Welsh Open (snooker) facts for kids
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| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Venue Cymru |
| Location | Llandudno |
| Country | Wales |
| Established | 1992 |
| Organisation(s) | World Snooker Tour |
| Format | Ranking event |
| Total prize fund | £550,400 |
| Recent edition | 2025 |
| Current champion(s) |  Mark Selby (ENG) |
The Welsh Open is a big professional snooker tournament held every year since 1992. It's a "ranking event," which means players earn points that help them move up in the world rankings. This tournament is one of the longest-running snooker events, right after the World Championship and the UK Championship.
Since 2016, the Welsh Open has been part of the Home Nations Series. This series includes three other tournaments: the Northern Ireland Open, the Scottish Open, and the English Open. The winner of the Welsh Open gets a special prize called the Ray Reardon Trophy. This trophy is named after Ray Reardon, a famous Welsh snooker player who won the world championship six times!
Only one Welsh player, Mark Williams, has won the Welsh Open. He won it in 1996 and 1999. The player with the most wins is John Higgins, who has won the title five times. The current champion is Mark Selby.
Contents
About the Welsh Open Snooker Tournament
The Welsh Open started as a ranking tournament in 1992. It took the place of an older tournament called the Welsh Professional Championship. That championship was only for players from Wales. The Welsh Open is now the third-oldest ranking event on the World Snooker Tour.
The Home Nations Series
In the 2016-2017 snooker season, the Welsh Open became part of the Home Nations Series. This series is a group of four tournaments. They are the Welsh Open, the Northern Ireland Open, the Scottish Open, and the English Open.
The Ray Reardon Trophy
Since 2017, the trophy for the Welsh Open has been named the Ray Reardon Trophy. Ray Reardon himself gave the first trophy with his name on it to the 2017 winner, Stuart Bingham.
Youngest Player to Reach the Semi-Finals
In 1996, a player named Paul Hunter made history at the Welsh Open. He reached the semi-finals when he was only 17 years and 111 days old. This made him the youngest player ever to get that far in a ranking tournament.
Players with the Most Wins
John Higgins has won the Welsh Open more than anyone else, with five titles. Ronnie O'Sullivan has won it four times. Stephen Hendry has won three times. Other players who have won it twice include Steve Davis, Ken Doherty, Paul Hunter, Mark Williams, and Neil Robertson.
Where the Tournament Has Been Held
The Welsh Open has been played in a few different cities in Wales. For many years, it was held at the Newport Centre in Newport. Then, in 1999, it moved to the Cardiff International Arena in Cardiff. It went back to Newport in 2005 and stayed there until 2014.
From 2015 to 2020, the tournament was held at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff. It returned to Newport for 2021 and 2022. In 2023, the event moved to Llandudno for the first time. This was the first time it was not held in Newport or Cardiff.
How to Watch the Welsh Open
The tournament is shown on TV by several channels. In Wales, you can watch it on BBC Wales. It's also broadcast by Eurosport and other channels around the world.
Amazing Maximum Breaks
In snooker, a "maximum break" is when a player scores the highest possible points in one turn, which is 147 points. This is very rare and exciting! There have been ten maximum breaks in the history of the Welsh Open.
- The first maximum break was made by Ronnie O'Sullivan in 1999.
- Stephen Hendry made his 10th maximum break in 2011. He was 42 years old, making him the oldest player at that time to achieve this.
- Ronnie O'Sullivan made his 12th maximum break in 2014, setting a new record for the most maximums ever.
- In 2019, two maximum breaks were made in the same tournament by Neil Robertson and Noppon Saengkham.
- The most recent maximum break was made by Gary Wilson in 2024.
