Northern Ireland Open (snooker)
 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Belfast |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Established | 2016 |
| Organisation(s) | World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association |
| Format | Ranking event |
| Total prize fund | £405,000 |
| Current champion |  Judd Trump |
The Northern Ireland Open is a professional ranking snooker tournament. The players compete for the Alex Higgins trophy.
History
On April 29, 2015, World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn announced it would be added to the main tour in 2016 as the "Northern Ireland Open"[1] at a Belfast venue, as part of a new Home Nations Series with the existing Welsh Open and new English Open and Scottish Open tournaments.[2][3]
The 2017 Final made history as Yan Bingtao became the youngest player to reach a ranking final. Yan came close to breaking Ronnie O'Sullivan's record of the youngest player to win a ranking event, which had stood for 24 years, but he narrowly lost to Mark Williams 8–9 after having led 8–7. This final also featured one of the biggest age gaps between finalists as Williams was almost 25 years older than Yan. Additionally, Yan also became the first player born in the 2000s to reach the final of a ranking tournament.
The 2020 tournament was staged outside Northern Ireland, at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom on the 2020–21 snooker season.[4]
For the last three consecutive years of the tournament, Judd Trump has defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan 9–7 in the final.
Winners
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Final score | Sponsor | Venue | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland Open (ranking) | ||||||
| 2016 | Mark King
|
Barry Hawkins
|
9–8 | Coral |  Belfast
|
2016/17 |
| 2017 |  Mark Williams
|
 Yan Bingtao
|
9–8 | Dafabet | 2017/18 | |
| 2018 | Judd Trump
|
Ronnie O'Sullivan
|
9–7 | BetVictor | 2018/19 | |
| 2019 | Judd Trump
|
Ronnie O'Sullivan
|
9–7 | 19.com | 2019/20 | |
| 2020 | Judd Trump
|
Ronnie O'Sullivan
|
9–7 | Matchroom.live | Milton Keynes
|
2020/21 |
See also
- Malta Cup
- Irish Masters
- Irish Professional Championship
- Northern Ireland Trophy
- 2011 Alex Higgins International Trophy
- Home Nations Series
References
- ^ http://www.worldsnooker.com/tournaments/irish-open-2016/
- ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/32519199
- ^ http://www.worldsnooker.com/hearn-announces-new-five-year-plan/
- ^ "World Snooker: Milton Keynes to host first eight events of 2020-21 season". BBC Sport. 28 August 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
External links
Active professional snooker tournaments | |
|---|---|
| Ranking events |
|
| Non-ranking events | |
| Seniors events |
|
| Tours and series | |
| Related lists | |
