Welsh Open (snooker)

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Welsh Open
2014 Welsh Open (snooker) logo.png
Tournament information
Venue Motorpoint Arena
Location Cardiff
Country Wales
Established 1992
Organisation(s) World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association
Format Ranking event
Total prize fund £310,000[1][2]
Current champion(s) Scotland John Higgins

The Welsh Open is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It replaced the Welsh Professional Championship, which started in 1980 and was only open to Welsh players.

Since the tournament's creation in 1992, Mark Williams has been the only Welsh player to win the championship (in 1996 and 1999). John Higgins holds the record for the most wins, with four Welsh Open titles. Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan have both won the tournament three times.

John Higgins is the reigning champion.

History

The tournament began as a ranking tournament in 1992 initially in February after the Masters, but later took the spot of the Classic in January. The event was sponsored by Regal until 2003 (known as the Regal Welsh Open), but UK restrictions on tobacco advertising meant that it was without a sponsor until 2009.[3] The tournament was sponsored by Totesport.com in 2010,[4] by Wyldecrest Park Homes in 2011,[5] by 888真人 in 2012,[6] and is currently sponsored by BetVictor.[7][8]

In 1996 at the age of 17 years and 111 days Paul Hunter reached the semi-finals and became the youngest player to reach this stage of a ranking tournament.[3]

John Higgins holds the record for the most Welsh Open titles, having won the event on 4 occasions.

Like the Welsh Professional Championship, it was played at the Newport Centre in Newport, before moving to the Cardiff International Arena in 1999. It was moved back to Newport in 2005,[3] where it remained until 2014.[9] In January 2014, World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn announced that the 2014 tournament would be the last held in Newport, and that he would open negotiations to move the event to a larger venue, most likely in Cardiff.[10] In June 2014, it was then announced that the 2015 event will be held at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff.[11] The tournament currently takes place after the German Masters, and is broadcast by BBC Wales, Eurosport, CCTV, SMG, Now TV and Showtime Arabia.

There have been five maximum breaks in the history of the tournament. The first was made by Ronnie O'Sullivan in 1999 against James Wattana. The second was made at the qualifying stage of the 2000 event by Barry Pinches against Joe Johnson. The third was made by Andrew Higginson in 2007 against Ali Carter. The fourth 147 was made in 2011 by Hendry against Stephen Maguire.[12] This was Hendry's 10th 147 break and with this he equalled the record for most maximums with Ronnie O'Sullivan.[13] He also became the oldest player to compile a maximum break at the age of 42 years and 35 days.[14] The fifth was made by O'Sullivan in 2014 against Ding Junhui. This was O'Sullivan's 12th 147 break and with it he set the record for most maximums.[2]

Winners

File:Welsh Open Snooker Championship.JPG
The Welsh Open trophy on display at the Alexandra Palace during the 2014 Masters

[3][15][16][17]

Year Winner Runner-up Final score Venue Season
1992 Scotland Stephen Hendry Wales Darren Morgan 9–3 Newport 1991/92
1993 Republic of Ireland Ken Doherty Scotland Alan McManus 9–7 1992/93
1994 England Steve Davis Scotland Alan McManus 9–6 1993/94
1995 England Steve Davis Scotland John Higgins 9–3 1994/95
1996 Wales Mark Williams England John Parrott 9–3 1995/96
1997 Scotland Stephen Hendry England Mark King 9–2 1996/97
1998 England Paul Hunter Scotland John Higgins 9–5 1997/98
1999 Wales Mark Williams Scotland Stephen Hendry 9–8 Cardiff 1998/99
2000 Scotland John Higgins England Stephen Lee 9–8 1999/00
2001 Republic of Ireland Ken Doherty England Paul Hunter 9–2 2000/01
2002 England Paul Hunter Republic of Ireland Ken Doherty 9–7 2001/02
2003 Scotland Stephen Hendry Wales Mark Williams 9–5 2002/03
2004 England Ronnie O'Sullivan England Steve Davis 9–8 Welsh Institute of Sport in Cardiff 2003/04
2005 England Ronnie O'Sullivan Scotland Stephen Hendry 9–8 Newport Centre in Newport 2004/05
2006 England Stephen Lee England Shaun Murphy 9–4 2005/06
2007 Australia Neil Robertson England Andrew Higginson 9–8 2006/07
2008 England Mark Selby England Ronnie O'Sullivan 9–8 2007/08
2009 England Ali Carter Northern Ireland Joe Swail 9–5 2008/09
2010 Scotland John Higgins England Ali Carter 9–4 2009/10
2011 Scotland John Higgins Scotland Stephen Maguire 9–6 2010/11
2012[18] China Ding Junhui England Mark Selby 9–6 2011/12
2013[19] Scotland Stephen Maguire England Stuart Bingham 9–8 2012/13
2014[20] England Ronnie O'Sullivan China Ding Junhui 9–3 2013/14
2015[21] Scotland John Higgins England Ben Woollaston 9–3 Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff 2014/15
2016 – 2015/16

See also

References

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