The Triple Crown events are regarded as the three most prestigious tournaments in professional snooker. Success in these competitions carries greater historical significance than any other titles on the calendar.
Winning all three during a career is considered one of the highest achievements in the sport.
What are the Triple Crown events
The Triple Crown consists of three long-established tournaments:
- World Snooker Championship
- The Masters
- UK Championship
Each is played under distinct conditions but shares a reputation for difficulty, tradition, and competitive depth.
Full list of players with the most Triple Crown titles →
Why these events are different
Triple Crown events stand apart from other tournaments for several reasons.
- Longer match formats that test endurance and consistency
- Stronger historical continuity than most ranking events
- Greater emphasis on prestige rather than prize money alone
They are often used as benchmarks when comparing careers across different eras.
Origins of the Triple Crown concept
The term Triple Crown was not used when these tournaments were first established. Each event developed independently and gained prestige over time.
The concept became more widely used in the early 2000s as a way of grouping snooker’s most established and high-profile tournaments. A key common factor was long-term broadcast coverage by the BBC, which helped cement their status with television audiences.
Ranking status and formats
The three events differ in structure and ranking status.
- The World Snooker Championship is a ranking event adopting a long format with qualifying rounds
- The UK Championship is a ranking event with qualifying rounds
- The Masters is an invitational, non-ranking event which features the top 16 players from the world rankings
Despite this difference, all three are grouped together due to their historical importance.
The Triple Crown achievement
A player who wins all three events during their career is known as a career Triple Crown winner.
- The wins do not need to occur in the same season
- Multiple wins of the same event do not compensate for missing another
- Only a small number of players have completed the set
This achievement is often cited alongside world titles when assessing all-time greats.
Winning all three in one season
Winning all three Triple Crown events in a single season is known as a Triple Crown clean sweep.
- It is exceptionally rare
- It requires dominance across different formats and conditions
- Only a handful of players have achieved it
This feat represents one of the highest peaks of seasonal performance in professional snooker.
Triple Crown versus ranking titles
Not all ranking titles carry equal weight.
- Ranking events vary widely in format and prestige
- Triple Crown events retain special status regardless of ranking points
- Career summaries often separate Triple Crown wins from total ranking titles
This distinction reflects tradition rather than official weighting.
Common misunderstandings
The Triple Crown is an official tour award
It is an informal designation based on tradition, not a separate trophy or points system.
All three events are ranking tournaments
The Masters does not award ranking points.
Winning many ranking titles outweighs Triple Crown success
Triple Crown wins are often valued more highly in historical comparisons.