Snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan has once again proven his prowess on the green baize, scoring a thrilling 147 break at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters and costing rival Thepchaiya Un-Nooh a hefty sum in bonuses. Not satisfied with just one maximum break, he went on to score another in the same match to nick a sigficant bonus from his rival.
The tournament offers a £50,000 prize for a maximum break. Thailand’s Un-Nooh was set to pocket the entire amount until ‘The Rocket’ stepped in, putting him in line for two-thirds of the prize. But the excitement didn’t stop there. After doubling up during his victory over Chris Wakelin in Jeddah, O’Sullivan secured an additional £147,000 bonus, bringing his total winnings to over £180,000.
Previously, he has expressed his dissatisfaction with the small prizes given for maximum breaks. However, this was not an issue in Saudi Arabia, where he secured a six-figure sum after achieving his second 147.
“I knew it was £10,000. I could have done it, but I didn’t think the prize was worthy of a 147. So I’ve tried to let it build up until it’s worthy and then go for it,” O’Sullivan remarked back in 2016 upon discovering that he could only win £12,000 for hitting 147 at the Welsh Open.
“It’s like going into a Mercedes garage and when they say that you can have the car for £3,000, you reply, ‘No way, that’s too cheap. I’m not buying it for that’.”
Steven Hallworth, commenting on TNT Sports’ coverage of the tournament, said: “You say the name and he is snooker. This is why we love him. What a player.”
O’Sullivan triumphed over Wakelin 6-3 to secure his spot in the final, where he will face Neil Robertson, who also claimed a 6-3 victory against Elliot Slessor. This marked the first time O’Sullivan scored a competitive 147 since 2018 at the English Open. He broke records as the oldest player to hit a maximum against Wakelin, only to shatter his own record minutes later.
The £147,000 bonus is a new feature for the 2025-26 season, with players earning the sum if they make two maximums across the 2025 UK Championship, the 2026 Masters and the 2026 World Snooker Championship. However, O’Sullivan needed just one tournament to claim the prize.
Both O’Sullivan and Robertson will have another opportunity to boost their earnings on Saturday. The victor of the final will receive a massive £500,000 payout, while the runner-up will take home £200,000.
“To get to the final is huge in terms of ranking points, it means I should be in all of the big events later in the season which makes my scheduling so much easier,” said ‘The Rocket’.
“I took that for granted a few years ago when I was always in the top four. The standard is so high now that I have realised you have to keep your foot down all the time. A lot of hard work has happened to get these kind of results.”
