Ronnie O’Sullivan owns most of snooker’s biggest records, but one extraordinary milestone narrowly escaped him at the 2022 Scottish Open in Edinburgh by just three seconds.
In the first round at Meadowbank Sports Centre, the seven-time world champion produced a blistering 118 break during a 4–0 win over Bai Langning. Initially timed at three minutes and 24 seconds, the break appeared set to become the fastest century ever recorded.
Commentator Neal Foulds was astonished as the frame unfolded, describing the effort as unlike anything he had seen before and wondering aloud whether it could be the quickest century in the game’s history. At first glance, it seemed to comfortably beat Tony Drago’s long-standing record of three minutes and 31 seconds, set at the 1996 UK Championship.
However, a subsequent VAR review by the World Snooker Tour ruled that O’Sullivan’s break was actually three seconds slower than Drago’s benchmark, denying him the record in agonising fashion.
Philip Studd echoed the amazement in commentary, calling the performance a “blur of brilliance” that thrilled a packed Edinburgh crowd. O’Sullivan went on to complete the whitewash in under an hour, averaging just 11.4 seconds per shot.
Reflecting afterwards, O’Sullivan said he simply wanted to play quickly and enjoy himself, aiming to get in and out as fast as possible. He admitted he wasn’t timing the break, though it certainly felt rapid.
The near-miss was not the first timing controversy of O’Sullivan’s career. His famous 147 at the 1997 World Championship still the fastest maximum ever was also initially mis-timed before being corrected.
O’Sullivan later explained that once the frame was secured, he consciously pushed the pace to see if he could challenge the fastest-century record, fully aware that Drago likely still held it.
Although he has not returned to the Scottish Open since, O’Sullivan at least left Edinburgh with the consolation of recording the second-fastest century break in snooker history.
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