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John Higgins and Ronnie O'Sullivan are among snooker's elite club of players to score 1000 centuries

Who has hit most centuries in snooker history? Ronnie O'Sullivan is joined by John Higgins and Judd Trump in the 1000 century club

By Chris Hammer

20:17 · FRI September 27, 2024

Ronnie O'Sullivan became the first player to reach 1000 centuries way back in 2019 but five years later two more greats joined the club in successive weeks.

The Rocket solely holds pretty much every record worth having in the world of snooker - apart from most Crucible crowns which he still shares with Stephen Hendry - and he's been surging clear at the top of the centuries chart ever since he surpassed the legendary Scot's tally of 775 (now 778) way back at the 2015 Masters.

O'Sullivan, whose century count began in the season he turned professional back in 1992/93, then compiled his 1000th in iconic fashion as he completed a 10-4 victory over Neil Robertson in the final of the 2019 Players Championship to clinch his 36th of 41 ranking titles.

Ronnie O'Sullivan roof raising moment part 6567676: The way he scores the 100th point of his 1000th century.

Even Neil Robertson is laughing by the end of the title-winning break. Can't stop smiling watching this againhttps://t.co/vPxSMZhCEo
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) August 16, 2020

The seven-time World Champion brought up 1,200 in the second round of his disappointing 2023 Crucible campaign and as long as he's still potting balls, he simply won't be caught.

Apart from his generational break-building talents, the key to such a massive tally has been his longevity and ability to keep improving throughout such a remarkable career. Until 2011, the most he'd ever managed in one single season was 49 but after that he's only dropped below 50 on five occasions and one of those was the year he took an extended break from the game.

His personal best is 74 - which he managed in 2017-18 - and only two different players have bettered that tally; Judd Trump and Neil Robertson.

FIVE years after Ronnie O'Sullivan became the first player to reach 1000 centuries, Judd Trump and fellow legends John Higgins joined him in the club in the space of a week.

Ronnie took 27 years to get there, Higgins 32 and Trump 19. pic.twitter.com/VLQNjdThxC
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) September 27, 2024

Ton-tastic Trump

Trump has gone higher on five different occasions and even managed to surpass a century of centuries in a single season back in 2019-2020 with 102 although it was one short of the all-time record, which was set by Robertson (103) in 2013-14.

At the rate at which he makes them over a relatively shorter 20-year career since turning pro in 2005/06, it's no surprise that Trump joined the 1000 club at this week's British Open - just over a week after John Higgins achieved the herculean feat at the English Open.

Whereas Trump has blitzed his way to the milestone with over 60 centuries in all but four seasons since 2012/13, Higgins has taken a more methodical and steady approach since his legendary journey began alongside O'Sullivan back in 1992/93.

The Wizard of Wishaw has only managed to surpass 50 in a season four times but interestingly achieved is personal best of 60 during the most recent campaign so there's no sign of his break building talents slipping away even if his career is drawing closer towards an end.

While Higgins will never catch O'Sullivan's century total, there's an outside chance that he might one day draw level with the Rocket's record maximum count of 15 - especially when you consider that the 23-time Triple Crown winner has 'retired' from making 147 breaks since his last at the 2018 English Open due to lack of prize money on offer.

He's currently on 13 and four of those have come since 2020 so it's not beyond the realms of possibility.

Time is most certainly on the side of Trump, who has eight maximum breaks to his name, and at the age of 35 you'd have to expect him to eclipse O'Sullivan as the caesar of centuries once the GOAT finally packs away his cue one last time.

And given how negative the Rocket is feeling about his game at the moment, it might happen much sooner than we'd want.

The chasing pack

There's only one other player who'll join the 1000 club anytime soon and that's Robertson, who is currently on 951 following his triumph at the English Open.

The Aussie's career may well have dipped in recent times in terms of challenging for titles on a regular basis and that had been reflected in his 100-break making prowess, which used to be the most deadly on the planet, but he could still fall over the line later this season.

Of all the players who have scored over 100 career centuries, Robertson has made them more regularly than anyone with a frames per century rate of 9.93.

Compare that to Trump (10.1), O'Sullivan (10.5), Ding Junhui (11.66) and Mark Allen (12.45) and you get a measure of how astonishing that is.

Incidentally Higgins' rate is 14.7, Hendry's was 15.34 and another legend in Mark Williams is 20.73.