British Open

The tournaments routes go back to 1980 when the event was known as the British Gold Cup which was held in February of that year at the Assembly Rooms in Derby.

That tournament saw Alex Higgins (Northern Ireland) defeat Ray Reardon (Wales) to pick up the inaugural title.

In 1981, the event changed name to the Yamaha Organs Trophy due to sponsorship reasons, with Steven Davis (England) picking up that title after defeating Terry Griffiths (Wales).

Between 1982-1984, the event changed name to the international Masters and featured Steve Davis (twice) and Ray Reardon as the champions.

In 1985, the tournament took on the name of the British Open and was shown liv eon national television for the first.

The tournament was then held every year until 2004 and featured many of the biggest sports in the world, with the biggest names going onto pick up the title and the relatively large prize fund.

In a twist of fate, especially for a sport that was dominated by players form the British Isles in that era and still is to a point to this very day, the fist ever Final of the British Open was contested between 2 non-Brits as Silvino Francisco (of South Africa) defeated Kirk Stevens (of Canada).

That changed for the 1986 and 1987 editions which saw all English finals as Steve Davis defeated Willie Thorne in 86 and Jimmy White defeated Neal Foulds in 87.

1988’s edition saw the first Scottish winner when Stephen Hendry defeated Mike Hallett, with the Scottish superstar also winning in 1991, 1999 and 2003.

The next 3 titles all went to English players with Jimmy White 91992), Steven Davis (1993) and Ronnie O’Sullivan (1994) picking up the title.

That 1994 win for Ronnie was at a tournament held at the Plymouth Pavilions in Devon, which was the first time the event was held outside of Derby.

The event remained in Devon until 2001 with the other finals in Plymouth won by John Higgins (Scotland), Nigel Bond (England), Mark Williams (Wales), Fergal O’Brien (Ireland), Stephen Hendry (Scotland) and Peter Ebdon (England).

In 2001, the tournament made the move north to the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne when the inaugural event held there saw an all Scottish final as John Higgins defeated Graeme Dott.

For the 2002 edition, the tournament moved to Telford where Paul Hunter defeated Ian McCulloch in an all English final.

In 2003 the action came from the Brighton Centre on the south coast of England when Stephen Hendry defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final before the final edition of the original event was held in 2004, once again in Brighton, when John Higgins defeated Stephen Maguire in an all Scottish final.

2004–2020: An absence from the calendar. Following the 2004 tournament, the British Open disappeared from the professional ranking schedule. Its absence lasted 17 years, leaving a gap in the calendar for a competition that had once been a regular part of the tour. Snooker continued to evolve during that period, with new events, international venues and a changing generation of players. However, the British Open’s history remained part of the sport’s heritage, particularly for supporters who remembered its classic finals and the battles between Davis, Hendry, White, Higgins and their contemporaries.

2021: The British Open returns. The tournament returned to the World Snooker Tour in 2021, staged at the Morningside Arena in Leicester. Welsh legend Mark Williams won the revived event, defeating Gary Wilson 6–4 in the final. The relatively short title match helped underline the tournament’s modern identity: even a player of Williams’s experience had little room to relax. His victory connected the new edition directly to the competition’s earlier history, as Williams had also won the British Open in 1997.

Ryan Day became champion in 2022, beating Mark Allen 10–7 in the final. That year, the trophy was named the Clive Everton Trophy, honouring the respected snooker journalist and commentator whose work had helped explain and document the sport for generations of fans. The naming gave the revived tournament a stronger link to snooker’s wider history, recognising the contribution of those who report on the game as well as those who compete in it.

Williams won the title again in 2023, defeating Mark Selby 10–7 at The Centaur in Cheltenham. The Welshman’s second triumph since the tournament’s return reinforced his reputation as one of the most durable talents in the professional game. Selby gained revenge in 2024, beating John Higgins 10–5 to lift the trophy. The result added another ranking title to Selby’s collection and demonstrated how the event continued to attract elite players capable of producing their best snooker across a demanding week.

2025–2026: A new chapter. Shaun Murphy won the 2025 British Open, defeating Anthony McGill 10–7 in the final. Murphy had trailed 7–6 before winning the last four frames to secure his first British Open title and his first ranking crown in 26 months. The final featured four century breaks and numerous contributions above 60, making it an entertaining contest rather than a slow march to the trophy. Murphy’s victory also demonstrated the value of experience under pressure: when the match reached its decisive stages, he found another gear.

In 2026, Jak Jones became champion after beating Mark Selby 10–6 in the final at Cheltenham Racecourse. Jones’s victory added his name to a roll of honour that spans more than four decades and includes champions from several generations of professional snooker. The modern tournament begins with a flat draw of 128 players, and its knockout structure makes the early rounds particularly demanding. Matches in the first four rounds are best of seven frames, the quarter-finals are best of nine, the semi-finals best of 11, and the final best of 19. That progression allows the event to build from quick, high-pressure encounters into a longer final in which consistency and concentration become essential.

The British Open has therefore travelled a long road: from the British Gold Cup in 1980 to its ranking-event era beginning in 1985, through its 2004 disappearance and its revival in 2021, and into a new period featuring champions such as Williams, Day, Selby, Murphy and Jones. Its history reflects the wider story of professional snooker, where established legends and new challengers compete for recognition on the same green baize. With the tournament continuing on the World Snooker Tour calendar, the next edition offers another opportunity for a new champion to make history—and for fans to enjoy the satisfying spectacle of a perfectly controlled cue ball landing exactly where it should.