XI’AN, CHINA – OCTOBER 12: Mark J Williams of Wales plays a shot in the Semifinal match against Daniel Wells of Wales on day 6 of the Xi’an Grand Prix 2025 at the Qujiang Athletic Center on October 12, 2025 in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province of China. (Photo by Tai Chengzhe/VCG via Getty Images) (Image: Tai Chengzhe, VCG via Getty Images)
Three-time snooker world champion Mark Williams has made history by becoming the oldest ever winner of a ranking event, following his victory at the Xi’An Grand Prix in China. Despite losing the World Championship final earlier this year to Zhao Xintong, the Welsh star has shown remarkable resilience and mental strength.
Williams has broken a long-standing record held by fellow Welshman and snooker legend Ray Reardon, who had been the oldest winner of a ranking event since 1982. This victory moves Williams one step closer to Steve Davis in the all-time list of ranking titles, further cementing his status as one of the sport’s greats.
Murphy was hoping to continue his impressive form after winning the British Open last month in Cheltenham. However, a few early mistakes allowed Williams to seize control of the match.
Reflecting on his historic win and enduring success, Williams shared some insight into his approach to the game. “It’s amazing that I am still winning tournaments, I don’t know how I’m doing it because I am not practising enough to really compete in the later stages of tournaments,” he admitted.
“I try to play as much as I can while I’m at venues and you have to scrape me off the table until the last ball is potted. Somehow the three of us in the Class of ’92 (along with Higgins and O’Sullivan) are still going.”.
He’s bagged £177k in China. (Image: Tai Chengzhe, VCG via Getty Images)
“I try my absolute hardest when I’m out there, trying to win every game. But if I lose I don’t care, there’s no moaning or dwelling on it. If you beat yourself up when you lose, then you will struggle in this game. If more players took the same attitude they might see a bit of improvement.”
Williams has not only enjoyed success, but also amassed a significant amount of prize money. The total prize fund for the tournament was a staggering £850,000, with Williams pocketing £177,000 on Monday. In contrast, Murphy received £76,000 for his efforts.
Impressive Net Worth
Having been at the pinnacle of the sport for such a long time, Williams has accumulated a substantial fortune from his endeavours at the table. And after his £177k victory on Monday, he shows no signs of slowing down.
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CueTracker estimates that the professional player from Cwm has raked in an impressive £8.7m since turning professional in 1992. This figure is purely from prize money and does not include additional earnings from outside the sport, such as brand deals and sponsorships.
Naturally, a significant chunk of his prize money will be allocated to key expenses, including tax, so his actual net worth is estimated to be around £7.1m according to casino.org.
Interestingly, that CueTracker figure has seen a considerable increase from earlier this year. In May, his total career earnings were listed at around £8.3m, which means he has added a further £400k in prize money in just five months.
Following his appearance in the World Championships final back in May, he bagged a remarkable prize pot of £200k, representing a considerable portion of his yearly earnings.
Williams defeated Murphy in the final. (Image: Tai Chengzhe, VCG via Getty Images)
Zhao Xintong walked away with £500k after defeating Williams at The Crucible. As noted earlier, despite these substantial cash rewards, it remains uncertain how much of the prize money Williams actually retains after tax obligations.
After securing second place at the Saudi Arabian Masters on one occasion, he quipped that £100k would go to his wife whilst the remaining £100k would go straight to the tax man.
Health struggle
For any elite-level snooker professional, vision is absolutely crucial to performance, alongside numerous other factors. Regrettably for Williams, his eyesight has deteriorated significantly in recent times.
He has revealed that he has been competing “half-blind” at various stages and has found it difficult to see the balls properly. During the Players Championship in March, he admitted that his vision had “completely gone”.
Speaking following his victory over Ding Junhui at that competition, he stated: “It is a good win for me because, if I am totally honest with you, my eyes have completely gone. For the last six months, it has deteriorated quite badly. It was just long ones that were blurry, but now everything is blurry. It is a bit concerning but I have got to get on with it at the minute. I will see what happens after the Worlds.
“The big scoreboard at the end of the table, I can’t even see it, I can’t make it out,” Williams confessed. “It is all a blur and is getting worse by the month, so it is a good win for me considering I am half-blind. It’s mad. It has got to a stage if anything’s close I have no idea if they go, so I just go for them.”
Despite being scheduled for eye lens replacement surgery in June, he ultimately decided to delay the procedure.