Mark Williams (snooker player)
Williams in 2014 | |
| Born | 21 March 1975: 184 Cwm, Wales |
|---|---|
| Sport country | Wales |
| Nickname | The Welsh Potting Machine |
| Professional | 1992–present |
| Highest ranking | 1 (May 2000 – May 2002, May 2003 – May 2004, May–September 2011) |
| Current ranking | 3 (as of 5 May 2025) |
| Maximum breaks | 3 |
| Century breaks | 668 (as of 1 June 2025) |
| Tournament wins | |
| Ranking | 26 |
| Minor-ranking | 2 |
| World Champion | |
Mark James Williams MBE (born 21 March 1975) is a Welsh professional snooker player who is a three-time World Champion, winning the title in 2000, 2003 and 2018. He has been ranked the world number one player three times (May 2000 – May 2002, May 2003 – May 2004 and May 2011 – September 2011). His most successful season to date was 2002–03, when he won snooker's Triple Crown—the UK Championship, the Masters and the World Championship—making him only the third player, after Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry, to have won all three events in the same season. He is the first, and to date, the only player to win all three versions of the professional world championship: the World Snooker Championship, the Six-red World Championship and the World Seniors Championship.
Williams became a professional player in 1992. He has won 26 ranking tournaments, including two UK Championships (1999 and 2002), placing him sixth on the all-time list of ranking titles. He has also won the Masters tournament on two occasions (1998 and 2003). His form began to decline after his second World Championship title in 2003; he then dropped out of the top 16 following the 2007–08 season but regained his place for 2009–10. After winning the 2011 German Masters, he had to wait six years before his next ranking title victory at the 2017 Northern Ireland Open. The 2017–18 season proved to be one of the best of his career, as he won the 2018 German Masters before winning his third world title at the Crucible. Williams has continued to win titles into his late forties, including wins at the 2023 British Open and the 2024 Tour Championship. At the 2025 World Championship, Williams, aged 50, became the oldest ever player to reach the final of the tournament.
Known for his long potting ability, Williams is nicknamed "The Welsh Potting Machine". He is the first left-handed player to win the World Championship. He has compiled over 600 century breaks in professional competition, including three maximums, and has won over £8 million in prize money over the course of his career. He is one of the three players collectively known as the "Class of '92" who all turned professional during the 1992–93 season, the other two being Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins. Williams is a member of the World Snooker Tour Hall of Fame.