John Higgins
Template:Short description Template:Other people Template:Pp-sock Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox snooker player
John Higgins (born 18 May 1975) is a Scottish professional snooker player from Wishaw in North Lanarkshire. Since turning professional in 1992, he has won 33 ranking titles, placing him in third position on the all-time list of ranking event winners, behind Ronnie O'Sullivan (41) and Stephen Hendry (36). He has won four World Championships, three UK Championships and two Masters titles, for a total of nine Triple Crown titles, putting him level with Mark Selby and behind only O'Sullivan (23), Hendry (18) and Steve Davis (15). He first entered the top 16 in the 1995–96 world rankings and remained there continuously for over 29 years until September 2024, setting a record for the longest uninterrupted tenure as a top-16 player.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He reached the world number one position four times.
In 1994, two years after turning professional, Higgins won his first ranking event at the 1994 Grand Prix. He also won two more ranking events that season, the first teenager to win three ranking events in a single season. He reached his first Triple Crown final at the 1995 Masters losing to O'Sullivan, and then the 1996 UK Championship, losing on a Template:Cuegloss to Hendry. Two years later, at the 1998 World Snooker Championship, Higgins won his first World Championship, defeating Ken Doherty in the final. He won the UK Championship twice in 1998 and 2000 and the 1999 Masters before reaching the world championship final again at the 2001 World Snooker Championship, losing to O'Sullivan. Higgins won the World Championship again in 2007 and 2009, the UK Championship in 2009 and 2010 and the Masters in 2006.
In 2010, a tabloid newspaper carried out a sting operation in Ukraine, in which it claimed to show Higgins and his then-manager arranging to lose specific frames in future matches for money. An investigation cleared Higgins of match-fixing allegations but the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association found that he had brought the sport into disrepute by failing to disclose an invitation to breach the sport's betting rules and giving the impression of agreeing to it. Higgins was banned from professional competition for six months and fined £75,000. After winning his fourth world title in 2011, Higgins' form became less consistent and he has gone for lengthy periods without title wins. He reached three consecutive World Championship finals between 2017 and 2019, but lost each time, to Selby in 2017, to Mark Williams in 2018, and to Judd Trump in 2019. In the 2021–22 season, he lost five ranking finals. In the 2024–25 snooker season, Higgins won two ranking events in the same season for the first time since 2015.
Higgins made his 1,000th professional century break at the 2024 English Open, becoming the second player, after O'Sullivan, to reach that milestone. He has made 13 officially recognised maximum breaks in professional competition, second only to O'Sullivan's 17.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also holds the record for the biggest time span between a player's first and most recent ranking tournament win, having won his first ranking event at the 1994 Grand Prix and his latest at the 2025 Tour Championship, 30 years and 165 days later.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Alongside O'Sullivan and Williams, he is one of the three players known as the "Class of '92", who all turned professional during the 1992–93 snooker season.
Career
Early professional years, first world championship
As amateur players, Higgins and Mark Williams faced each other in two finals in 1991. At the World Junior Masters Higgins won, while Williams won the British Junior Championship.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The following year, Higgins turned professional. He reached the last eight of the 1993 British Open during his first season on the tour, before losing 3–5 to Jimmy White. Aged 19, Higgins defeated Dave Harold 9–6 in the final of the 1994 Grand Prix. This was the first ranking title of his career.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The same season, he also won the 1995 International Open and the 1995 British Open, making him the first teenager to win three ranking events in a single season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He reached the finals of the 1995 Welsh Open, losing 3–9 to Steve Davis, and the 1995 Masters, losing by the same score to Ronnie O'Sullivan. His first time playing at the World Snooker Championship in 1995 he lost 3–10 in the first round to fellow Scottish player Alan McManus. Later that year he won his fourth ranking title at the inaugural 1995 German Open beating Ken Doherty 9–3 in the final.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Snooker.org">Template:Cite web</ref>
At the 1996 International Open he defeated Rod Lawler 9–3 in the final, to retain the championship. Later that season, at the 1996 World Snooker Championship, he defeated Martin Clarke 10–5 in the first round and McManus 13–5 in the second round. Facing O'Sullivan in the quarter-finals, he led 12–10, but lost the match 12–13 after O'Sullivan won the last three frames.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 1996 UK Championship, he defeated Tony Drago, Williams and Doherty to reach the final, where he faced the world champion, Stephen Hendry. Higgins trailed 4–8 before winning five consecutive frames to lead 9–8; however, he lost the final 9–10.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He won his sixth ranking title at the 1997 European Open, defeating Parrott 9–5 in the final. He reached the quarter-finals again at the 1997 World Championship, but lost 9–13 to eventual winner Doherty. He won the 1997 German Open, beating Parrott 9–4 in the final, and won his eighth ranking title at the 1998 British Open, beating Hendry 9–8 in the final.<ref name="Snooker.org2">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
At the 1998 World Snooker Championship, Higgins defeated Jason Ferguson 10–8, Anthony Hamilton 13–9, John Parrott 13–11 and O'Sullivan 17–9 in the semi-finals. In the final, he defeated the defending champion Doherty 18–12 to win his first World Championship and ninth ranking title. He made a then-record 14 centuries during the tournament (Hendry beat his record, with 16 centuries, at the 2002 World Championship, which Mark Williams equalled at the 2022 World Championship).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Higgins' success had seen him advance rapidly up the world rankings. In the 1994/1995 rankings, he was 51st; in the 1995/1996 rankings, he was 11th; and in the 1996/1997 and 1997/1998 rankings, he was second. After winning the world title, Higgins became world number one in the 1998/1999 rankings, ending Hendry's eight consecutive years in the top spot.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
After the first world title
