Ronnie O'Sullivan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ronnie O'Sullivan
OBE

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; he 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 was the first player to achieve 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

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 10–7 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 4–1 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 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 18–14, his first defeat in a world final. 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.

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 to 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 marked his 28th consecutive Crucible appearance, surpassing Hendry's record of 27 consecutive appearances. He reached his 58th ranking final at the 2021 Tour Championship, breaking Hendry's record of 57 ranking final appearances, but lost 10–4 to 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, becoming the first player to compete in 100 matches at the Crucible, but lost 10–13 to 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 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. At the 2024 Shanghai Masters, O'Sullivan lost 3–10 to Trump in the semi-finals, his first defeat at the tournament since 2016, after 20 consecutive match wins.

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

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 break builder and great tactical player, he has stated his disdain for long, drawn-out games, saying that they harm the game of snooker. O'Sullivan is ambidextrous, as he is right-handed but can play to a high standard with his left hand and routinely alternates when 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 17–6 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.

Other sportsmen have publicly praised O'Sullivan with tennis player, Novak Djokovic saying: "I watch snooker because of Ronnie O'Sullivan".

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

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. He has also co-authored 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 lived for some years. As of 2024, he lives in the adjoining area of Chingford and Woodford Green. 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. In 1995 he was banned from driving for a year and fined £1,200, as he returned from the International Open, in Bournemouth, after defeat in the last 16.

..... 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. The couple later reconciled, but in September 2024 were reported to have broken up again.

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.

O'Sullivan has been a supporter of the Labour Party. But in June 2024, he endorsed Faiza Shaheen, the independent candidate for Chingford and Woodford Green, in the 2024 General Election.

In June 2023 he was the guest for BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. An extended version of the programme was broadcast in October 2024. His book choice was Running with the Kenyans by Adharanand Finn, his luxury item was a painting set and his favourite disc was "That's All" by Genesis.

On 31 October 2024, O'Sullivan obtained Hong Kong residency under the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme.

