Welsh Open snooker: Who are the top 20 147 maximum men of all time after John Higgins sets new record?
The youngest player to make a 147 was 16-year-old Thai player Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon against Barry Hawkins at the Rhein–Main Masters in 2010.
Since Steve Davis produced the first televised 147 in Oldham at the Lada Classic in 1982, only three men have managed to reach double figures in terms of 147 breaks.
Snooker GOAT Ronnie O’Sullivan continues to hold the record on 15 set between 1997 and 2018 with Higgins closing the gap to just two as he made the 13th of his remarkable career at the Morningside Arena (2000-2024), two clear of his fellow Scotsman Stephen Hendry (1992-2012), the only other professional to so far make it into double figures on the all-time list.
‘Phenomenal achievement’ – Murphy makes first maximum 147 break at Shoot Out
Interestingly enough, while Davis was the first player to set the gold standard 42 years ago, the six-time world champion never managed to emulate his landmark break with another 147 before he officially retired in 2016.
Initially wrongly timed at five minutes and 20 seconds, his astonishing break was later rounded down and ratified as five minutes and eight seconds by the Guinness Book of Records.
Elsewhere, fellow Englishman Shaun Murphy produced the first 147 set within the confines of a shot clock at this season’s Shoot Out, clocked at a rapid seven minutes and 35 seconds.
As a mark of the rising standards within the sport over the past 42 years, 48 maximums were made in the 21 years since Davis compiled the first with another 150 being produced since 2003.
Four maximums have already been made in the first two months of 2024 with two made at the Masters in January by Ding Junhui and Mark Allen.
Kyren Wilson produced the fifth 147 of his career at the Championship League last week before Higgins added to his collection.
‘Wonderful!’ – Ding constructs masterful 147 maximum to roar back against O’Sullivan
Top 20 maximum men of all time
- 1. Ronnie O’Sullivan (Eng) – 15
- 2. John Higgins (Sco) – 13
- 3. Stephen Hendry (Sco) – 11
- 4. Stuart Bingham (Eng) – 9
- 5. Judd Trump (Eng) – 8
- 6. Shaun Murphy (Eng) – 7
- Ding Junhui (Chn) – 7
- 8. Mark Selby (Eng) – 5
- Neil Robertson (Aus) – 5
- Tom Ford (Eng) – 5
- Marco Fu (HK) – 5
- Kyren Wilson (Eng) – 5
- 13. Gary Wilson (Eng) – 4
- 14. Mark Allen (NI) – 3
- Mark Williams (Wal) – 3
- Ali Carter (Eng) – 3
- Barry Hawkins (Eng) – 3
- James Wattana (Tha) – 3
- Jamie Cope (Eng) – 3
- Stephen Maguire (Sco) – 3
- Liang Wenbo (Chn) – 3
- Robert Milkins (Eng) – 3
- Ryan Day (Wal) – 3
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