Mark Williams Becomes Snooker’s Oldest Ranking Event Winner

Mark Williams has been a professional snooker player since 1992, and won his first tour event while still a teenager. But the three-time world champion has just become the oldest winner of one of snooker’s coveted ranking events. Aged 50 years and 206 days, the Welshman beat Shaun Murphy (who’s no spring chicken himself) 10-3 in the final of the Xi’an Grand Prix to claim the record. In the process, he also became the first snooker player ever to win tour events in their teens, their 20s, their 30s, their 40s, and their 50s.

In this article, we’ll take a look back at the remarkable career of the laid-back man from Gwent, and we’ll consider where he stands in the list of all-time greats of the game.

Mark Williams: Winning Through the Decades

Williams enjoyed a successful amateur career as a youth, particularly in 1991 when he won both the British Under-16 Championship (when he beat John Higgins in the final) and the UK Under-19 Championship. He turned pro the following year and finished the season ranked 119th of the 595 professionals on snooker’s books at the time.

He won his first tour event in 1994, the Benson & Hedges Championship, then won his first ranking event, aptly, the Welsh Open, in 1996. He beat 1991 World Champion John Parrott 9-3 in the final, and this victory really cemented Williams’ position as one of the game’s rising stars. He also made the quarter-finals of the British Open and the UK Championship that season.

The following season, Williams built up momentum, winning the Grand Prix (now called the World Open) and the British Open, beating the great Stephen Hendry in the final of the latter. He got his first Masters title the following season, again getting the better of Hendry, and made it to the semi-finals of the World Championship, losing to Ken Doherty. Through the late 1990s and early 2000s, Williams added plenty more titles to his list of honours, including his second Welsh Open and his first UK Championship (in 1999).

World Championship Finals in 1999 & 2000

He made it to his first World Championship final in 1999, but lost to Hendry. Williams was back in the final the following year, however, and this time won after beating Matthew Stevens 18-16. After several other titles, he landed his second World Championship in 2003, beating Doherty and gaining revenge for that 1998 semi-final defeat. There followed a relatively fallow period for Williams towards the end of the decade, though he still landed a couple of China Opens. But he had something of a renaissance from 2011 onwards, winning the German Masters twice (2011, 2018) and making several ranking-event finals.

World Championship Final in 2018

Perhaps his greatest achievement, however, came when he won his third World Championship in 2018, fifteen years after his previous victory. He became the third-oldest world champion after he beat John Higgins in the final, 18-16. Williams almost added his fourth world title in 2025 when he made the final, but he was beaten by the talented Zhao Xintong, who was only born five years after Williams turned professional.

The 2025/26 Season

So far in the 2025/26 season, Williams has won one tournament, reached one semi (the Wuhan Open) and two quarters (the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters and the British Open). We wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him clinch a couple more titles before the season is out. And, if the stars align, he might even go one better than last time at the World Championship.

How Does Williams Compare to Other Snooker Greats?

Williams has won the World Championship three times and has won 27 ranking events. He’s fifth on the all-time list of ranking titles, just behind the legendary Steve Davis, but some way behind the even more legendary Ronnie O’Sullivan, who is out in front with 41 ranking event titles to his name.

On the all-time list of World Championship victories, there are nine players ahead of Williams. Some of those, such as Joe Davis (15 titles) and Fred Davis (8 titles), played before the modern era (i.e. before 1969). If we focus on the modern era alone, Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan jointly lead the way with seven titles apiece. Then Ray Reardon and Steve Davis are next up (six each), followed by John Higgins and Mark Selby (four). Williams would no doubt love to get one more world title to match Higgins, who turned pro at the same time as Williams and is still going strong, too.

It’s hard to truly assess how a player’s career compares to others until he’s retired. But as things stand, Williams is certainly considered one of the greats of the modern era. His longevity, exceptional long potting, and calm demeanour have made him a favourite with snooker fans through the decades. And who knows, perhaps the “Welsh Potting Machine” might continue winning tournaments into his 60s!