Performance and rankings timeline

Career finals

Ranking finals: 64 (41 titles)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent	Score	Ref.
Winner	1.	1993	UK Championship	Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry	10–06 10–6
Runner-up	1.	1993	European Open	Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry	05–09 5–9
Winner	2.	1994	British Open	Wattana, JamesJames Wattana	09–04 9–4
Runner-up	2.	1995	Thailand Open	Wattana, JamesJames Wattana	06–09 6–9
Runner-up	3.	1995	British Open	Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins	06–09 6–9
Winner	3.	1996	Asian Classic	Morgan, BrianBrian Morgan	09–08 9–8
Winner	4.	1996	German Masters German Open	Robidoux, AlainAlain Robidoux	09–07 9–7
Winner	5.	1997	UK Championship (2)	Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry	10–06 10–6
Winner	6.	1998	Scottish Open	Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins	09–05 9–5
Winner	7.	1999	China Open	Lee, StephenStephen Lee	09–02 9–2
Winner	8.	2000	Scottish Open (2)	Williams, MarkMark Williams	09–01 9–1
Runner-up	4.	2000	Grand Prix	Williams, MarkMark Williams	05–09 5–9
Winner	9.	2000	China Open (2)	Williams, MarkMark Williams	09–03 9–3
Winner	10.	2001	World Snooker Championship	Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins	18–14
Winner	11.	2001	UK Championship (3)	Doherty, KenKen Doherty	10–01 10–1
Winner	12.	2003	European Open	Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry	09–06 9–6
Winner	13.	2003	Irish Masters	Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins	10–09 10–9
Runner-up	5.	2003	British Open (2)	Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry	06–09 6–9
Winner	14.	2004	Welsh Open	Davis, SteveSteve Davis	09–08 9–8
Winner	15.	2004	World Snooker Championship (2)	Graeme Dott	18–08 18–8
Winner	16.	2004	Grand Prix	McCulloch, IanIan McCulloch	09–05 9–5
Winner	17.	2005	Welsh Open (2)	Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry	09–08 9–8
Winner	18.	2005	Irish Masters (2)	Stevens, MatthewMatthew Stevens	10–08 10–8
Runner-up	6.	2005	Grand Prix (2)	Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins	02–09 2–9
Runner-up	7.	2006	Northern Ireland Trophy	Ding Junhui	06–09 6–9
Runner-up	8.	2007	Grand Prix (3)	Fu, MarcoMarco Fu	06–09 6–9
Winner	19.	2007	UK Championship (4)	Maguire, StephenStephen Maguire	10–02 10–2
Runner-up	9.	2008	Welsh Open	Selby, MarkMark Selby	08–09 8–9
Winner	20.	2008	World Snooker Championship (3)	Carter, AliAli Carter	18–08 18–8
Winner	21.	2008	Northern Ireland Trophy	Harold, DaveDave Harold	09–03 9–3
Runner-up	10.	2008	Shanghai Masters	Walden, RickyRicky Walden	08–10 8–10
Winner	22.	2009	Shanghai Masters	Liang Wenbo	10–05 10–5
Runner-up	11.	2010	Grand Prix (4) World Open (4)	Robertson, NeilNeil Robertson	01–05 1–5
Winner	23.	2012	German Masters (2)	Maguire, StephenStephen Maguire	09–07 9–7
Winner	24.	2012	World Snooker Championship (4)	Carter, AliAli Carter	18–11
Winner	25.	2013	World Snooker Championship (5)	Hawkins, BarryBarry Hawkins	18–12
Winner	26.	2014	Welsh Open (3)	Ding Junhui	9–3
Runner-up	12.	2014	World Snooker Championship	Selby, MarkMark Selby	14–18
Winner	27.	2014	UK Championship (5)	Trump, JuddJudd Trump	10–9
Winner	28.	2016	Welsh Open (4)	Robertson, NeilNeil Robertson	9–5
Runner-up	13.	2016	European Masters	Trump, JuddJudd Trump	8–9
Runner-up	14.	2016	UK Championship	Selby, MarkMark Selby	7–10
Winner	29.	2017	English Open	Wilson, KyrenKyren Wilson	9–2
Winner	30.	2017	Shanghai Masters (2)	Trump, JuddJudd Trump	10–3
Winner	31.	2017	UK Championship (6)	Murphy, ShaunShaun Murphy	10–5
Winner	32.	2018	World Grand Prix	Junhui, DingDing Junhui	10–3
Winner	33.	2018	Players Championship	Murphy, ShaunShaun Murphy	10–4
Runner-up	15.	2018	Northern Ireland Open	Trump, JuddJudd Trump	7–9
Winner	34.	2018	UK Championship (7)	Allen, MarkMark Allen	10–6
Winner	35.	2019	Players Championship (2)	Robertson, NeilNeil Robertson	10–4
Winner	36.	2019	Tour Championship	Robertson, NeilNeil Robertson	13–11
Runner-up	16.	2019	Northern Ireland Open (2)	Trump, JuddJudd Trump	7–9
Winner	37.	2020	World Snooker Championship (6)	Wilson, KyrenKyren Wilson	18–8
Runner-up	17.	2020	Northern Ireland Open (3)	Trump, JuddJudd Trump	7–9
Runner-up	18.	2020	Scottish Open	Selby, MarkMark Selby	3–9
Runner-up	19.	2021	Welsh Open (2)	Brown, JordanJordan Brown	8–9
Runner-up	20.	2021	Players Championship	Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins	3–10
Runner-up	21.	2021	Tour Championship	Robertson, NeilNeil Robertson	4–10
Winner	38.	2021	World Grand Prix (2)	Robertson, NeilNeil Robertson	10–8
Runner-up	22.	2022	European Masters (2)	Zhengyi, FanFan Zhengyi	9–10
Winner	39.	2022	World Snooker Championship (7)	Trump, JuddJudd Trump	18–13
Winner	40.	2023	UK Championship (8)	Ding Junhui	10–7
Winner	41.	2024	World Grand Prix (3)	Trump, JuddJudd Trump	10–7
Runner-up	23.	2024	Tour Championship (2)	Williams, MarkMark Williams	5–10

Minor-ranking finals: 6 (3 titles)

