What is snooker's Triple Crown and who has won the most Triple Crown events?
Every season all three events are held, and they are promoted collectively as the 'Triple Crown Series'.
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The phrase 'Triple Crown' has only regularly been used in recent years by the sport's authorities and the media, perhaps in an attempt to clearly distinguish snooker's premier events. Other than its own individual merits and histories, each of these tournaments is now labelled as a Triple Crown event.
One of the first examples of the term 'Triple Crown' being used in the sport was reportedly during the 1999 Masters when reigning World and UK champion John Higgins referenced it in an interview. The Scot went on to win that year's Masters, therefore meaning he held all three Triple Crown titles at the same time.
Although the three competitions are associated together in this way, there is no question that the World Championship is professional snooker's biggest prize and blue riband event.
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All three Triple Crown events have been televised by host broadcaster the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) every year since the 1970s.
Who has completed the Triple Crown in snooker?
If a player wins all three of professional snooker's biggest events – the UK Championship, Masters, World Championship – at least once during their career, it means they have completed a 'Career Triple Crown'.
In the history of professional snooker, only 11 players have won all three trophies. Steve Davis was the first player to complete the Triple Crown set in 1982.
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The latest addition to the esteemed list is Judd Trump, who joined the club when he won the 2019 World Championship at the Crucible Theatre.
Players who have completed a Career Triple Crown in snooker:
- Steve Davis (6-3-6) - completed in January 1982
- Terry Griffiths (1-1-1) - completed in December 1982
- Alex Higgins (1-2-2) - completed in December 1983
- Stephen Hendry (5-6-7) - completed in April 1990
- John Higgins (3-2-4) - completed in February 1999
- Mark Williams (2-2-3) - completed in May 2000
- Ronnie O'Sullivan (8-8-7) - completed in May 2001
- Neil Robertson (3-2-1) - completed in December 2013
- Mark Selby (2-3-4) - completed in May 2014
- Shaun Murphy (1-1-1) - completed in January 2015
- Judd Trump (1-2-1) - completed in May 2019
(UK Championship titles – Masters titles – World Championship titles)
At the time of writing during the 2024/25 snooker season, five active professionals are one win away from completing a Career Triple Crown.
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Jimmy White, Matthew Stevens, Ding Junhui and Mark Allen each need the World Championship, while Stuart Bingham requires the UK Championship.
Seven ex-professionals completed two thirds of a Career Triple Crown: John Spencer, Ray Reardon, Doug Mountjoy, Cliff Thorburn, Dennis Taylor, John Parrott and Peter Ebdon.
Who has completed a ‘Triple Crown Grand Slam’ in snooker and what does it mean?
If a player wins the UK Championship, Masters, and World Championship all within the same season, it can be a called a ‘Triple Crown Grand Slam’.
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Due to the difficulty of this achievement, it has only been completed by three different players throughout the history of the sport.
Stephen Hendry is the only player to have accomplished multiple Triple Crown Grand Slams, achieving the rare feat twice.
Players who have completed a Triple Crown Grand Slam in snooker:
- Steve Davis (1987/88)
- Stephen Hendry (1989/90 and 1995/96)
- Mark Williams (2002/03)
Who has won the most Triple Crown events in snooker history?
In terms of individual Triple Crown event wins, Ronnie O’Sullivan has won the most with 23.
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O’Sullivan surpassed Stephen Hendry’s previous benchmark of 18 when he won the 2018 UK Championship.
Top ten list of players with the most Triple Crown event wins in snooker:
- Ronnie O'Sullivan: 23
- Stephen Hendry: 18
- Joe Davis: 15
- Steve Davis: 15
- John Higgins: 9
- Mark Selby: 9
- Fred Davis: 8
- John Pulman: 8
- Ray Reardon: 7
- Mark Williams: 7
Is the Triple Crown a fair way to compare snooker players from across different eras?
The landscape of professional snooker throughout the modern era continues to evolve, but the Triple Crown concept is a fair measure for the past 40 years or so, as the UK Championship, Masters and World Championship have all remained constants on the circuit during that period.
However, several of snooker’s early greats prior to this period were either unable to obtain a Career Triple Crown or were disadvantaged as they were no longer at the peak of their powers when it was available to them.
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The first World Championship was won in 1927, the Masters in 1975, and the UK Championship in 1977. This means the first time that all three events were played in the same season was the 1977/78 campaign. But even then, the UK Championship was only open to British and Irish passport holders until the 1984 edition - a situation affecting Canada’s Cliff Thorburn, who never won that title.
A six-time World Champion in the 1970s – and a Masters champion in 1976 – Ray Reardon also misses out on Career Triple Crown status having not claimed the UK crown; the same applies to another 1970s icon, John Spencer. Had the UK Championship been founded earlier, both these great cueists would very likely be on the list, too.
Snooker’s original superstar, undefeated 15-time World Champion Joe Davis, never played in a UK Championship or Masters.
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