The Masters, which makes up snooker's Triple Crown, is the second longest running snooker event behind the worlds although there are no ranking points on offer as it remains a purely invitational tournament of just 16 players - who are usually the highest ranked in the world at the time.

The event began in 1975 when John Spencer beat Ray Reardon 9-8 in a thriller and has always been held in London although the venue switched to Alexandra Palace from Wembley in 2012.

Snooker's biggest names of the past such as Ray Reardon, Steve Davis, Alex Higgins and Cliff Thorburn have all won this trophy - as well as one of the most lucrative winners' cheques in the sport - but Stephen Hendry then became the most successful player in the event's history when winning it five times in a row and six in total during the height of his powers in the early 1990s.

Ronnie O'Sullivan then equalled this record in 2016 with a 10-1 thrashing of Barry Hawkins in 2016 and then a year later moved one clear with a 10-7 victory over Joe Perry.

Shaun Murphy's 2015 triumph over Neil Robertson saw him become just the 10th player in history to complete the Triple Crown having previously won the World Championship and UK Championship once each.

The others are Stephen Hendry (7 worlds, 5 UKs & 6 Masters), Steve Davis (6 worlds, 6 UKs & 3 Masters), Ronnie O'Sullivan (5 worlds, 5 UKs & 6 Masters), John Higgins (4 worlds, 3 UKs & 2 Masters), Mark Williams (2 worlds, 2 UKs & 2 Masters), Alex Higgins (2 worlds, 1 UKs & 2 Masters), Mark Selby (1 worlds, 1 UKs & 3 Masters), Terry Griffiths (1 worlds, 1 UKs & 1 Masters) and Neil Robertson (1 worlds, 1 UKs & 1 Masters).

Masters Most Titles

Ronnie O'Sullivan - 7
Stephen Hendry - 6
Steve Davis - 3
Mark Selby - 3
Cliff Thorburn - 3
Paul Hunter - 3
John Higgins - 2
Mark Williams - 2
Alex Higgins - 2
John Spencer - 1
Ray Reardon - 1
Doug Mountjoy - 1
Perrie Mans - 1
Terry Griffiths - 1
Jimmy White - 1
Dennis Taylor - 1
Alan McManus - 1
Matthew Stevens - 1
Ding Junhui - 1
Neil Robertson - 1
Shaun Murphy - 1

Masters Snooker Finals

1975 - John Spencer 9-8 Ray Reardon
1976 - Ray Reardon 7-3 Graham Miles
1977 - Doug Mountjoy 7-6 Ray Reardon
1978 - Alex Higgins 7-5 Cliff Thorburn
1979 - Perrie Mans 8-4 Alex Higgins
1980 - Terry Griffiths 9-5 Alex Higgins
1981 - Alex Higgins 9-6 Terry Griffiths
1982 - Steve Davis 9-5 Terry Griffiths
1983 - Cliff Thorburn 9-7 Ray Reardon
1984 - Jimmy White 9-5 Terry Griffiths
1985 - Cliff Thorburn 9-6 Doug Mountjoy
1986- Cliff Thorburn 9-5 Jimmy White
1987 - Dennis Taylor 9-8 Alex Higgins
1988 - Steve Davis 9-0 Mike Hallett
1989 - Stephen Hendry 9-6 John Parrott
1990 - Stephen Hendry 9-4 John Parrott
1991 - Stephen Hendry 9-8 Mike Hallett
1992 - Stephen Hendry 9-4 John Parrott
1993 - Stephen Hendry 9-5 James Wattana
1994 - Alan McManus 9-8 Stephen Hendry
1995 - Ronnie O'Sullivan 9-3 John Higgins
1996 - Stephen Hendry 10-5 Ronnie O'Sullivan
1997 - Steve Davis 10-8 Ronnie O'Sullivan
1998 - Mark Williams 10-9 Stephen Hendry
1999 - John Higgins 10-8 Ken Doherty
2000 - Matthew Stevens 10-8 Ken Doherty
2001 - Paul Hunter 10-9 Fergal O'Brien
2002 - Paul Hunter 10-9 Mark Williams
2003 - Mark Williams 10-4 Stephen Hendry
2004 - Paul Hunter 10-9 Ronnie O'Sullivan
2005 - Ronnie O'Sullivan 10-3 John Higgins
2006 - John Higgins 10-9 Ronnie O'Sullivan
2007 - Ronnie O'Sullivan 10-3 Ding Junhui
2008 - Mark Selby 10-3 Stephen Lee
2009 - Ronnie O'Sullivan 10-8 Mark Selby
2010 - Mark Selby 10-9 Ronnie O'Sullivan
2011 - Ding Junhui 10-4 Marco Fu
2012 - Neil Robertson 10-6 Shaun Murphy
2013 - Mark Selby 10-6 Neil Robertson
2014 - Ronnie O'Sullivan 10-4 Mark Selby
2015 - Shaun Murphy 10-2 Neil Robertson
2016 - Ronnie O'Sullivan 10-1 Barry Hawkins