'Rocket Ronnie' O'Sullivan finishes the season as the fastest professional player on the World Snooker Tour
Ronnie O'Sullivan certainly lived up to his nickname of 'The Rocket' during the 2024/25 professional snooker season, as he finished the campaign at the top of the 'Average Shot Time' list.
The list features players who had a professional tour card, and the times are calculated from events across the whole season.
It was a frustrating term for O'Sullivan and he ended it without a title to his name. This is in stark contrast to the 2023/24 season where he won five tournaments, including Triple Crown triumphs at the UK Championship and the Masters.
The record 41-time ranking event winner did reach the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters, Xi'an Grand Prix, and Riyadh Season Championship - all in 2024 - but was barely seen on the baize after the new year.
O'Sullivan deliberately snapped his cue in frustration at the behind-closed-doors Championship League Invitational at the start of January, which led to a string of withdrawals from subsequent events.
After much speculation, the 49-year-old did compete at the 2025 World Championship - recording a record-extending 33rd Crucible appearance - where, despite using a new cue, he made the semi-finals, losing with a session to spare to eventual champion Zhao Xintong.
When O'Sullivan has been on the baize this season, though, he has been his swift self. He has an average shot time of just 16.6 seconds, making him the fastest player from the 2024/25 campaign.
And by some distance; O'Sullivan is more than a second quicker than the second-fastest cueist on the tour this season - Thailand's Thepchaiya Un-Nooh - who took on average 18 seconds a shot throughout the term.
There are other familiar names you would expect elsewhere in the top ten - Robert Milkins is in fourth, Jack Lisowski fifth, and double maximum man Jackson Page is seventh.
Players from lower down the rankings also feature amongst the speediest on the professional roster; Dean Young (third), Julien Leclercq (sixth), Andrew Higginson (eighth), Haydon Pinhey (ninth) and Hammad Miah (tenth).
1) Ronnie O'Sullivan: 16.6 seconds
2) Thepchaiya Un-Nooh: 18
3) Dean Young: 18.6
4) Robert Milkins: 18.7
5) Jack Lisowski: 18.8
6) Julien Leclercq: 19.8
7) Jackson Page: 19.9
8) Andrew Higginson: 20.5
9) Haydon Pinhey: 20.6
10) Hammad Miah: 20.8
World number one Judd Trump is 11th on the list; missing out on the top ten by 0.1 seconds.
Newly-minted World Champion Zhao is not on the list as he didn’t have a professional tour card, and he only competed in two tournaments, anyway.
At the other end of the list, 53-year-old Anthony Hamilton - who has been struggling with ailments - was the slowest professional player of the season with an average shot time of 32.6 seconds.
Two other players had an AST of over 30 seconds - Martin O'Donnell (31.7 seconds) and Ross Muir (30.5 seconds).
123) Anthony Hamilton: 32.6 seconds
122) Martin O'Donnell: 31.7
121) Ross Muir: 30.5
120) Mink Nutcharut: 29.7
119) Bai Yulu: 29.5
118) Ben Mertens 29.4
117) Stuart Carrington: 29.2
116) Chris Totten: 28.9
= 115) Sunny Akani: 28.8
= 115) Joe O'Connor: 28.8
Elsewhere on the list, the other two graduates from the 'Class of 92' Mark Williams is 21st (21.6 seconds) and John Higgins is joint 106th (27.9 seconds).
World number two Kyren Wilson is joint 28th (22.4 seconds) and four-time World Champion Mark Selby is joint 77th (25.9 seconds).
The fastest Chinese professional was Xing Zihao who finishes joint 18th with 21.5 seconds.
Reanne Evans (joint 89th - 26.8 seconds) was the quickest of the four women professionals.
Ken Doherty is still pacey around the table, being the joint 18th fastest with 21.5 seconds. Fellow snooker legend Jimmy White took an average of 24.8 seconds per shot, and is joint 61st on the list.
To view the list in full, visit the World Snooker Tour website here.