During the 1998–99 season, Higgins won the 1998 UK Championship, defeating Matthew Stevens 10–6 in the final,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the 1999 Masters, defeating Doherty 10–8 in the final.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By winning the UK, Masters and World Championships, Higgins completed a career Triple Crown. He was also the third player, after Steve Davis and Hendry, to hold the three titles simultaneously, an achievement later emulated by Mark Williams. Higgins is also one of six players to have won both the World Championship and UK Championship in the same calendar year; the others are Davis, Hendry, Parrott, O'Sullivan and Mark Selby.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
Higgins held the world number one position for two seasons<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> before Williams replaced him at the top of the rankings.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Higgins and Williams met in the 1999 Grand Prix final, where Higgins came from 2–6 down to claim a 9–8 victory.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They also met in the 2000 World Snooker Championship semi-finals, where Higgins initially led 14–10 but ultimately lost 15–17.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They also played again in the 2000 UK Championship final, where Higgins won 10–4 to claim his second UK title.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Higgins reached his second world final at the 2001 World Snooker Championship, but lost 14–18 to O'Sullivan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the beginning of the 2001–02 season, he became the first player to win the opening three tournaments in a season: the 2001 Champions Cup in August,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the 2001 Scottish Masters in September,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the 2001 British Open in October.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He failed to win a major title for another three years, until the 2004 British Open.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Clive Everton later claimed that Higgins "lost his edge" during this period, due to becoming preoccupied with fatherhood; Higgins' wife Denise confirmed that she had to "push him out of the house to practise".<ref name=":0" />
In the 2005 Grand Prix final, Higgins comprehensively defeated O'Sullivan 9–2.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He became the first player to make four consecutive centuries in a ranking event, with breaks of 103, 104, 138 and 128 in frames 7–10. Higgins also scored a then-record 494 points without reply in the match.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> Of Higgins' performance, O'Sullivan commented that he had "never seen anything like it", while Everton stated that Higgins was "back to the kind of form which gave him the 1998 world title".<ref name=":0" /> Higgins and O'Sullivan also faced each other in consecutive Masters finals in 2005 and 2006. Higgins lost 3–10 in 2005.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2006, he lost the first three frames, but won the next five to lead after the first session. O'Sullivan levelled the scores in the evening session and the match went to a deciding frame. O'Sullivan missed a Template:Cuegloss to a Template:Cuegloss while on a Template:Cuegloss of 60, and Higgins made a Template:Cuegloss of 64 to win 10–9 and claim his second Masters title.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Second and third world titles
At the 2007 World Snooker Championship, Higgins beat Michael Holt, Fergal O'Brien, O'Sullivan and Stephen Maguire en route to the final. Trailing 10–14 against Maguire, Higgins won 17–15,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> making the 1,000th century to be made at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield since the World Championship was first staged there in 1977. In the final, Higgins held a 12–4 advantage over Selby overnight, but Selby reduced his arrears to a single frame on day two. However, at 14–13, Higgins rediscovered his form to win four consecutive frames to clinch the match 18–13 to secure his second World title at 12:54 am, the latest finish to a World final (equalled when Neil Robertson beat Graeme Dott in 2010); and nine years after his first title – the longest time span between successes since Alex Higgins (1972, 1982) and the longest at the Crucible. He regained world number one status.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
As World Champion, Higgins best performance was only reaching the quarter-final stages in the Welsh Open<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and China Open<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> tournaments. He helped to establish, and actively promoted, the World Series of Snooker<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> – a tour intended to bring snooker to new venues outside the traditional United Kingdom and recently developed Far East markets. He won the inaugural event in St. Helier in June 2008, beating Mark Selby 6–3 in the final. Higgins also devised a new players' union with his manager Pat Mooney, called The Snooker Players Association. He won the Grand Prix for the fourth time in 2008,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> beating Ryan Day 9–7 in the final in Glasgow – his first ranking tournament win on home soil.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
At the 2009 World Snooker Championship, Higgins beat Michael Holt 10–5 in round one. His second-round and quarter-final matches both went the full distance of 25 frames, with Higgins overcoming Jamie Cope<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Mark Selby,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> respectively, to win 13–12. He established a 13–3 lead in the semi-final against Mark Allen and progressed 17–13 .<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Higgins recorded an 18–9 victory over Shaun Murphy in the final<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> to become the ninth player to win the World title three or more times after Joe Davis, Fred Davis, John Pulman, John Spencer, Ray Reardon, Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In the 2009–10 season, as reigning World Champion, he lost 5–6 on the black ball to Neil Robertson in the semi-final of the Grand Prix;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and 8–10 to Ding Junhui in the final of the UK Championship,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> after surviving a comeback by Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-final when leading 8–2, to advance 9–8 the previous evening. He also defeated Neil Robertson 9–8 during the tournament.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He captured the Welsh Open title by defeating Ali Carter 9–4 in the final,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and ended the season as world number one despite an 11–13 loss to Steve Davis in round two of the World Championship.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Match-fixing allegations and fourth world title
