Ronnie O'Sullivan made a 147 break in beating Mark King 3-0 at the World Open - but only after the referee urged him to pot the final black. O'Sullivan, world snooker champion in 2001, 2004 and 2008, asked match referee Jan Verhaas if there was prize money available for the 147 only a few balls into his break before going on to complete the maximum in around nine minutes.
He potted the final pink before bizarrely shaking hands with King and was set to leave the auditorium before Dutchman Verhaas patted O'Sullivan on the back requesting him to pot the final black for the sake of an expectant crowd at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre. O'Sullivan hesitated before smashing the final ball into a bottom bag with the black almost bouncing off the table before disappearing down the hole to the delight of the audience.
'The Rocket' later admitted he was not concerned about making a 147 because there was no cash incentive on offer from World Snooker for the achievement. There is a highest break prize of £4,000 at the tournament.
"I wasn't going to pot the black because I asked and was told there was no break prize for a 147," O'Sullivan said. "What's the point of making a 147 if you're only going to make £4,000?" O'Sullivan has made 10 maximum breaks in his career.
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