Golden Ball Heartbreak: John Higgins Falls Short of Snooker History in Saudi Arabia

During the World Masters tournament in Saudi Arabia, snooker player John Higgins narrowly missed the chance to achieve a historic 167 break. In his second round matchs against Mark Williams, Higgins potted all 15 reds and blacks but lost position on the yellow preventing him from attempting the 147 maximum break and the subsequent “golden ball” shot which carried a £395,000 prize. Despite winning 4-2 against Williams, Higgins expressed disappointment at missing the golden ball opportunity.

The incident occurred during the inaugural tournament in Riyadh where distractions from spectators may have influenced Higgins’ position on the crucial shot. In the quarter-finals, Higgins is set to face Ronnie O’Sullivan while other matchups include Ali Carter against Luca Brecel, Mark Allen against Mark Selby and Judd Trump against Shaun Murphy.