Suspension
On 2 May 2010, Higgins and his manager, Pat Mooney, a World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) board member, were the subject of match-fixing allegations. They were filmed in a sting operation conducted by the News of the World.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 30 April, an undercover News of the World team, led by Mazher Mahmood, posing as promoters, had met Higgins and his manager in a hotel room in Kyiv under the pretence of organising a series of events linked to the World Series of Snooker. The newspaper alleged that Higgins and Mooney had agreed to lose four frames in four separate tournaments in exchange for a total payment of €300,000 and further discussed the mechanics of how to fix a frame, which tournaments and opponents to choose and how Higgins would receive the money. Higgins was immediately suspended from the game and Mooney resigned from his position on the WPBSA board.<ref name=BBC2May2010HigginsSuspended>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Higgins issued a statement on the day of the allegations. He denied that he had ever been involved in match-fixing and explained that he had decided to "play along" out of fears for his safety, suspecting the involvement of the Russian Mafia.<ref name=Guardian2May2010Middleton>Template:Cite news</ref>
A full investigation was conducted into the allegations by David Douglas, former Metropolitan Police detective chief superintendent and head of the WPBSA's disciplinary committee. The independent tribunal that followed in September 2010, hosted by Sports Resolutions (UK) and chaired by Ian Mill QC, concurred that the WPBSA was right to conclude that Higgins had truthfully accounted for his words and actions and to withdraw the more serious charges of match-fixing, but found him guilty of "giving the impression" that he would breach betting rules and of failing to report the approach made to him by the News of the World. Higgins received a six-month ban, backdated to the start of his suspension period, and was fined £75,000.<ref name=SI8Sep2010>Template:Cite web</ref>
Return to snooker
Higgins returned to professional competition on 12 November 2010 in the Ruhr Championship – European Players Tour Championship (EPTC) event five in Hamm and went on to win the tournament beating Shaun Murphy 4–2 in the final.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the next event, the Prague Classic, the sixth European Players Tour event, he reached the final again, but lost 3–4 to Michael Holt.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
At the 2010 UK Championship, his first tournament on British soil since his return, he reached his third final in succession. He fought back from 2–7 and 5–9 down against Mark Williams, and from 7–9 after trailing 0–61 and needing a Template:Cuegloss to level the match.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He made a 68 break in the decider and sealed a 10–9 victory with a Template:Cuegloss on the Template:Cuegloss.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As a result of his progress in those three events, where he won 18 out of 19 matches, Higgins earned sufficient points to regain his position as world number one under the new two-year rolling ranking system after having slipped to third by missing the start of the 2010–11 snooker season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Higgins lost in the first round of the 2011 Masters 4–6 against Graeme Dott,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and withdrew from the German Masters after defeating Robert Milkins 5–3 in round one,<ref name="WWW Snooker">Template:Cite web</ref> to return home due to the deteriorating health of his father, who subsequently died from cancer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A little over two weeks later, Higgins successfully defended his Welsh Open title by beating Stephen Maguire 9–6 in the final<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> – dedicating victory to his late father. Higgins won the Hainan Classic, defeating Jamie Cope in the final.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Higgins reached the quarter-final of the China Open, where he lost 2–5 against Shaun Murphy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Higgins' next tournament was the Scottish Professional Championship, where he defeated Anthony McGill 6–1 in the final.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In the 2011 World Snooker Championship, Higgins defeated Stephen Lee 10–5 in the first round, Rory McLeod 13–7 in the second round and Ronnie O'Sullivan 13–10 in the quarter-finals.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On the way to a 17–14 victory over Mark Williams in the semi-finals, Higgins was heckled by an audience member who shouted out, "How do you swallow that three hundred thousand, John? ... You're a disgrace to snooker."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Higgins went on to defeat Judd Trump 18–15 in the final to win his fourth world title,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> which prompted Steve Davis to comment "I think John Higgins is the best snooker player I've ever seen in my life".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Despite the victory, Higgins lost the world number one ranking to Mark Williams.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
After the fourth world title (2011–2017)
In the 2011–12 snooker season, reaching only two quarter-finals of major ranking events. His season-best performance was reaching the semi-finals of the Masters, where he lost 4–6 to Shaun Murphy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Before the 2012 World Snooker Championship, he admitted that he had not practiced much throughout the season and did not feel confident about defending his title.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the first round of the tournament, he came from 6–8 down to defeat Liang Wenbo 10–9.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He then played Hendry in the second round, the first time the two players had ever met in a World Championship match, but Hendry won 13–4, with Higgins calling it the worst he had ever played at the Crucible.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He finished the season ranked world number five.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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Higgins started the 2012–13 season by winning his 25th ranking title at the Shanghai Masters, after coming back from 2–7 down to defeat Judd Trump 10–9 in the final.<ref name=Shanghai2012>Template:Cite news</ref> He made a maximum break during the final and another in his second-round match against Mark Davis at the 2012 UK Championship.