitled Top of Your Game: Eating for Mind and Body. Published in 2019, it contains healthy recipes and advice for "living better, eating healthier and feeding your brain to enhance your performance".

Video games

O'Sullivan has been involved with several video games, including Virtual Snooker on DOS and Windows in 1996, PlayStation and Xbox game World Snooker Championship 2007 in 2007, and Ronnie O'Sullivan's Snooker for PlayStation Portable in 2012.

Documentary film

A documentary film titled Ronnie O'Sullivan: The Edge of Everything was produced by David Beckham's production company Studio 99, directed by filmmaker Sam Blair, and distributed by MetFilms. The film premiered in London on 21 November 2023, and was released on Amazon Prime Video on 23 November. It highlighted the hardships he faced as a professional at the highest level of snooker, as well as how his personal life had impacted his career.

Snooker course

In October 2023, O'Sullivan launched an online snooker course entitled The Rocket Method, where he provides in-depth lessons on the game for a subscription fee. Assisted by Alan McManus, the course contains 12 episodes, each an hour in length, of which the final batch of episodes was released in March 2024. The course has a cinematic production and was directed by Oscar-nominated director Gregg Helvey, and episodes are available in English and Mandarin Chinese.

Personal life

..... His mother is originally from Sicily, and O'Sullivan spent childhood holidays in the village near Agrigento where she grew up. He was brought up in the Manor Road area of Chigwell, Essex, where he still lives. He is a first cousin of snooker player Maria Catalano, who has been ranked number one in the women's game. In 1992 his father was sentenced to life in prison for murder and was released in 2010 after serving 18 years. His mother was sentenced to a year in prison for tax evasion in 1996, leaving O'Sullivan to care for his eight-year-old sister Danielle.

..... He became a grandfather in October 2018 after Taylor-Ann gave birth to a daughter. He began dating actress Laila Rouass in 2012, and became engaged to her in 2013. Rouass announced on social media in February 2022 that they had ended their ten-year relationship, but the couple later reconciled.

He is known for his perfectionism and for being highly self-critical, even in victory. ..... Since 2011, psychiatrist and sports psychologist Steve Peters, a close friend, has helped him overcome his mood swings. He is also a close friend of artist Damien Hirst. Noted for repeatedly declaring his intention to retire, O'Sullivan took an extended break from the professional snooker tour during the 2012–13 season, during which he worked on a pig farm for several weeks. He enjoys running, and has achieved a personal best of 34 minutes and 54 seconds for 10 km races, which ranked him in the top 1,500 10 km runners in the UK in 2008. He enjoys cooking, and appeared on the BBC's Saturday Kitchen in December 2014 and February 2021. He also enjoys motor racing, and has appeared on series 4 of Top Gear. He is a supporter of Arsenal FC.

Despite a self-professed interest in Islam, O'Sullivan denied media reports that said he had converted to the religion in 2003. He has also espoused an interest in Buddhism, having spent many lunchtimes at the London Buddhist Centre in Bethnal Green. He has said he does not have a firm commitment to any religion.

O'Sullivan was made an OBE in the New Year Honours list in 2016, for services to snooker.

