Ronnie O'Sullivan is having one of the greatest years in his professional snooker career - not that he seems to feel that way.
Quite self-effacing at the best of times, 'The Rocket' claimed the World Grand Prix this evening; overcoming Ding Junhui in the process.
In a season that has seen him claim more ranking titles, more century breaks and more prize money than ever before, the O'Sullivan was nonetheless quite realistic about the whole thing:
I dragged Ding down to my level to be honest, I don't think it was the best performance in the world.
Although the interviewer was keen to remind O'Sullivan just how impressive he had looked on the table, the Englishman explored an alternative sporting analogy to explain what he felt was happening.
Stressing that his fairly infallible cue control could occasionally overcome other issues in his game, O'Sullivan likened it to a golfer who can still drag a win out of difficult conditions:
It's like winning a golf tournament, but every drive was in the rough, and you're scrambling, you're in the bunkers and you're making long putts.
You get the job done, like Tiger Woods and Seve Ballesteros used to do, but it's a lot more satisfying when you're hitting fairways and the centre of greens.
Suggesting that viewers had a clearer appreciation as to why golf was difficult, but struggled to comprehend snooker in similar terms, this victory signals the twenty-fifth anniversary of O'Sullivan's first ranking title win; which incidentally came as the same venue.
Content to get knocked out early in next week's tournament in Cardiff in order to enjoy a week doing "punditry", O'Sullivan remains an unusual and compelling figure.
Congrats @ronnieo147 https://t.co/xGCk5KT1bv
— Ken Doherty Official (@kendoherty1997) February 25, 2018
25 years after winning his first major title and in an era which is more competitive than ever, Ronnie is still winning titles at a canter!! #goat
— Joe Perry (@joegentlemanjoe) February 25, 2018
Guys - the bar just went higher again. Superb all week from @ronnieo147 congratulations #snooker #WorldGrandPrix #LadbrokesSnooker
— Shaun Murphy (@Magician147) February 25, 2018
You can watch his full post-match interview below.
? By winning the @Ladbrokes World Grand Prix, @ronnieo147 has now secured his best ever season as a pro, with more ranking titles, more centuries and more guaranteed prize money than ever before! #LadbrokesSnooker
What a guy ? pic.twitter.com/yTXFjZRLMg
— World Snooker (@WorldSnooker1) February 25, 2018
