The new world champion is still a long way behind reclaiming top spot in the official standings.
Ronnie O’Sullivan will move back to number two in the world rankings following his World Snooker Championship success on Sunday in Sheffield.
The Englishman won the last eight frames of a one-sided final to overcome Kyren Wilson 18-8 at the Crucible Theatre and claim a sixth world crown.
O’Sullivan pocketed a mammoth £500,000 for his exploits, which takes his overall earnings from the last two years from ranking events to more than one million pounds.
The “Rocket” remains quite a margin behind rival Judd Trump, who is more than half a million pounds clear in first place on the world rankings list.
Trump succumbed to the “Curse of the Crucible” when the 2019 world champion lost to Wilson in the quarter-finals last week.
However, with an incredible nine ranking successes since 2018 – including a record six during the 2019/20 campaign – the 30 year-old is a deserving runaway leader.
O’Sullivan, who began the World Championship as the sixth seed, pushes Neil Robertson down into third while Mark Selby leapfrogs Mark Allen into fourth.
Kettering’s Wilson has elevated himself to a career-high of sixth in the world rankings after embarking on a memorable run to his maiden Crucible final.
John Higgins, Shaun Murphy, Stephen Maguire, and Mark Williams round off the top ten.
O’Sullivan, meanwhile, can revel this morning in the fact that he has once again made an impact on the history books.
The 44 year-old’s triumph represents the 37th ranking title of an illustrious career, taking him one in front of Stephen Hendry on the all-time list.
With six world titles, O’Sullivan joins boyhood hero Steve Davis and former coach Ray Reardon as the joint second-most prolific winners of the World Championship behind Hendry’s seven.
O’Sullivan additionally becomes the oldest world champion since Reardon recorded the last of his glories as a 45 year-old in 1978.
Finally, the 26 years and nine months in between his first ranking event triumph at the 1993 UK Championship, when he was still only 17, and his most recent piece of silverware also extends his own remarkable record for longevity.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has secured his SIXTH world title.
Boom. #ilovesnooker @Betfred pic.twitter.com/nF7d42Tg26
— World Snooker Tour (@WeAreWST) August 16, 2020