Performance and rankings timeline

Tournament 1992/
93
1993/
94
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95
1995/
96
1996/
97
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98
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99
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00
2000/
01
2001/
02
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03
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04
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25
Ranking 57 9 3 8 7 3 4 4 2 1 3 1 1 3 5 1 1 3 11 9 19 4 5 10 14 2 1 2 3 1 1 5
Ranking tournaments
Championship League Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Event WD WD 2R WD
European Masters QF F SF 1R 1R NH 1R Not Held QF W QF 2R A 1R NR Tournament Not Held F A WD A 2R F WD WD
British Open LQ W F SF 1R QF 3R SF QF SF 2R F SF Tournament Not Held A LQ WD
English Open Tournament Not Held 3R W SF 4R 3R SF 2R 3R
Wuhan Open Tournament Not Held QF
Northern Ireland Open Tournament Not Held 4R 3R F F F 3R 1R WD
International Championship Tournament Not Held WD 2R QF A 3R 1R A A Not Held SF
UK Championship 2R W QF QF 1R W A QF SF W QF SF 1R 1R QF W 2R SF 1R 2R A QF W A F W W 4R 2R QF QF W
Shoot Out Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Event A A A 2R A A A A
Scottish Open 2R LQ 3R 1R QF W 2R W 1R 1R 2R QF Tournament Not Held MR Not Held QF QF WD QF F SF 2R WD
World Grand Prix Tournament Not Held NR 1R 2R W 1R QF SF W 2R W
German Masters Not Held 1R W SF NR Tournament Not Held WD W A LQ QF LQ 1R WD A A A LQ WD WD
Welsh Open 2R 2R QF 2R 2R 3R SF 3R 2R 2R QF W W 1R QF F 2R SF 1R SF A W 3R W 2R QF 3R SF F 3R QF WD
Players Championship Tournament Not Held DNQ WD DNQ 2R DNQ DNQ QF W W DNQ F QF DNQ QF
World Open 1R 1R QF 1R 2R 2R 3R QF F QF QF 2R W F QF F QF 2R F WD A A Not Held A A A LQ Not Held 3R
Tour Championship Tournament Not Held W DNQ F SF DNQ F
World Championship 1R 2R QF SF 2R SF SF 1R W SF 1R W QF SF QF W 2R QF QF W W F QF 2R QF 2R 1R W 2R W QF QF
Non-ranking tournaments
Shanghai Masters Tournament Not Held Ranking Event W W Not Held W
Champion of Champions Tournament Not Held W W WD F F W SF QF QF W WD
The Masters WDQ WR W F F QF QF QF 1R QF QF F W F W 1R W F 1R QF A W SF W W QF F A QF QF QF W
World Masters of Snooker Tournament Not Held W
Championship League Tournament Not Held A A RR RR A A A WD F A A A 2R WD RR WD WD
Former ranking tournaments
Asian Classic LQ SF SF 1R W Tournament Not Held
Malta Grand Prix Not Held Non-Ranking Event QF NR Tournament Not Held
Thailand Masters 2R 1R F 2R SF 2R 1R 2R 2R SF NR Not Held NR Tournament Not Held
Irish Masters Non-Ranking Event W QF W NH NR Tournament Not Held
Northern Ireland Trophy Tournament Not Held NR F QF W Tournament Not Held
Shanghai Masters Tournament Not Held WD F W WD 2R A A 1R A 2R W Non-Ranking Not Held NR
China Open Tournament Not Held NR 2R W W QF Not Held WD 1R SF 1R QF 1R 1R QF A A WD A 2R 1R A Tournament Not Held
China Championship Tournament Not Held NR QF A A Tournament Not Held
WST Pro Series Tournament Not Held 1R Not Held
Gibraltar Open Tournament Not Held A A A A A WD 1R Not Held
WST Classic Tournament Not Held WD NH
Former non-ranking tournaments
Nescafe Extra Challenge W Tournament Not Held
Tenball Not Held F Tournament Not Held
Belgian Masters SF Not Held A Tournament Not Held
Superstar International Tournament Not Held W Tournament Not Held
China International Tournament Not Held SF Ranking Event Not Held Ranking Event Tournament Not Held
Millennium Cup Tournament Not Held F Tournament Not Held
Pontins Professional A A QF A A A A A Tournament Not Held
Champions Cup Not Held QF W F F F SF W RR Tournament Not Held
Scottish Masters A A SF SF QF QF W QF W F W Tournament Not Held
Northern Ireland Trophy Tournament Not Held 1R Ranking Event Tournament Not Held
Irish Masters A QF 1R QF SF DQ QF SF W QF Ranking Event NH W Tournament Not Held
Euro-Asia Masters Challenge Tournament Not Held A Not Held RR Tournament Not Held
Pot Black QF A Tournament Not Held QF A A Tournament Not Held
Benson & Hedges Championship MR W A A A A A A A A A A A NH A A A A Tournament Not Held
Power Snooker Tournament Not Held W F Tournament Not Held
Premier League RR RR RR RR W RR SF SF W W SF A W W W W W F W W A Tournament Not Held
World Grand Prix Tournament Not Held F Ranking Event
Shoot Out Tournament Not Held SF A A A 2R A Ranking Event
Hong Kong Masters Tournament Not Held F Tournament Not Held W NH
Six-red World Championship Tournament Not Held A A NH A A A A A A A A A Not Held 2R NH
Performance Table Legend
W won the tournament F lost in the final SF lost in the semi–finals
QF lost in the quarter-finals #R lost in the early rounds of the tournament
(WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin)
LQ lost in the qualifying draw
DNQ did not qualify for the tournament WD withdrew from the tournament WDQ withdrew from the qualifying tournament
A did not participate in the tournament DQ disqualified from the tournament
NH Not Held event was not held.
NR Non-Ranking Event event is/was no longer a ranking event. R Ranking Event event is/was a ranking event.
MR Minor-Ranking Event event is/was a minor-ranking event. PA Pro–am Event event is/was a pro–am event.

