‘Too cheap’: Ronnie O’Sullivan passes on 147 and €13,000

Ronnie O’Sullivan claimed he passed up a 147 chance in his Welsh Open first-round match because he felt the €13,000 prize on offer is “too cheap”.

In the final frame of his 4-1 win over Barry Pinches at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena, the five-time world champion was on course for the 14th maximum break of his career having potted 13 reds and blacks.

Off the 14th red, though, he played a simple positional shot onto the pink despite having made several audacious shots earlier in the break to return to the black.

He duly cleared up for the more unusual feat of a 146 break and an imposing, but beatable, marker for the tournament high-break prize.

O’Sullivan left the arena with a broad grin and then told BBC Wales: “I could have got on the black and possibly made a 147.

“I knew it was 10 grand and I just thought that’s a bit too cheap really. To make a maxi, it’s such a massive achievement and if they’re going to pay us 10 grand, I think it’s worth a bit more than that.

“Once the prize goes up a bit, I’ll go for the 147. A 146 is just as good!”

The prize for a 147 is calculated on a rollover basis, with €6,500 added to the pot in each tournament. Neil Robertson made the most recent maximum in December's UK Championship final, winning €57,000 including the €5,000 prize for the tournament high break.