<ref name=Shanghai2012 /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He won the minor-ranking Kay Suzanne Memorial Trophy, defeating Trump 4–2 in the final, also reaching the final of the minor-ranking Bulgarian Open, where he lost 0–4 to Trump. However, Higgins did not enjoy sustained success for the rest of the season, reaching only one other semi-final of a major ranking event, the World Open, which he lost 2–6 to Mark Allen.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He exited the 2013 World Snooker Championship in the first round, losing 6–10 to Mark Davis.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Afterward, he admitted that doubts about whether he could remain at the top of the world rankings after 20 years as a professional had affected his form.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He finished the season ranked 11th, slipping out of the top 10 for the first time in 17 seasons.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Playing with a new cue, he won the minor-ranking 2013 Bulgarian Open with a 4–1 victory over Neil Robertson in the final, having beaten Shaun Murphy and Ronnie O'Sullivan earlier in the event.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He reached the final of the season's first major ranking event, the 2013 Wuxi Classic, which he lost 7–10 to Robertson.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He changed his cue again before defending his Shanghai Masters title, but lost 1–5 to Mark Davis in the last 16.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His Kay Suzanne Memorial Cup title defence ended when he was whitewashed 0–4 by Andrew Higginson in the last 128.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He lost 2–4 to Ding Junhui in the last 16 of the 2013 Indian Open,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and 2–6 to Matthew Stevens in the last 32 of the 2013 International Championship.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the invitational 2013 Champion of Champions, he lost 3–4 in the first round to Maguire.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Higgins called his form "soul-destroying"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as lost 3–6 to Maguire in the last 16 of the 2013 UK Championship.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Referring to Higgins' frequent changes of cue, Joe Johnson alleged in commentary that Higgins was "searching for something that is not there" and "looking for someone or something to blame" for his poor form.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Higgins retaliated by claiming that players in Johnson's era had struggled to make breaks of 30 or 40 on tables with much larger pockets and by calling Johnson one of the sport's worst commentators.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After the UK Championship, he slipped to number 12 in the world rankings, having failed to progress beyond the last 16 of any tournament since the Wuxi Classic in June.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Before the 2014 Masters, Higgins revealed that he had reached the "depths of despair" after the UK Championship, after spending months "in turmoil".<ref name="REVIT"/> He also revealed that he had switched to a fourth new cue, had regained his tempo and felt that he was playing better than he had in some time.<ref name="REVIT">Template:Cite web</ref> He defeated Stuart Bingham 6–2 in the first round,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but lost 5–6 in the quarter-finals to defending champion Selby, despite having led the match 5–3.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
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At the 2014 German Masters, Higgins lost 3–5 to Dominic Dale in the last 32.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the 2014 Welsh Open, he defeated Trump 4–3 in the last 16,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but lost 1–5 to O'Sullivan in the quarter-finals.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He reached a third consecutive ranking tournament quarter-final at the Players Tour Championship Finals, but lost 1–4 to Marco Fu.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He suffered a second consecutive first-round exit from the World Championship when he lost 7–10 to fellow Scot Alan McManus.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After the match, Higgins described himself as a "journeyman top-16 player now," suggesting that he no longer regarded himself among the top contenders at tournaments.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He ended the campaign as the world number 11, the lowest he has been at the end of the season in 19 years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Higgins continued to struggle in the opening ranking events of the 2014–15 season, losing 4–5 to Alan McManus in the last 32 of the Wuxi Classic,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 2–5 to Robert Milkins in the last 16 of the Australian Goldfields Open,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and 4–5 to Ryan Day in the last 32 of the Shanghai Masters.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He defended his minor-ranking Bulgarian Open title, but lost 1–4 against Judd Trump in the last 64.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the ranking International Championship, he lost 1–6 to Li Hang in the last 64.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He lost 1–4 to Barry Hawkins in the first round of the Champion of Champions invitational tournament,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and in the last 64 of the minor-ranking Ruhr Open, he failed to score a single point on his way to a 0–4 defeat by Marco Fu, who outscored Higgins by a cumulative total of 412 points to 0.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Higgins arrived at the 2014 UK Championship stating that he was struggling for confidence and concerned that a poor result in the championship could cost him his top-16 ranking and his place at the Masters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, he defeated Lee Walker 6–2, Jamie Cope 6–4 and Matthew Stevens 6–2 to reach the last 16, where he lost 5–6 to Anthony McGill.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This was enough to keep him inside the top 16, at number 14. At the Masters, he faced Mark Allen in the first round. Even though he made three century breaks, Higgins lost the match 4–6.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After the match, he said that "I feel my form is steadily coming back – even when I've been losing matches I have still been gaining nuggets of confidence and I thought I played pretty well again."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the 2015 German Masters, Higgins lost 2–5 to Peter Ebdon in the first round,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but he at the Welsh Open, he defeated Stephen Maguire 5–1 in the quarter-finals, Luca Brecel 6–4 in the semi-finals and Ben Woollaston 9–3 in the final to claim a fourth Welsh Open title, his first ranking title in two and a half years.