Career finals

Ranking finals: 61 (39 titles)

Legend
World Championship (7–1)
UK Championship (7–1)
Other (25–20)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent Score Ref.
Winner 1. 1993 UK Championship Scotland Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry 10–6
Runner-up 1. 1993 European Open Scotland Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry 5–9
Winner 2. 1994 British Open Thailand Wattana, JamesJames Wattana 9–4
Runner-up 2. 1995 Thailand Open Thailand Wattana, JamesJames Wattana 6–9
Runner-up 3. 1995 British Open Scotland Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins 6–9
Winner 3. 1996 Asian Classic England Morgan, BrianBrian Morgan 9–8
Winner 4. 1996 German Open Canada Robidoux, AlainAlain Robidoux 9–7
Winner 5. 1997 UK Championship (2) Scotland Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry 10–6
Winner 6. 1998 Scottish Open Scotland Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins 9–5
Winner 7. 1999 China Open England Lee, StephenStephen Lee 9–2
Winner 8. 2000 Scottish Open (2) Wales Williams, MarkMark Williams 9–1
Runner-up 4. 2000 Grand Prix Wales Williams, MarkMark Williams 5–9
Winner 9. 2000 China Open (2) Wales Williams, MarkMark Williams 9–3
Winner 10. 2001 World Snooker Championship Scotland Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins 18–14
Winner 11. 2001 UK Championship (3) Republic of Ireland Doherty, KenKen Doherty 10–1
Winner 12. 2003 European Open Scotland Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry 9–6
Winner 13. 2003 Irish Masters Scotland Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins 10–9
Runner-up 5. 2003 British Open (2) Scotland Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry 6–9
Winner 14. 2004 Welsh Open England Davis, SteveSteve Davis 9–8
Winner 15. 2004 World Snooker Championship (2) Scotland Graeme Dott 18–8
Winner 16. 2004 Grand Prix England McCulloch, IanIan McCulloch 9–5
Winner 17. 2005 Welsh Open (2) Scotland Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry 9–8
Winner 18. 2005 Irish Masters (2) Wales Stevens, MatthewMatthew Stevens 10–8
Runner-up 6. 2005 Grand Prix (2) Scotland Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins 2–9
Runner-up 7. 2006 Northern Ireland Trophy China Ding Junhui 6–9
Runner-up 8. 2007 Grand Prix (3) Hong Kong Fu, MarcoMarco Fu 6–9
Winner 19. 2007 UK Championship (4) Scotland Maguire, StephenStephen Maguire 10–2
Runner-up 9. 2008 Welsh Open England Selby, MarkMark Selby 8–9
Winner 20. 2008 World Snooker Championship (3) England Carter, AliAli Carter 18–8
Winner 21. 2008 Northern Ireland Trophy England Harold, DaveDave Harold 9–3
Runner-up 10. 2008 Shanghai Masters England Walden, RickyRicky Walden 8–10
Winner 22. 2009 Shanghai Masters China Liang Wenbo 10–5
Runner-up 11. 2010 World Open (4) Australia Robertson, NeilNeil Robertson 1–5
Winner 23. 2012 German Masters (2) Scotland Maguire, StephenStephen Maguire 9–7
Winner 24. 2012 World Snooker Championship (4) England Carter, AliAli Carter 18–11
Winner 25. 2013 World Snooker Championship (5) England Hawkins, BarryBarry Hawkins 18–12
Winner 26. 2014 Welsh Open (3) China Ding Junhui 9–3
Runner-up 12. 2014 World Snooker Championship England Selby, MarkMark Selby 14–18
Winner 27. 2014 UK Championship (5) England Trump, JuddJudd Trump 10–9
Winner 28. 2016 Welsh Open (4) Australia Robertson, NeilNeil Robertson 9–5
Runner-up 13. 2016 European Masters England Trump, JuddJudd Trump 8–9
Runner-up 14. 2016 UK Championship England Selby, MarkMark Selby 7–10
Winner 29. 2017 English Open England Wilson, KyrenKyren Wilson 9–2
Winner 30. 2017 Shanghai Masters (2) England Trump, JuddJudd Trump 10–3
Winner 31. 2017 UK Championship (6) England Murphy, ShaunShaun Murphy 10–5
Winner 32. 2018 World Grand Prix China Junhui, DingDing Junhui 10–3
Winner 33. 2018 Players Championship England Murphy, ShaunShaun Murphy 10–4
Runner-up 15. 2018 Northern Ireland Open England Trump, JuddJudd Trump 7–9
Winner 34. 2018 UK Championship (7) Northern Ireland Allen, MarkMark Allen 10–6
Winner 35. 2019 Players Championship (2) Australia Robertson, NeilNeil Robertson 10–4
Winner 36. 2019 Tour Championship Australia Robertson, NeilNeil Robertson 13–11
Runner-up 16. 2019 Northern Ireland Open (2) England Trump, JuddJudd Trump 7–9
Winner 37. 2020 World Snooker Championship (6) England Wilson, KyrenKyren Wilson 18–8
Runner-up 17. 2020 Northern Ireland Open (3) England Trump, JuddJudd Trump 7–9
Runner-up 18. 2020 Scottish Open England Selby, MarkMark Selby 3–9
Runner-up 19. 2021 Welsh Open (2) Northern Ireland Brown, JordanJordan Brown 8–9
Runner-up 20. 2021 Players Championship Scotland Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins 3–10
Runner-up 21. 2021 Tour Championship Australia Robertson, NeilNeil Robertson 4–10
Winner 38. 2021 World Grand Prix (2) Australia Robertson, NeilNeil Robertson 10–8
Runner-up 22. 2022 European Masters (2) China Zhengyi, FanFan Zhengyi 9–10
Winner 39. 2022 World Snooker Championship (7) England Trump, JuddJudd Trump 18–13

