Robbie McGuigan

Last updated

Robbie McGuigan
Born (2004-07-07) 7 July 2004 (age 20)
County Antrim
Sport countryUlster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland
Professional2024–present
Highest ranking 91 (July 2024)
Current ranking 111 (as of 2 February 2025[ needs update ])
Best ranking finishLast 64 (x2)

Robbie McGuigan (born 7 July 2004) is a professional snooker player from Northern Ireland. In 2023, he became a three-time Northern Ireland Amateur champion, whilst still a teenager.

Contents

Early life

From County Antrim, McGuigan attended Antrim Grammar School. He hit his first 147 break at thirteen years-old. [1]

Career

In 2019 McGuigan made his debut at a ranking event when he was given a wildcard aged fifteen years-old to the 2019 Northern Ireland Open. [2] He lost to his countryman Patrick Wallace. [3] The following year he lost in the final of the Northern Ireland Amateur snooker final, on a deciding frame, 10–9 to Declan Lavery. [4]

In 2021, McGuigan became the youngest ever Northern Ireland Amateur snooker champion when he defeated Rab McCullough, 10–4 in the final. At 17 years and eleven months he was two and a half months younger than the previous youngest winner Mark Allen had been. [5]

2021-22

In March 2022, still aged seventeen, he defended his Northern Ireland title, again beating McCullough in the final, but by a 10–6 margin. [6] In that same month, March 2022 he won the final event of the WPBSA Q Tour season with a 5–3 victory over Scotland's Michael Collumb at the event held at the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds, coming back from 3–0 down. [7]

2022-23

In October 2022, he defeated compatriot Joel Connelly 4–0 in the preliminary round of the 2022 Northern Ireland Open before losing in the final round of qualifying. [8]

In May 2023, he won the Northern Ireland Amateur Championship title for a third consecutive year, defeating Raymond Fry 10–8 in the final. [9]

2023-24

McGuigan won the first two amateur tournaments of the 2023–24 season held in Northern Ireland. [10] Awarded a wildcard to the 2023 Northern Ireland Open in October 2023, [11] he defeated Muhammad Asif to qualify for the main stages of the event in Belfast. [12] In the next round, McGuigan faced experienced campaigner Anthony McGill, McGuigan led 3–1 in the best of seven frame match and McGill required three snookers on the colours to stay in the match, before mounting a comeback to win the frame on a re-spotted black and went on to defeat McGuigan 4–3. [13]

Given a wildcard to the 2023 UK Championship as the reigning Northern Ireland champion, [14] he beat veteran Irishman Fergal O'Brien 6–2 in the first qualifying round, before losing by the same score in the following round to Dylan Emery. [15]

In March 2024, he defeated Craig Steadman 5–4 in the final to win the EBSA European Snooker Championship and a tour card for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons. [16]

2024-25

He made a successful start to his pro career at the 2024 Championship League in Leicester in June 2024, beating Sanderson Lam 3-0 and qualifying from his round robin group. [17] He reached the third round of the 2024 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters with a win over Ma Hailong of China. [18]

Personal life

The son of Kyla McGuigan, he is a supporter of Manchester United. [19] His sister Harleigh was born in July 2017. His stepfather was snooker player Mark Allen until 2020. [20]

Performance and rankings timeline

Tournament 2019/
20
2020/
21
2021/
22
2022/
23
2023/
24
2024/
25
Ranking [nb 1] [nb 2] [nb 2] [nb 2] [nb 2] [nb 2] [nb 3]
Ranking tournaments
Championship League NRA RR RR A 2R
Xi'an Grand Prix Tournament Not HeldLQ
Saudi Arabia Masters Tournament Not Held 3R
English Open AAAAALQ
British Open Not HeldAAALQ
Wuhan Open Tournament Not HeldALQ
Northern Ireland Open LQAALQ 1R LQ
International Championship ANot HeldALQ
UK Championship AAALQLQLQ
Shoot Out 1R 1R 1R 2R A 1R
Scottish Open AAAAALQ
German Masters AAAAALQ
Welsh Open AAAAALQ
World Open ANot HeldALQ
World Grand Prix DNQDNQDNQDNQDNQDNQ
Players Championship DNQDNQDNQDNQDNQDNQ
Tour Championship DNQDNQDNQDNQDNQDNQ
World Championship ALQLQAA
Former ranking tournaments
WST Pro Series NH RR Tournament Not Held
WST Classic Not Held 1R Not Held
Performance Table Legend
LQlost in the qualifying draw#Rlost in the early rounds of the tournament
(WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin)
QFlost in the quarter-finals
SFlost in the semi–finalsFlost in the finalWwon the tournament
DNQdid not qualify for the tournamentAdid not participate in the tournamentWDwithdrew from the tournament
NH / Not heldmeans an event was not held.
NR / Non-ranking eventmeans an event is/was no longer a ranking event.
R / Ranking eventmeans an event is/was now a ranking event
  1. Shows the ranking at the beginning of the season
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 He was an amateur
  3. New players on the Main Tour don't have a ranking

