Triple Crown

The Triple Crown is a series of 3 professional snooker events that represent the pinnacle achievements of the sport. The tournaments that make up the Triple Crown are the World Snooker Championship, UK Championship, and the Masters. 

📜 Triple Crown History

Snooker's Triple Crown tournaments are widely recognised as the sport's longest-running and most prestigious events. The oldest of these, the World Snooker Championship, was first played in 1927, while the Masters joined the circuit in 1975, and the UK Championship began just 2 years later. 1977 was the first year in which all 3 tournaments were held in the same season. 

The "Triple Crown" moniker was introduced in an official capacity in 2020. Players who have won all 3 Triple Crown events at least once over the course of their career are said to have won the "Career Triple Crown". This elite group of stars also earns the right to wear an embroidered crown on their waistcoats during tournament play to reflect their achievement.

Overcoming the best fields to earn a place in history, Career Triple Crown winners include legends of the game like Alex Higgins, John Higgins, Shaun Murphy, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, and Judd Trump. Only 3 players have won the Triple Crown in a single season: Steve Davis in 1987/88, Stephen Hendry in 1989/90 & 1995/96, and Mark Williams in 2002/03.

💯 Triple Crown Format & Scoring

Triple Crown events are some of the most popular tournaments in snooker and are broadcast live to millions of people each year. The events also offer some of the biggest prize funds on the World Snooker Tour.

All Triple Crown events take place annually: the UK Championship in November/December, the Masters in January/February, and the World Snooker Championship in April/May. Each event is seeded and features a field between 16 – 128 players.

The UK Championship is the first Triple Crown tournament of the season and features a field of 64 players. All matches up to and including the Semifinals are best-of-11 frames, while the Final is best-of-19 frames. Ronnie O'Sullivan has hoisted the trophy on the most occasions. 

Held in the New Year, the Masters is the second annual Triple Crown event of the World Snooker Tour season. It is unique amongst other Triple Crown tournaments in that it is an invitational, with the top 16 players in the snooker world rankings generally invited to take part. All matches up to and including the Semifinals are decided on a best-of-11-frames basis, while the Final is best-of-19-frames. The winner takes home the Paul Hunter Trophy.

Finally, the World Snooker Championship is played annually at the famous Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, UK. It is the oldest, and arguably most-coveted, title in the sport. 32 players take part in the championship – the top 16 in the snooker world rankings, along with 16 qualifiers. Round 1 is played over the best-of-19 frames, Round 2 is the best-of-25, the Semifinals feature best-of-33 frames matches, and the Final is decided by a best-of-35 frames match.