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the last 16 of the 2015 Indian Open, he suffered a sixth consecutive defeat to Mark Davis when he lost 0–4, scoring only 38 points in the match.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He lost 3–4 to Graeme Dott in the last 32 of the World Grand Prix and lost by the same scoreline to Stephen Maguire in the last 32 of the Players Championship Grand Final. In the China Open, he reached the quarter-finals, defeating Dott and Trump along the way, but lost 4–5 to Ding Junhui.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2015 World Snooker Championship, Higgins won his first match at the event since 2012 with a 10–5 first round victory over Robert Milkins, but he lost 9–13 to Ding Junhui in the second round, despite winning five of the first six frames.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Higgins won his 27th ranking title at the 2015 Australian Goldfields Open by beating Martin Gould 9–8 in the final.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Later that year, he also defeated David Gilbert 10–5 in the final of the 2015 International Championship. This put Higgins level with Steve Davis in the list of total ranking events won.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Higgins started his quarter-final with Neil Robertson at the 2015 UK Championship by making the 600th century break of his career, but lost the match 5–6.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Higgins reached the semi-finals of the China Open, but lost 5–6 after Ricky Walden made a 131 break in the deciding frame.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He defeated Ryan Day 10–3 and Walden 13–8 at the 2016 World Snooker Championship, but lost 13–11 to Alan McManus in the quarter-finals, having been 11–9 ahead. He said later that he had "cracked under pressure".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Higgins lost in the quarter-finals of both the 2016 English Open and International Championship, 5–1 to Judd Trump and 6–2 to Ding Junhui respectively.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He faced Stuart Bingham in the final of the inaugural China Championship; with the scores tied at 7–7, Higgins made three successive centuries to claim the title and £200,000, which was, at the time, the highest prize awarded outside the United Kingdom.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the 2016 Champion of Champions, he defeated Ding 6–5 in the semi-finals despite Ding making four centuries in the match.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Higgins defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan 10–7 in the final to win his second title in a week.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the second round of the 2016 Northern Ireland Open, he made the eighth maximum break of his career and also scored breaks of 137 and 130 in a 4–1 victory over Sam Craigie.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He lost a deciding frame to Selby in the quarter-finals of the 2016 UK Championship.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He closed out 2016 by beating O'Sullivan 5–2 in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Open and then came back from 5–1 down to Judd Trump to win the semi-final 6–5.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the final against Marco Fu, he made three centuries in moving 4–1 ahead, but then lost eight frames in a row to lose 4–9.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Higgins won the non-ranking Championship League by beating Ryan Day 3–0 in the final.Template:Citation needed
At the 2017 World Snooker Championship, Higgins reached his first world final in six years. He became, aged 41, the oldest finalist in 35 years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In a rematch of the 2007 final, he faced Mark Selby. Higgins took a 10–4 lead, but then lost 12 of the next 14 frames, eventually losing 15–18.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2017 to present
He won the 2017 Indian Open, defeating Anthony McGill 5–1 in the final.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The following year, he won his thirtieth ranking event at the 2018 Welsh Open, defeating Barry Hawkins 9–7 in the final.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Higgins also reached the final of the 2018 World Snooker Championship, but lost again to Mark Williams. At the 2019 World Snooker Championship Higgins reached the final again, only to be beaten 18–9 by Judd Trump.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This was Higgins' third consecutive World Championship final and his eighth overall.<ref name="final tale of the tape">Template:Cite web</ref>
Higgins surpassed Stephen Hendry's career total of 775 centuries during the 2019 Scottish Open. He made his 775th century on 11 December during his match against Alexander Ursenbacher and his 776th against Jack Lisowski the following day.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Higgins made his 800th career century on the first day of the 2020 Champion of Champions, although he lost the match to Ding Junhui.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the 2020–21 season, Higgins reached his first Masters final since 2006 after beating Allen, O'Sullivan and David Gilbert.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, he was defeated by tournament debutant Yan Bingtao 8–10 in the final.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 28 February 2021, Higgins defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final of the Players Championship to claim his 31st ranking title and his first ranking title in three years. After his win, Higgins said that was "the best week of [his] snooker career" in terms of the way he played.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In his quarter-final against Mark Selby, Higgins outscored his opponent 546–7 in a 6–0 victory. After the match, Selby stated that, "I've never had a match where I had so few chances. John froze me out from start to finish, he played an incredible match.”<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Before the beginning of the 2021–22 snooker season, Higgins lost a significant amount of weight by taking spin classes. He weighed Template:Frac stones (217 lbs or 98.5 kg) during the 2021 World Championship, but began the new season at 12 stones (168 lbs or 76 kg).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2021 Northern Ireland Open, he won six consecutive frames to defeat Yan Bingtao 6–2 in the semi-finals, but lost the final 8–9 to Mark Allen, despite having led 8–6.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the 2021 English Open, Higgins came from 3–5 behind in the semi-finals to defeat O'Sullivan 6–5,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but he lost the final 8–9 to Neil Robertson, despite again having led 8–6. This defeat meant that Higgins had lost six of his previous seven major finals.