Minor-ranking finals: 6 (3 titles)

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent Score Ref.
Runner-up 1. 2010 Players Tour Championship – Event 4 England Barry Pinches 3–4
Winner 1. 2011 Players Tour Championship – Event 1 England Perry, JoeJoe Perry 4–0
Winner 2. 2011 Kay Suzanne Memorial Trophy Wales Stevens, MatthewMatthew Stevens 4–2
Runner-up 2. 2011 Antwerp Open England Trump, JuddJudd Trump 3–4
Winner 3. 2013 Paul Hunter Classic Northern Ireland Greene, GerardGerard Greene 4–0
Runner-up 3. 2013 Antwerp Open (2) England Selby, MarkMark Selby 3–4

Non-ranking finals: 56 (37 titles)

Legend
The Masters (7–6)
Champion of Champions (4–2)
Premier League (10–1)
Other (15–10)
Disqualified (1)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent Score Ref.
Winner 1. 1993 Nescafe Extra Challenge Thailand Wattana, JamesJames Wattana Round-Robin
Winner 2. 1993 Benson and Hedges Championship Scotland Lardner, JohnJohn Lardner 9–6
Winner 3. 1993 Scottish Masters Challenge Scotland Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins 6–5
Winner 4. 1995 The Masters Scotland Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins 9–3
Runner-up 1. 1995 Tenball England White, JimmyJimmy White 1–3
Winner 5. 1996 Charity Challenge Scotland Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins 9–6
Runner-up 2. 1996 The Masters Scotland Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry 5–10
Runner-up 3. 1997 Charity Challenge Scotland Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry 8–9
Runner-up 4. 1997 The Masters (2) England Davis, SteveSteve Davis 8–10
Winner 6. 1997 European League Scotland Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry 10–8
Winner 7. 1997 Superstar International England White, JimmyJimmy White 5–3
Runner-up 5. 1998 Charity Challenge (2) Scotland Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins 8–9
Disqualified 1998 Irish Masters Republic of Ireland Doherty, KenKen Doherty 9–3
Winner 8. 1998 Scottish Masters Scotland Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins 9–7
Runner-up 6. 1999 Charity Challenge (3) Scotland Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins 4–9
Runner-up 7. 1999 Millennium Cup England Lee, StephenStephen Lee 2–7
Winner 9. 2000 Champions Cup (2) Wales Williams, MarkMark Williams 7–5
Winner 10. 2000 Scottish Masters (2) Scotland Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry 9–6
Winner 11. 2001 Irish Masters Scotland Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry 9–8
Winner 12. 2001 Premier League (2) Scotland Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry 9–7
Runner-up 8. 2001 Scottish Masters Scotland Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins 6–9
Winner 13. 2002 Premier League (3) Scotland Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins 9–4
Winner 14. 2002 Scottish Masters (3) Scotland Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins 9–4
Runner-up 9. 2004 The Masters (3) England Hunter, PaulPaul Hunter 9–10
Winner 15. 2005 The Masters (2) Scotland Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins 10–3
Winner 16. 2005 (May) Premier League (4) Wales Williams, MarkMark Williams 6–0
Winner 17. 2005 (Dec) Premier League (5) Scotland Stephen Hendry 6–0
Runner-up 10. 2006 The Masters (4) Scotland John Higgins 9–10
Winner 18. 2006 Premier League (6) England Jimmy White 7–0
Winner 19. 2007 The Masters (3) China Ding Junhui 10–3
Winner 20. 2007 Kilkenny Irish Masters (2) England Barry Hawkins 9–1
Winner 21. 2007 Premier League (7) Scotland John Higgins 7–4
Winner 22. 2008 Hamm Invitational Trophy England Barry Hawkins 6–2