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

Non-ranking finals: 58 (39 titles)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent	Score	Ref.
Winner	1.	1993	Nescafe Extra Challenge	Wattana, JamesJames Wattana	Round-Robin
Winner	2.	1993	Benson and Hedges Championship	Lardner, JohnJohn Lardner	09–06 9–6
Winner	3.	1995	The Masters	Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins	09–03 9–3
Runner-up	1.	1995	Tenball	White, JimmyJimmy White	01–03 1–3
Winner	4.	1996	Charity Challenge	Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins	09–06 9–6
Runner-up	2.	1996	The Masters	Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry	05–10 5–10
Runner-up	3.	1997	Charity Challenge	Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry	08–09 8–9
Runner-up	4.	1997	The Masters (2)	Davis, SteveSteve Davis	08–10 8–10
Winner	5.	1997	Premier League Snooker European League	Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry	10–08 10–8
Winner	6.	1997	Superstar International	White, JimmyJimmy White	05–03 5–3
Runner-up	5.	1998	Charity Challenge (2)	Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins	08–09 8–9
Disqualified		1998	Irish Masters	Doherty, KenKen Doherty	09–03 9–3
Winner	7.	1998	Scottish Masters	Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins	09–07 9–7
Runner-up	6.	1999	Charity Challenge (3)	Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins	04–09 4–9
Runner-up	7.	1999	Millennium Cup	Lee, StephenStephen Lee	02–07 2–7
Winner	8.	2000	Charity Challenge (2) Champions Cup (2)	Williams, MarkMark Williams	07–05 7–5
Winner	9.	2000	Scottish Masters (2)	Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry	09–06 9–6
Winner	10.	2001	Irish Masters	Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry	09–08 9–8
Winner	11.	2001	Premier League (2)	Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry	09–07 9–7
Runner-up	8.	2001	Scottish Masters	Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins	06–09 6–9
Winner	12.	2002	Premier League (3)	Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins	09–04 9–4
Winner	13.	2002	Scottish Masters (3)	Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins	09–04 9–4
Runner-up	9.	2004	The Masters (3)	Hunter, PaulPaul Hunter	09–10 9–10
Winner	14.	2005	The Masters (2)	Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins	10–03 10–3
Winner	15.	2005 (May)	Premier League (4)	Williams, MarkMark Williams	6–0
Winner	16.	2005 (Dec)	Premier League (5)	Stephen Hendry	6–0
Runner-up	10.	2006	The Masters (4)	John Higgins	9–10
Winner	17.	2006	Premier League (6)	Jimmy White	7–0
Winner	18.	2007	The Masters (3)	Ding Junhui	10–3
Winner	19.	2007	Kilkenny Irish Masters (2)	Barry Hawkins	9–1
Winner	20.	2007	Premier League (7)	John Higgins	7–4
Winner	21.	2008	Hamm Invitational Trophy	Barry Hawkins	6–2
Winner	22.	2008	Premier League (8)	Mark Selby	7–2
Winner	23.	2009	The Masters (4)	Mark Selby	10–8
Runner-up	11.	2009	Premier League	Shaun Murphy	3–7
Runner-up	12.	2010	The Masters (5)	Mark Selby	9–10
Winner	24.	2010	Power Snooker	Ding Junhui
Winner	25.	2010	Premier League (9)	Shaun Murphy	7–1
Runner-up	13.	2011	Power Snooker	Gould, MartinMartin Gould
Winner	26.	2011	Premier League (10)	Ding Junhui	7–1
Winner	27.	2013	Champion of Champions	Stuart Bingham	10–8
Winner	28.	2014	The Masters (5)	Mark Selby	10–4
Winner	29.	2014	Champion of Champions (2)	Judd Trump	10–7
Runner-up	14.	2015	World Grand Prix	Judd Trump	7–10
Winner	30.	2016	The Masters (6)	Barry Hawkins	10–1
Runner-up	15.	2016	Championship League	Judd Trump	2–3
Runner-up	16.	2016	Champion of Champions	John Higgins	7–10
Winner	31.	2017	The Masters (7)	Joe Perry	10–7
Runner-up	17.	2017	Hong Kong Masters	Neil Robertson	3–6
Runner-up	18.	2017	Champion of Champions (2)	Shaun Murphy	8–10
Winner	32.	2018	Shanghai Masters (3)	Barry Hawkins	11–9
Winner	33.	2018	Champion of Champions (3)	Kyren Wilson	10–9
Runner-up	19.	2019	The Masters (6)	Judd Trump	4–10
Winner	34.	2019	Shanghai Masters (4)	Shaun Murphy	11–9
Winner	35.	2022	Hong Kong Masters	Marco Fu	6–4
Winner	36.	2022	Champion of Champions (4)	Judd Trump	10–6
Winner	37.	2023	Shanghai Masters (5)	Luca Brecel	11–9
Winner	38.	2024	The Masters (8)	Ali Carter	10–7
Winner	39.	2024	World Masters of Snooker	Luca Brecel	5–2

Pro–am finals: 1 (1 title)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent	Score	Ref.
Winner	1.	2015	Pink Ribbon	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: 7 (4 titles)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent	Score	Ref.
Runner-up	1.	1987	Pontins Junior Championship	Rod Lawler	0–3
Runner-up	2.	1988	UK Under-16 Championship	Mark King	2–3
Winner	1.	1989	British Under-16 Championship	Andy Hicks	3–1
Runner-up	3.	1991	English Amateur Championship	Steve Judd	10–13
Winner	2.	1991	IBSF World Under-21 Championship	Patrick Delsemme	11–04 11–4
Winner	3.	1991	Junior Pot Black	Declan Murphy	2–0
Winner	4.	1991	Pontins Autumn Championship	Matthew Stevens	5–0

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

In Spanish: Ronnie O'Sullivan para niños

• Professional snooker career of Ronnie O'Sullivan
• Maximum and century breaks made by Ronnie O'Sullivan
• Ronnie O'Sullivan: The Edge of Everything