John Higgins comes up short in pursuit of ‘golden ball’ 167 break in Saudi Arabia

John Higgins comes up short in pursuit of ‘golden ball’ 167 break in Saudi Arabia

120 by Higgins (15 reds+blacks) in frame 1, lost position on yellow and missed.

Higgins pots 15 reds and blacks before missing the yellow

£395,000 prize for any player to pot ‘golden ball’ after 147

John Higgins came agonisingly close to becoming the first snooker player to compile a 167 break as the World Masters tournament got under way in Saudi Arabia.
Higgins potted all 15 reds and blacks but ran out of position on the yellow in the first frame of his second-round match against Mark Williams. If he had completed the traditional 147 maximum, Higgins would have had the opportunity to pot the 20-point “golden ball” and win a £395,000 cash prize.

The golden ball, introduced for the inaugural edition of the tournament in Riyadh, sits on the baulk cushion for as long as a maximum break is possible. Higgins looked on course to take a shot at it, sinking a tricky final red along the side cushion and getting in position to take on the 15th black and then the colours.
Perhaps distracted by spectators walking around the arena before his pivotal shot, the four-times world champion misjudged his position on the yellow, running too close to the object ball and ultimately missing a very tough pot to keep the break going.

Higgins went on to complete a 4-2 win over Williams at almost 2.30am local time, but the golden ball chance was still on his mind after the match. “Mark said [even] his palms were sweating,” the 48-year-old said. “I was gone. I was just thinking happy thoughts. This would have been a little bit different.”
The Scot began Monday with a 4-0 win over Saudi player Omar Alajlani in the preliminary round, while Ding Junhui beat Qatar’s Ali Alobaidli before losing 4-3 to Ali Carter in the next round.
Higgins will face Ronnie O’Sullivan in Tuesday’s quarter-finals while Carter takes on the reigning world champion, Luca Brecel. In the other last-eight matches, Mark Allen faces Mark Selby and Judd Trump takes on Shaun Murphy.