What does Triple Crown mean in snooker?

We take a look at snooker's Triple Crown and explain which events feature within it and which players have completed it?

What is snooker's Triple Crown?

Snooker's Triple Crown is a reference to the sport's three most prestigious competitions, the World Snooker Championship, UK Championship and the Masters.

The three events make up the Triple Crown Series, with any player to have reigned supreme in each of them said to have 'captured snooker's Triple Crown'.

Only 11 players have achieved that feat including all-time greats Ronnie O'Sullivan and Stephen Hendry.

Snooker's Triple Crown dates back to 1969 when the World Snooker Championship altered its format to a knockout event as opposed to its previous 'challenge' tagging.

A number of players have gone on to win one or two of the three events over the years, with each of those being named as Triple Crown event winner.

Which tournaments make up snooker's Triple Crown?

Three tournaments feature in snooker's Triple Crown Series; the World Snooker Championship, UK Championship and the Masters.

Traditionally, the UK Championship is the first of the three events to be staged during the season, across November and December, before the Masters takes place in January.

The World Snooker Championship - the most prestigious and lucrative competition on the calendar - then closes out the snooker season over 17 days in April and May.

Which players have completed snooker's Triple Crown?

Just 11 players have completed snooker's Triple Crown over the years, with modern day greats Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Selby and Judd Trump amongst the illustrious list.

Others to have achieved it are John Higgins, Mark Williams, Shaun Murphy and Neil Robertson.

Full list of players to have completed snooker's Triple Crown

• Ronnie O'Sullivan
• Stephen Hendry
• Steve Davis
• John Higgins
• Mark Selby
• Mark Williams
• Alex Higgins
• Neil Robertson
• Terry Griffiths
• Shaun Murphy
• Judd Trump

Order of players listed above is based on the number of Triple Crown events won.

Which player has won the most Triple Crown events in snooker?

Ronnie O'Sullivan unsurprisingly boasts the most Triple Crown successes, having captured 19 titles throughout his glittering playing career.

His tally of seven World Snooker Championships, seven Masters titles and five UK Championship wins puts him one ahead of long-term foe Stephen Hendry on 18.

The great Steve Davis is the only other player to have hit double figures in terms of Triple Crown event triumphs.

Most snooker Triple Crown titles

• 19 - Ronnie O'Sullivan
• 18 - Stephen Hendry
• 15 - Steve Davis
• 9 - John Higgins
• 9 - Mark Selby
• 7 - Ray Reardon
• 7 - Mark Williams
• 5 - Alex Higgins

Has a snooker player ever won all three Triple Crown events in a single season?

Completing snooker's Triple Crown is a remarkable achievement in its own right, but doing so in a single season is even more special.

In fact ,such is the difficulty in doing so, only three players have achieved that feat in the history of the sport - and that list doesn't include Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Steve Davis was the first player to capture the World Snooker Championship. UK Championship and the Masters titles all during the same campaign back in 1987/88, before Stephen Hendry repeated the feat two years later before achieving it for a second time during the 1995/96 season.

Welsh wizard Mark Williams is the only other player to have completed the sport's Triple Crown in a season, further cementing his legacy in the game by following in the footsteps of Messrs Davis and Hendry in 2002/03.

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