Ronnie O’Sullivan’s three favourite snooker tournaments revealed with added motivation to defend UK Championship title

RONNIE O'SULLIVAN'S 3 favourite tournaments person been revealed by erstwhile rival Ken Doherty.

Doherty, 55, claimed the 1997 satellite championship, 4 years earlier O'Sullivan got his hands connected a archetypal Crucible title.

The Irishman besides reached the last successful 1998 and 2003, losing to John Higgins and Mark Williams.

Doherty is inactive playing snooker but present sits extracurricular the apical 100 successful the satellite rankings.

By contrast, O'Sullivan remains 1 of the astir formidable players successful the game.

The seven-time satellite champion, 48, claimed a record-extending eighth UK Championship past year.

He began the defence of his rubric against Barry Hawkins connected Saturday afternoon.

And Doherty has revealed exclusively to SunSport that O'Sullivan's 3 favourite competitions are each of the Triple Crown events - the satellite championships, Masters, and UK Championship.

He said: "You're lone waiting for him to explode.

"Certain players person definite tournaments they emotion playing in.

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"He loves this one, helium loves the worlds obviously, and helium loves the Masters. They're his apical 3 favourites.

"So to triumph this and support it would beryllium connected his database of priorities."

Alongside O'Sullivan's 7 satellite titles and 8 UK Championships, helium besides has 8 Masters wins.

But helium has claimed conscionable 1 ranking rubric successful 2024 - that coming astatine the World Grand Prix backmost successful January.