Winner 23. 2008 Premier League (8) England Mark Selby 7–2
Winner 24. 2009 The Masters (4) England Mark Selby 10–8
Runner-up 11. 2009 Premier League England Shaun Murphy 3–7
Runner-up 12. 2010 The Masters (5) England Mark Selby 9–10
Winner 25. 2010 Power Snooker China Ding Junhui
Winner 26. 2010 Premier League (9) England Shaun Murphy 7–1
Runner-up 13. 2011 Power Snooker England Gould, MartinMartin Gould
Winner 27. 2011 Premier League (10) China Ding Junhui 7–1
Winner 28. 2013 Champion of Champions England Stuart Bingham 10–8
Winner 29. 2014 The Masters (5) England Mark Selby 10–4
Winner 30. 2014 Champion of Champions (2) England Judd Trump 10–7
Runner-up 14. 2015 World Grand Prix England Judd Trump 7–10
Winner 31. 2016 The Masters (6) England Barry Hawkins 10–1
Runner-up 15. 2016 Championship League England Judd Trump 2–3
Runner-up 16. 2016 Champion of Champions Scotland John Higgins 7–10
Winner 32. 2017 The Masters (7) England Joe Perry 10–7
Runner-up 17. 2017 Hong Kong Masters Australia Neil Robertson 3–6
Runner-up 18. 2017 Champion of Champions (2) England Shaun Murphy 8–10
Winner 33. 2018 Shanghai Masters (3) England Barry Hawkins 11–9
Winner 34. 2018 Champion of Champions (3) England Kyren Wilson 10–9
Runner-up 19. 2019 The Masters (6) England Judd Trump 4–10
Winner 35. 2019 Shanghai Masters (4) England Shaun Murphy 11–9
Winner 36. 2022 Hong Kong Masters Hong Kong Marco Fu 6–4
Winner 37. 2022 Champion of Champions (4) England Judd Trump 10–6

Pro–am finals: 1 (1 title)

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent Score Ref.
Winner 1. 2015 Pink Ribbon England Darryn Walker 4–2

Team finals: 3 (3 titles)

Outcome No. Year Championship Team Opponent Score Ref.
Winner 1. 2000 Nations Cup  England  Wales 6–4
Winner 2. 2007 Euro-Asia Masters Team Challenge  European Union Team Asia 5–3
Winner 3. 2017 CVB Snooker Challenge  Great Britain  China 26–9

Amateur finals: 5 (3 titles)

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent Score Ref.
Runner-up 1. 1987 Pontins Junior Open England Rod Lawler 0–3
Winner 1. 1989 British Under-16 Championship England Andy Hicks 3–1
Runner-up 2. 1991 English Amateur Championship England Steve Judd 10–13
Winner 2. 1991 IBSF World Under-21 Championship Belgium Patrick Delsemme 11–4
Winner 3. 1991 Junior Pot Black Republic of Ireland Declan Murphy 2–0

Maximum and century breaks

O'Sullivan has completed 15 maximum breaks in professional competition, from his first in the 1997 World Snooker Championship against Mick Price to his 2018 English Open maximum against Allan Taylor.

His first official maximum in 1997, completed in 5 minutes and 8 seconds, holds the record for the fastest maximum break achieved in competitive play. Initially, Guinness World Records recorded the time at 5 minutes and 20 seconds, but subsequent evidence has suggested that the BBC started the timer too early on the break. Depending on the timing methodology used, the break took between 5 minutes 8 seconds and 5 minutes 15 seconds; both World Snooker and Guinness World Records now officially acknowledge the shorter time.

O'Sullivan also holds the record for the total number of century breaks, compiling more than 1,200 in professional competition. He scored his 1,200th century in a second-round match against Hossein Vafaei at the 2023 World Snooker Championship. At the 2022 Scottish Open, O'Sullivan scored a century in 3 minutes and 34 seconds—just 3 seconds slower than the fastest televised century break, made by Tony Drago in 1996.

See also

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