Winners of the Welsh Open
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Final score | Venue | City | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 |  Stephen Hendry (SCO) |
 Darren Morgan (WAL) |
9–3 | Newport Centre | Newport, Wales | 1991/92 |
| 1993 |  Ken Doherty (IRL) |
Alan McManus (SCO) |
9–7 | 1992/93 | ||
| 1994 | Steve Davis (ENG) |
Alan McManus (SCO) |
9–6 | 1993/94 | ||
| 1995 | Steve Davis (ENG) |
John Higgins (SCO) |
9–3 | 1994/95 | ||
| 1996 | Mark Williams (WAL) |
John Parrott (ENG) |
9–3 | 1995/96 | ||
| 1997 | Stephen Hendry (SCO) |
Mark King (ENG) |
9–2 | 1996/97 | ||
| 1998 | Paul Hunter (ENG) |
John Higgins (SCO) |
9–5 | 1997/98 | ||
| 1999 | Mark Williams (WAL) |
Stephen Hendry (SCO) |
9–8 | Cardiff International Arena | Cardiff, Wales | 1998/99 |
| 2000 | John Higgins (SCO) |
Stephen Lee (ENG) |
9–8 | 1999/00 | ||
| 2001 | Ken Doherty (IRL) |
Paul Hunter (ENG) |
9–2 | 2000/01 | ||
| 2002 | Paul Hunter (ENG) |
Ken Doherty (IRL) |
9–7 | 2001/02 | ||
| 2003 | Stephen Hendry (SCO) |
Mark Williams (WAL) |
9–5 | 2002/03 | ||
| 2004 | Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) |
Steve Davis (ENG) |
9–8 | Welsh Institute of Sport | 2003/04 | |
| 2005 | Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) |
Stephen Hendry (SCO) |
9–8 | Newport Centre | Newport, Wales | 2004/05 |
| 2006 | Stephen Lee (ENG) |
Shaun Murphy (ENG) |
9–4 | 2005/06 | ||
| 2007 |  Neil Robertson (AUS) |
Andrew Higginson (ENG) |
9–8 | 2006/07 | ||
| 2008 | Mark Selby (ENG) |
Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) |
9–8 | 2007/08 | ||
| 2009 | Ali Carter (ENG) |
 Joe Swail (NIR) |
9–5 | 2008/09 | ||
| 2010 | John Higgins (SCO) |
Ali Carter (ENG) |
9–4 | 2009/10 | ||
| 2011 | John Higgins (SCO) |
Stephen Maguire (SCO) |
9–6 | 2010/11 | ||
| 2012 |  Ding Junhui (CHN) |
Mark Selby (ENG) |
9–6 | 2011/12 | ||
| 2013 | Stephen Maguire (SCO) |
Stuart Bingham (ENG) |
9–8 | 2012/13 | ||
| 2014 | Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) |
Ding Junhui (CHN) |
9–3 | 2013/14 | ||
| 2015 | John Higgins (SCO) |
Ben Woollaston (ENG) |
9–3 | Cardiff International Arena | Cardiff, Wales | 2014/15 |
| 2016 | Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) |
Neil Robertson (AUS) |
9–5 | 2015/16 | ||
| 2017 | Stuart Bingham (ENG) |
Judd Trump (ENG) |
9–8 | 2016/17 | ||
| 2018 | John Higgins (SCO) |
Barry Hawkins (ENG) |
9–7 | 2017/18 | ||
| 2019 | Neil Robertson (AUS) |
Stuart Bingham (ENG) |
9–7 | 2018/19 | ||
| 2020 | Shaun Murphy (ENG) |
Kyren Wilson (ENG) |
9–1 | 2019/20 | ||
| 2021 | Jordan Brown (NIR) |
Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG) |
9–8 | Celtic Manor Resort | Newport, Wales | 2020/21 |
| 2022 | Joe Perry (ENG) |
Judd Trump (ENG) |
9–5 | ICC Wales | 2021/22 | |
| 2023 | Robert Milkins (ENG) |
Shaun Murphy (ENG) |
9–7 | Venue Cymru | Llandudno, Wales | 2022/23 |
| 2024 | Gary Wilson (ENG) |
Martin O'Donnell (ENG) |
9–4 | 2023/24 | ||
| 2025 | Mark Selby (ENG) |
Stephen Maguire (SCO) |
9–6 | 2024/25 |
Player Statistics
Top Finalists
This table shows which players have won or been the runner-up in the Welsh Open finals.
| Name | Nationality | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Higgins | Scotland |
5 | 2 |
| Ronnie O'Sullivan | England |
4 | 2 |
| Stephen Hendry |  Scotland |
3 | 2 |
| Steve Davis |  England |
2 | 1 |
| Ken Doherty | Ireland |
2 | 1 |
| Paul Hunter | England |
2 | 1 |
| Mark Williams | Wales |
2 | 1 |
| Neil Robertson | Australia |
2 | 1 |
| Mark Selby | England |
2 | 1 |
| Stuart Bingham | England |
1 | 2 |
| Shaun Murphy | England |
1 | 2 |
| Stephen Maguire | Scotland |
1 | 2 |
| Ali Carter | England |
1 | 1 |
| Ding Junhui | China |
1 | 1 |
| Stephen Lee | England |
1 | 1 |
| Jordan Brown | Northern Ireland |
1 | 0 |
| Joe Perry | England |
1 | 0 |
| Robert Milkins | England |
1 | 0 |
| Gary Wilson | England |
1 | 0 |
| Alan McManus | Scotland |
0 | 2 |
| Judd Trump | England |
0 | 2 |
| Barry Hawkins | England |
0 | 1 |
| Andrew Higginson | England |
0 | 1 |
| Mark King | England |
0 | 1 |
| Darren Morgan |  Wales |
0 | 1 |
| John Parrott | England |
0 | 1 |
| Joe Swail |  Northern Ireland |
0 | 1 |
| Ben Woollaston | England |
0 | 1 |
| Kyren Wilson | England |
0 | 1 |
| Martin O'Donnell | England |
0 | 1 |
See also
In Spanish: Abierto de Gales para niños
