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 | £405,000 |
| Recent edition | 2024 |
| Current champion(s) |  Gary Wilson (ENG) |
The Welsh Open is a big professional snooker tournament. It has been held every year since 1992. This event is where players earn points for their world ranking.
It took over from the Welsh Professional Championship. That older tournament ran from 1980 to 1991. Only players from Wales could compete in it. The Welsh Open is now one of the longest-running ranking events. Only the World Championship and the UK Championship have been around longer.
Since the 2016–17 season, the Welsh Open is part of the Home Nations Series. This series includes four tournaments. The others are the Northern Ireland Open, the Scottish Open, and the English Open.
Since 2017, the winner gets the Ray Reardon Trophy. This trophy is named after Ray Reardon. He was a Welsh snooker legend. He won the world championship six times! Ray Reardon even gave the trophy to the 2017 winner, Stuart Bingham.
Only one Welsh player has won the Welsh Open. That's Mark Williams. He won it in 1996 and 1999. John Higgins has won the Welsh Open more than anyone else. He has five titles! The current champion is Gary Wilson.
Contents
History of the Welsh Open
The Welsh Open started as a ranking tournament in 1992. This means players earn points for their world ranking. It's now the third-oldest ranking event. Only the World Championship and the UK Championship are older.
Becoming Part of the Home Nations Series
In the 2016–17 snooker season, the Welsh Open joined the Home Nations Series. This series has four important tournaments. The other events are the Northern Ireland Open, the Scottish Open, and the English Open.
The Ray Reardon Trophy
The tournament's trophy was renamed the Ray Reardon Trophy in 2017. Ray Reardon is a famous Welsh snooker player. He won many world championships. He presented the first trophy with his name on it. This was to 2017 winner Stuart Bingham.
Past Sponsors
The event had different sponsors over the years. Regal sponsored it until 2003. After that, it didn't have a sponsor for a while. Then, companies like Totesport.com, Wyldecrest Park Homes, 888真人, and BetVictor sponsored it. In 2017, Coral was the sponsor.
Youngest Semi-Finalist
In 1996, Paul Hunter made history. He reached the semi-finals when he was just 17 years and 111 days old. This made him the youngest player ever to reach this stage in a ranking tournament.
Players with Most Wins
John Higgins has won the Welsh Open five times. This is the most wins by any player. Ronnie O'Sullivan has won it four times. Stephen Hendry has three wins. Other players like Steve Davis, Ken Doherty, Paul Hunter, Mark Williams, and Neil Robertson have won it twice.
Tournament Locations
The Welsh Open has been held in different cities in Wales. It started at the Newport Centre in Newport. Then it moved to the Cardiff International Arena in 1999. It went back to Newport in 2005.
In 2014, the tournament moved to a bigger venue. It was held at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff from 2015 to 2020. It returned to Newport in 2021 and 2022. The 2023 event was special. It was held in Llandudno for the first time.
Maximum Breaks
A "maximum break" in snooker is when a player scores 147 points in one turn. This is the highest possible score. There have been ten maximum breaks in the Welsh Open's history.
The first was by Ronnie O'Sullivan in 1999. Barry Pinches made the second in 2000. Andrew Higginson made one in 2007. Stephen Hendry made his 10th career 147 in 2011. He was 42, making him the oldest player at the time to do it.
Ronnie O'Sullivan made his 12th 147 in 2014. This set a new record for most maximums. Ding Junhui made one in 2016. In 2019, two players made 147s: Neil Robertson and Noppon Saengkham. Kyren Wilson made one in 2020. Shaun Murphy made the tenth in 2023. The most recent was by Gary Wilson in 2024.
Winners
| 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 |
Statistics
Finalists
| 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 |
| Stuart Bingham | England |
1 | 2 |
| Shaun Murphy | England |
1 | 2 |
| Ali Carter | England |
1 | 1 |
| Ding Junhui | China |
1 | 1 |
| Stephen Lee | England |
1 | 1 |
| Stephen Maguire | Scotland |
1 | 1 |
| Mark Selby | 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
