Golf has its four major championships, tennis has an equal number of Grand Slam events and when it comes to snooker, there is the triple crown. For now at least, despite the best efforts of Saudi Arabia and China, it is three UK tournaments that players most want to win for the huge prestige they offer.
No player’s CV is truly complete without a World Championship on there but the next best options are the UK Championship and The Masters. Snooker’s big three are unusual, compared to many sports, in that two are held in Yorkshire, with one regularly taking place in London. There is often talk of moving the worlds away from Sheffield, whilst the UK Championship, which has been held mostly in York in the 21st century, is also periodically touted for a change of venue.
The Masters, however, which is second only to the World Championship in terms of the number of consecutive years it has been held (the 2025 edition will be the 51st staging) seems to have found a permanent home in the brilliant Alexandra Palace. The tournament has almost always been held in London, first in smaller venues, then for many years at Wembley, initially in its Conference Centre, then the Wembley Arena.
However, we are not here to discuss its home – Ally Pally since 2012, bar 2021 – but rather look at which players have lifted the coveted title most often. The name at the top of the list is not a huge surprise for anyone who knows even a little about the sport, but there are a few less obvious names among the multiple champions.
Ronnie Out in Front
Ronnie O’Sullivan is the greatest snooker player of all time in our opinion, though some may value the extreme domination over a shorter period of Stephen Hendry, or perhaps Steve Davis. However, Ronnie is top of the table when it comes to so many different measures, including total Triple Crown event victories, UK Championship wins, career centuries and career maximums. He also holds many records concerning both the oldest and youngest winner of events, a testament to his longevity, and is the joint-record holder in terms of world titles.
He is, also, the man that holds the record for winning The Masters the most. The Rocket beat John Higgins 9-3 in 1995 when he was just a couple of months past his 19th birthday. Higgins too was just 19, with Mark Williams the same age when he played in the tournament. Not a bad crop of players from 1975!
He would have to wait a decade to claim his second title in The Masters, beating Higgins again, this time 10-3. All of Ronnie’s victories in this tournament can be seen below, with the Essex boy very much feeling at home in the capital, where he always receives especially vociferous support.
- 1995 – Beat John Higgins 9-3
- 2005 – Beat John Higgins 10-3
- 2007 – Beat Ding Junhui 10-3
- 2009 – Beat Mark Selby 10-8
- 2014 – Beat Mark Selby 10-4
- 2016 – Beat Barry Hawkins 10-1
- 2017 – Beat Joe Perry 10-7
- 2024 – Beat Ali Carter 10-7
In addition to his record eight victories, O’Sullivan also lost in the final in 2019 (Judd Trump), 2010 (Mark Selby), 2006 (John Higgins), 2004 (Paul Hunter), 1997 (Steve Davis) and 1996 (Stephen Hendry). His 14 final appearances is five more than second-placed Hendry.
Hendry Second with Six
Whereas Ronnie’s career is characterised by stunning longevity, Stephen Hendry’s brilliance was more about a dominance that was so extreme it almost made the sport boring, and his relentless break-building and thirst for winning suffocated his opponents at times. Hendry won the Masters six times in all but that included five in a row from 1989 to 1993 inclusive.
He won his sixth and final title in 1996, easily dispatching a young upstart called Ronnie O’Sullivan – who happened to be the defending champion – 10-5. Hendry made nine finals in total, losing to compatriot Alan McManus in 1994, Mark Williams in 1998, and Williams again in 2003.
Four Players with Masters Treble
In a distant joint-third, there are four players who have all won The Masters on three occasions. Of those three only one is still active, so it is safe to say that Hendry and Ronnie’s tallies are safe for now.
Mark Selby
The only three-time Masters champion still playing, Selby has won the World Championship four times. Now in his early 40s his game appears to be dropping off but a minor resurgence suggests there may be more wins in him yet. He won his first Masters at Wembley Arena in 2008, beating Stephen Lee 10-3. His second victory came in 2010 when he got the better of Ronnie, avenging his final defeat to the same man 12 months earlier.
His third, and most recent win, was back in 2013 and again, the following year, in defence of his title, Ronnie beat him in the final. His three wins have come from five appearances in the final, the Rocket responsible for both of his defeats.
Cliff Thorburn
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Canadian Cliff Thorburn is the only non-Brit among the players to have won at least three titles in this event. He beat Ray Reardon, Doug Mountjoy and Jimmy White in 1983, 1985 and 1986 respectively. He also lost the 1978 final to Alex Higgins.
Steve Davis
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Davis has 15 wins in Triple Crown tournaments but just three in The Masters. The first came in 1982, when he beat Welsh ace Terry Griffiths, who made the final four times in five years but won just once, in 1980. His second success was against Mike Hallett in 1988, a 9-0 win at a time when Davis often seemed unbeatable, whilst his third victory was in 1997, when he surprised Ronnie, coming from 8-4 down to win 10-8.
Paul Hunter
Leeds ace Paul Hunter sadly died in 2006 at the age of just 27. 10 years later The Masters trophy was renamed in his honour, a fitting tribute at a tournament he won in 2001, 2002 and 2004. Along with Judd Trump (who has won this tournament twice) he is the only multiple Masters champion never to have lost a final.