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In his post-match comments, he expressed doubt about his ability to compete in ranking finals, stating: "The last two finals I really do think show I've not really got it at this level."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Higgins went on to lose the 2021 Champion of Champions final 4–10 to Trump,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the 2021 Scottish Open final 5–9 to Luca Brecel.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Even though he lost in the round of 32 at the Gibraltar Open, he won the BetVictor Series bonus of £150,000 by winning the most prize money across the series as a whole.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2022 Tour Championship, he came from 4–8 behind to defeat Zhao Xintong 10–9 in the quarter-finals, a victory he called one of his "best ever wins",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and went on to face Robertson in the final. Higgins established a 9–4 lead, but lost his fifth major final of the season after Robertson won six consecutive frames to win 10–9.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Afterwards, Higgins admitted that losing the final from a position of being five frames up with six to play would leave "real mental scars".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2022 World Championship, Higgins won his quarter-final match against Jack Lisowski on a deciding frame,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but lost 11–17 in the semi-finals to eventual champion O'Sullivan,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> finishing the season ranked fifth in the world.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Higgins reached the quarter-final of the 2024 World Championship with a 13Template:Nbnd12 win over Allen in the last 16.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He then played Kyren Wilson but fell to an 8Template:Nbnd13 defeat.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In September 2024, Higgins made his 1000th career century at the English Open to become just the second player after O'Sullivan to achieve this feat.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Higgins was runner-up at the 2024 British Open, losing to Mark Selby 5–10 in the final. Despite defeat, Higgins returned into the top 16 of the world rankings, having dropped out the previous week for the first time since 1995.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2025 Masters, Higgins held a 5Template:Nbnd1 lead over Neil Robertson in their first round match but Robertson then won five consecutive frames to win 5Template:Nbnd6.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the World Open, Higgins won his thirty second ranking event with a 10Template:Nbnd6 win over Joe O'Connor in the final. It was Higgins first title for four years, and at forty nine years of age Higgins also became the oldest player to win a ranking title since Ray Reardon in 1982.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Higgins won his second title of the [[2024–25 snooker season|2024Template:Nbnd25 season]] at the Tour Champiosnhip. He fought back from 5Template:Nbnd8 down to win five consecutive frames and defeat Mark Selby 10Template:Nbnd8.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Higgins reached the quarter-finals of the 2025 World Championship where he faced Mark Williams. Higgins fought back from 8Template:Nbnd12 behind to force a deciding frame, but a miss on the final blue proved pivotal, and Higgins exited the tournament 12Template:Nbnd13.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
In 2000, 25-year-old Higgins married his childhood sweetheart, 24-year-old Denise (née Whitton).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They have three children together, two sons and a daughter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Higgins is a supporter of Celtic F.C.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and also follows English club Everton.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He enjoys playing poker.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2006, Higgins was escorted off a plane for being drunk after losing the Malta Cup final to Ken Doherty, but he became teetotal in preparation for the 2007 World Championship which he went on to win.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Higgins was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In January 2010, Higgins appeared on the BBC's Celebrity Mastermind, answering questions on his specialist subject Dallas. He finished third equal.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In February of that year, Higgins and his wife Denise appeared on ITV's Mr. and Mrs. and reached the final after answering all of their questions correctly to win £30,000. They donated the money to The Dalziel Centre – a day hospice for cancer patients, based at Strathclyde Hospital in Motherwell, of which Higgins became a patron after they cared for his terminally ill father.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In a complex mathematical study conducted at the University of Limerick, Higgins was named the highest performing snooker player from 1968 to 2020, ahead of Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Williams and Stephen Hendry.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Performance and rankings timeline
| Tournament | 1992/ 93 |
1993/ 94 |
1994/ 95 |
1995/ 96 |
1996/ 97 |
1997/ 98 |
1998/ 99 |
1999/ 00 |
2000/ 01 |
2001/ 02 |
2002/ 03 |
2003/ 04 |
2004/ 05 |
2005/ 06 |
2006/ 07 |
2007/ 08 |
2008/ 09 |
2009/ 10 |
2010/ 11 |
2011/ 12 |
2012/ 13 |
2013/ 14 |
2014/ 15 |
2015/ 16 |
2016/ 17 |
2017/ 18 |
2018/ 19 |
2019/ 20 |
2020/ 21 |
2021/ 22 |
2022/ 23 |
2023/ 24 |
2024/ 25 |
2025/ 26 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking<ref name="Ranking history">Template:Cite web</ref><ref group="nb">From the 2010/2011 season it shows the ranking at the beginning of the season.</ref> | <ref group="nb">New players on the Main Tour don't have a ranking.