Who has won the major ranking titles in snooker history? Can world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan be caught this season?

ByEurosport

Updated 06/09/2022 at 12:54 GMT

Ronnie O'Sullivan begins his 31st season as a professional as world champion, world No. 1 and also the sport's record 39-time ranking event winner. He is three clear of fellow seven-time Crucible winner Stephen Hendry with old rival John Higgins eight adrift in third place on 31 victories since they both turned professional in 1992. Six-time world champion Steve Davis occupies fourth spot on 28.

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We take a look at the full list of snooker's ranking event winners since the world rankings were first introduced in 1976/77.

There have been 72 winners in 46 years of the professional era with England the most prolific country in world snooker, claiming 199 titles between 36 players, Scotland winning 80 between seven players and Wales picking up 40 between eight players.

Australia occupies fourth spot in the overall list with Neil Robertson astonishingly winning all of his country's 23 ranking titles between 2006 and 2022.

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China lies in fifth place with 19 titles shared between five players led by three-time UK champion Ding Junhui on 14 victories.

There was only one ranking title in the first season of the rankings.

England's John Spencer became the first ratified winner of a ranking title courtesy of a 25-21 victory over Cliff Thorburn of Canada, the 1980 winner, in the 1977 World Championship final.

It was the first time the sport's biggest event was held by the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

Indeed, it was not until the 1982/83 season that the International Open and Professional Players Tournament joined the World Championship as ranking tournaments.

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Ronnie O'Sullivan became the youngest winner of a ranking title when he defeated Stephen Hendry 10-6 to win the 1993 UK Championship at the age of 17 years and 358 days.

O'Sullivan is also the oldest world champion of the modern era with his seventh since 2001, an 18-14 victory over Judd Trump in 2022, achieved at the age of 46 years and 148 days.

He also holds the record for bridging a 29-year gap between his first and latest ranking title victories.

Ray Reardon's 22-12 victory over Graham Miles in the 1974 World Championship final in Manchester was retrospectively recognised as the first official ranking event.

The Welsh icon remains the oldest winner of a ranking title with his 10-5 win over Jimmy White at the Professional Players Tournament in 1982 coming at the age of 50 years and 14 days.