Shaun Murphy is a world-class Snooker player. He is best known for his straight cue action as well as his long potting. He has over 400 century break records, including the second best in the Championship League.
Murphy was number three in world rankings at the start 2008/2009 season. He dropped to number seven in the 2010/2011 season. He won his third career Triple Crown in 2011, the Players Tour Championship. Murphy was considered a huge underdog at the time, and it was a surprising win. Then in 2012 he reached the final of the UK Championship. He was eventually defeated by Judd Trump.
Murphy is considered a highly skilled player. He has many firsts in his professional career. Murphy's first 147 break is among his most notable achievements.
His career began on the Challenge Tour, also known by the UK Tour in 1998. Tony, his father was a professional golfer. As a teenager, he was bullied at school. He went to homeschooling classes but didn't see his mother until he was 19. Elaine, his wife, found him one year later. They were married in 2006. Despite the fears of his family, he and Elaine were married in 2014.
Shaun has earned over PS3,000,000 in prize cash during his career. He has won seven other tournaments. He also participated in eight ranking tournaments, reaching at least the quarterfinals in two.
He was ranked no. 4 in the world at the start of 2004/2005 season. He also won both the Brugge Open (Welsh Open) and the Brugge Open. By this time, he had been diagnosed with Savant Syndrome, a condition in which a person with autism has superior skills.
He won the World Championship in 2005. The BBC named him Sportsman of the Year the next year. He then became a San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital, California surgical resident.
Murphy struggled with communication as a boy. This may have affected his social skills. While he's had some difficult relationships, he was able to work through them. Elaine, his girlfriend, proposed to him at a Irish restaurant during one his matches.
Ray Reardon mentored him at 15 years of age. After Ray Reardon, he worked for Steve Prest until 2006. Willie Thorne provided coaching for the 2007/2008 Season. He won the Challenge Tour’s third and fourth events.
Murphy won the Wuxi Classic in China. He then entered the elite top 16. His next appearance was the inaugural Northern Ireland Trophy. Despite having the tournament's shortest qualifying round of only five frames, he reached the quarterfinals and beat teenager Luca Brecel.
He went on to win the German Masters and the Ruhr Championship as well as the inaugural Northern Ireland Trophy. He remained at number 3 for the entire 2008/2009 campaign. He reached the semis of the UK Championship and Shanghai Masters in the same season.