Career finals

Amateur finals: 10 (6 titles)

OutcomeNo.YearChampionshipOpponent in the finalScore
Runner-up1. 2019 Challenge Tour – Event 3 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Andrew Pagett 0–3
Runner-up2.2020 Northern Ireland Amateur Championship Ulster Banner.svg Declan Lavery 9–10 [4]
Runner-up3.2020Northern Ireland Under-21 Championship Ulster Banner.svg Fergal Quinn 4–5 [21]
Winner1.2021 Northern Ireland Amateur Championship Ulster Banner.svg Rab McCullagh 10–4 [22]
Winner2.2022Northern Ireland Under-21 Championship Ulster Banner.svg Jamie Gardiner 5–2 [6]
Winner3.2022 Northern Ireland Amateur Championship (2) Ulster Banner.svg Rab McCullagh 10–6 [6]
Winner4. 2022 Q Tour – Event 4 Flag of Scotland.svg Michael Collumb 5–3
Runner-up4.2023Northern Ireland Under-21 Championship (2) Ulster Banner.svg Joel Connolly 2–5 [9]
Winner5.2023 Northern Ireland Amateur Championship (3) Ulster Banner.svg Raymond Fry 10–8 [9]
Winner6.2024 EBSA European Snooker Championships Flag of England.svg Craig Steadman 5–4

References

  1. Glynn, Niall (18 April 2018). "Snooker star Allen hails stepson Robbie McGuigan's 147". BBC News NI. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  2. "Teenagers McGuigan and Bulman handed places in Northern Ireland Open". wst.tv. 1 November 2019. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  3. "Northern Ireland Open: Mark Selby beats Xu Si 4-2 in first round". BBC Sport. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Lavery Retains Northern Irish Title". WPBSA. 30 September 2020. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  5. Gould, James (11 July 2021). "17-year-old Robbie McGuigan becomes youngest ever Northern Ireland Amateur snooker champion". Belfast Live. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 "McGuigan Defends Northern Irish Title". WPBSA. 29 March 2022. Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  7. "Comeback King McGuigan claims Q Tour title". wpbsa.com. March 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  8. McGoran, Martin (5 September 2023). "Top teenage amateurs handed wild cards for snooker's Northern Ireland Open in October". Irish News. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 "Magic McGuigan Makes it Three-in-a-Row in Northern Ireland". WPBSA. 23 May 2023. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  10. McGoran, Martin (23 September 2023). "Robbie McGuigan wins first senior ranking event of the NIBSA season". Irish News. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  11. "McGuigan and Connelly awarded Belfast wildcards". wst.tv. 5 September 2023. Archived from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  12. Wright, Andrew (23 October 2023). "ROBBIE MCGUIGAN BREAK HALTED BY BIZARRE REFEREE GAFFE AT NORTHERN IRELAND OPEN". Eurosport. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  13. McGoran, Martin (24 October 2023). "Robbie McGuigan edged out by Anthony McGill at the Northern Ireland Open". Irish News. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  14. "WPBSA QUALIFIERS ANNOUNCED FOR MRQ UK CHAMPIONSHIP". wst.tv. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.~
  15. Caulfield, David (18 November 2023). "UK Championship qualifiers: 2023 draw, schedule, results, how to watch". Snooker HQ. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  16. "Played matches results - EUROPEAN BILLIARDS & SNOOKER ASSOCIATION". esnooker.pl. 23 March 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  17. "MCGUIGAN MAKES FAST START TO PRO CAREER". wst.tv. 17 June 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  18. "SAUDI ARABIA SNOOKER MASTERS: DAY TWO AFTERNOON". wst.tv. 31 August 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  19. Robson, Stewart (April 2018). "Watch: Mark Allen's stepson Robbie McGuigan becomes UK's youngest player to chalk up 147 break". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  20. Goulding, Neil (28 May 2020). "Mark Allen reveals divorce heartache as he prepares for return". Belfast Live. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  21. "WPBSA International Round-Up October 2020". WPBSA. 3 November 2020. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  22. "McGuigan Becomes Youngest Champion". World Snooker. 19 July 2021. Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2024.