</ref> | 122 | 51 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 16 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ranking tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship League | Tournament Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | 3R | RR | A | A | RR | A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saudi Arabia Masters | Tournament Not Held | 5R | 5R | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wuhan Open | Tournament Not Held | 1R | 3R | QF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| English Open | Tournament Not Held | QF | 4R | 4R | A | SF | F | 3R | SF | 3R | A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| British Open | QF | 2R | W | F | 1R | W | SF | QF | 3R | W | QF | QF | W | Tournament Not Held | 3R | 1R | 1R | F | SF | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Xi'an Grand Prix | Tournament Not Held | 1R | LQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Ireland Open | Tournament Not Held | 4R | 3R | 1R | SF | 4R | F | 2R | A | 2R | QF | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Template:Nowrap | Tournament Not Held | 1R | 2R | 1R | W | QF | QF | LQ | 3R | Not Held | 3R | QF | F | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UK Championship | LQ | LQ | LQ | SF | F | 1R | W | SF | W | QF | QF | 2R | 2R | 3R | SF | 1R | QF | F | W | 2R | 2R | 4R | 4R | QF | QF | 4R | 2R | QF | 4R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 2R | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shoot-Out | Tournament Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | A | A | A | A | 2R | A | A | A | A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scottish Open<ref group="nb" >The event was called the International Open (1992/1993–1996/1997) and the Players Championship (2003/2004)</ref> | LQ | LQ | W | W | SF | F | SF | QF | 3R | 2R | SF | 2R | Tournament Not Held | MR | Not Held | F | SF | 4R | 4R | 2R | F | 2R | SF | 2R | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| German Masters<ref group="nb" name="GER">The event was called the German Open (1995/1996–1997/1998)</ref> | Not Held | W | SF | W | NR | Tournament Not Held | WD | 2R | LQ | 2R | 1R | LQ | LQ | A | 1R | 1R | WD | LQ | LQ | QF | 2R | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Grand Prix | Tournament Not Held | NR | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | QF | 2R | 1R | DNQ | 1R | QF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Players Championship<ref group="nb">The event was called the Players Tour Championship Grand Finals (2010/2011–2012/2013) and the Players Championship Grand Final (2013/2014–2015/2016)</ref> | Tournament Not Held | DNQ | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | DNQ | 1R | 1R | QF | QF | W | QF | DNQ | QF | SF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Welsh Open | LQ | LQ | F | 3R | QF | F | 3R | W | QF | QF | 2R | 3R | 3R | 3R | 2R | QF | 2R | W | W | 2R | 2R | QF | W | 4R | 1R | W | QF | QF | 3R | 2R | 3R | SF | QF | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Open<ref group="nb">The event was called the Grand Prix (1992/1993–2000/2001 and 2004/2005–2009/2010), the LG Cup (2001/2002–2003/2004) and the Haikou World Open (2011/2012–2013/2014)</ref> | 3R | 3R | W | F | 3R | F | 1R | W | WD | QF | 3R | F | 1R | W | QF | 2R | W | SF | A | QF | SF | QF | Not Held | QF | 3R | A | SF | Not Held | 1R | W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tour Championship | Tournament Not Held | DNQ | QF | QF | F | DNQ | 1R | W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championship | LQ | LQ | 1R | QF | QF | W | SF | SF | F | QF | QF | 2R | 2R | 1R | W | 2R | W | 2R | W | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | QF | F | F | F | 2R | 2R | SF | QF | QF | QF | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Non-ranking tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shanghai Masters | Tournament Not Held | Ranking Event | 2R | 2R | Not Held | QF | 2R | 2R | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Champion of Champions | Tournament Not Held | 1R | 1R | QF | W | QF | QF | QF | 1R | F | QF | SF | A | QF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Riyadh Season Championship | Tournament Not Held | QF | A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Masters | LQ | LQ | F | 1R | 1R | 1R | W | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | SF | F | W | 1R | 1R | SF | 1R | 1R | SF | QF | QF | 1R | QF | 1R | SF | 1R | QF | F | QF | 1R | 1R | 1R | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship League | Tournament Not Held | A | 2R | 2R | RR | A | 2R | RR | RR | RR | W | W | SF | RR | SF | W | W | SF | A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former ranking tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dubai Classic<ref group="nb" >The event was called the Thailand Classic (1995/1996) and the Asian Classic (1996/1997)</ref> | LQ | LQ | 2R | QF | 1R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Malta Grand Prix | Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | QF | NR | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thailand Masters<ref group="nb" >The event was called the Asian Open (1992/1993) and the Thailand Open (1993/1994–1996/1997)</ref> | LQ | LQ | 1R | QF | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | SF | QF | NR | Not Held | NR | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Irish Masters | Non-Ranking Event | F | QF | 1R | NH | NR | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Ireland Trophy | Tournament Not Held | NR | 3R | 2R | SF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wuxi Classic<ref group="nb" name="WUC">The event was called the Jiangsu Classic (2008/2009–2009/2010)</ref> | Tournament Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | A | F | 2R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Goldfields Open<ref group="nb" name="AUS">The event was called the Australian Open (1994/1995) and the Australian Masters (1995/1996)</ref> | Not Held | NR | Tournament Not Held | 1R | A | A | 2R | W | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Riga Masters<ref group="nb">The event was called the Riga Open (2014/2015–2015/2016)</ref> | Tournament Not Held | MR | 3R | A | A | A | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shanghai Masters | Tournament Not Held | 2R | 2R | SF | A | QF | W | 2R | 1R | 2R | 2R | SF | NR | Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indian Open | Tournament Not Held | 3R | 3R | NH | A | W | SF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| China Open<ref group="nb">The event was called the China International (1997/1998–1998/1999)</ref> | Tournament Not Held | NR | W | 1R | 1R | SF | Not Held | 2R | F | QF | QF | F | 2R | QF | 2R | 1R | 3R | QF | SF | 3R | 2R | 1R | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Template:Nowrap | Tournament Not Held | NR | 2R | F | 3R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turkish Masters | Tournament Not Held | 3R | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gibraltar Open | Tournament Not Held | MR | 2R | A | A | WD | WD | 3R | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WST Classic | Tournament Not Held | QF | Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| European Masters<ref group="nb" name="MAL">The event was called the European Open (1992/1993–1996/1997), Irish Open (1998/1999) and Malta Cup (2004/2005–2007/2008)</ref> | LQ | QF | 1R | 1R | W | NH | 2R | Not Held | 2R | QF | QF | SF | F | 1R | NR | Tournament Not Held | QF | 2R | WD | 2R | 1R | 2R | LQ | SF | Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former non-ranking tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Goldfields Open<ref group="nb" name="AUS"/> | Not Held | W | A | Tournament Not Held | Ranking Event | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Champions Super League | Tournament Not Held | F | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| German Masters<ref group="nb" name="GER"/> | Not Held | Ranking Event | QF | Tournament Not Held | Ranking Event | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Malta Grand Prix | Not Held | A | F | A | F | QF | R | SF | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Champions Cup<ref group="nb">The event was called the Charity Challenge (1994/1995–1998/1999)</ref> | Not Held | A | F | QF | W | W | SF | SF | W | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scottish Masters | 1R | A | A | QF | SF | SF | F | F | QF | W | F | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Champions v Asia Stars | Tournament Not Held | F | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Ireland Trophy | Tournament Not Held | 1R | Ranking Event | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Irish Masters | A | A | A | 1R | QF | SF | QF | W | QF | W | Ranking Event | NH | SF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warsaw Snooker Tour | Tournament Not Held | F | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Euro-Asia Masters Challenge | Tournament Not Held | A | Not Held | W | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pot Black | A | A | Tournament Not Held | SF | F | QF | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| European Open<ref group="nb" name="MAL"/> | Ranking Event | Tournament Not Held | Ranking Event | SF | Tournament Not Held | Ranking Event | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Series Jersey | Tournament Not Held | W | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Series Berlin | Tournament Not Held | SF | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Series Moscow | Tournament Not Held | W | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Series Grand Final | Tournament Not Held | F | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Series Killarney | Tournament Not Held | SF | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Series Prague | Tournament Not Held | SF | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Template:Nowrap | Tournament Not Held | W | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hainan Classic | Tournament Not Held | W | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Power Snooker | Tournament Not Held | A | RR | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Premier League<ref group="nb" name="PLS">The event was called the European League (1992/1993–1996/1997)</ref> | A | A | A | A | RR | SF | W | SF | SF | F | RR | F | A | A | A | F | RR | SF | A | RR | SF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Grand Prix | Tournament Not Held | 1R | Ranking Event | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shoot-Out | Tournament Not Held | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | Ranking Event | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Template:Nowrap | Tournament Not Held | W | Ranking Event | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Romanian Masters | Tournament Not Held | QF | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hong Kong Masters | Tournament Not Held | QF | Tournament Not Held | SF | Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Template:Nowrap<ref group="nb">The event was called the Six-red Snooker International (2008/2009) and the Six-red World Grand Prix (2009/2010)</ref> | Tournament Not Held | A | QF | A | NH | A | 3R | QF | RR | A | A | A | F | Not Held | QF | Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Performance Table Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LQ | lost in the qualifying draw | #R | lost in the early rounds of the tournament (WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin) |
QF | lost in the quarter-finals |
| SF | lost in the semi-finals | F | lost in the final | W | won the tournament |
| DNQ | did not qualify for the tournament | A | did not participate in the tournament | WD | withdrew from 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 | means an event is/was a minor-ranking event. | |||
| PA / Pro-am Event | means an event is/was a pro-am event. | |||
Career finals
Ranking finals: 59 (33 titles)
| Legend |
|---|
| World Championship (4–4) |
| UK Championship (3–2) |
| Other (26–20) |
Minor-ranking finals: 6 (3 titles)
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 2010 | Template:Nowrap | Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname | 4–2 |
| Runner-up | 1. | 2010 | Prague Classic | Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname | 3–4 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 2011 | Template:Nowrap | Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname | 1–4 |
| Winner | 2. | 2012 | Template:Nowrap | Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname | 4–2 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 2012 | Template:Nowrap | Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname | 0–4 |
| Winner | 3. | 2013 | Bulgarian Open | Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname | 4–1 |
Non-ranking finals: 41 (21 titles)
| Legend |
|---|
| The Masters (2–3) |
| Champion of Champions (1–1) |
| Premier League (1–3) |
| Other (17–13) |
Team finals: 5 (3 titles)
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Team/partner | Opponent(s) in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 1996 | World Cup | Template:Flagicon Scotland | Template:Flagicon Ireland | 10–7 |
| Runner-up | 1. | 1999 | Nations Cup | Template:Flagicon Scotland | Template:Flagicon Wales | 4–6 |
| Winner | 2. | 2001 | Nations Cup | Template:Flagicon Scotland | Template:Flagicon Ireland | 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 2015 | World Cup | Template:Flagicon Scotland | Template:Flagicon China B | 1–4 |
| Winner | 3. | 2019 | World Cup (2) | Template:Flagicon Scotland | Template:Flagicon China B | 4–0 |
Pro-am finals: 1 (1 title)
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 2008 | Scottish Open Snooker Championship | Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname | 5–4<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
Amateur finals: 5 (4 titles)
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 1990 | Scottish Under-16 Championship | Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname | 5–2<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| Winner | 2. | 1991 | Scottish Under-18 Championship | Template:Flagicon Scott Bigham | 5–2<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| Winner | 3. | 1991 | Mita/Sky World Masters – Junior (Under 16) | Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname | 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 1. | 1991 | British Under-16 Championship | Template:Flagicon Template:Sortname | 0–4<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| Winner | 4. | 1992 | Scottish Under-18 Championship (2) | Template:Flagicon Scott Bigham | 5–0<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
References
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External links
Template:Commons category Template:Portal
Template:World snooker champions Template:UK Championship winners Template:Masters winners Template:Snooker world number ones Template:Snooker player of the year