Robbie McGuigan

Last updated

Robbie McGuigan
Born (2004-07-07) 7 July 2004 (age 19)
County Antrim
Sport countryUlster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland
Professional2024–present
Best ranking finishLast 64 (x2)

Robbie McGuigan (born 7 July 2004) is a 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]

Personal life

The son of Kyla McGuigan, he is a supporter of Manchester United. [18] His sister Harleigh was born in July 2017. His stepfather was snooker player Mark Allen until 2020. [19]

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
Xi'an Grand Prix Tournament Not Held
Saudi Arabia Masters Tournament Not Held
English Open AAAAA
British Open Not HeldAAA
Wuhan Open Tournament Not HeldA
Northern Ireland Open LQAALQ 1R
International Championship ANot HeldA
UK Championship AAALQLQ
Shoot Out 1R 1R 1R 2R A
Scottish Open AAAAA
German Masters AAAAA
Welsh Open AAAAA
World Open ANot HeldA
World Grand Prix DNQDNQDNQDNQDNQ
Players Championship DNQDNQDNQDNQDNQ
Tour Championship DNQDNQDNQDNQDNQ
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

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 [20]
Winner1.2021 Northern Ireland Amateur Championship Ulster Banner.svg Rab McCullagh 10–4 [21]
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

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References

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