Shaun Murphy is a world-class Snooker player. He is best known for his straight cue action as well as his long potting. In his career, he has been able to achieve over 400 century breaks. This includes the second highest break in the Championship League for 2014.
Murphy was ranked three in the world for the 2008/2009 season. For the 2010/2011 seasons, Murphy fell to number 7. In 2011 he won the Players Tour Championship and completed his career Triple Crown. Murphy was considered a huge underdog at the time, and it was a surprising win. In 2012, Murphy reached the final of UK Championship. But, he was defeated by Judd Trump who became the eventual winner.
Murphy is a skilled player who has won many firsts during his career. Among these are his first 147 break, his first ranking title, and his first World Snooker Championship appearance.
He began his career with the Challenge Tour, also called the UK Tour, back in 1998. Tony, Tony's father, was an avid golfer. He was bullied when he was a teenager. He attended homeschooling, but did not meet his mother until he turned 19. Elaine, his mother, met him a year later. The couple were married in June 2006. They were married in 2014 despite his family's concerns.
Over PS3 million has been won by Shaun in prize money over his entire career. He has won seven non-ranking tournaments. Moreover, he has played in eight ranking tournaments, reaching the quarterfinals of two.
He was ranked fourth in the world at the beginning of the 2004/2005 season. In addition, he won the 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 2005 World Championship. The next year he was named Sportsman of the Year by the BBC. After this, he was appointed a San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital surgical resident.
Murphy struggled with communication as a boy. His social skills could have been affected. He has been in many difficult romantic relationships but has managed to overcome them all. Elaine, his girlfriend, proposed to him at a Irish restaurant during one his matches.
Ray Reardon mentored him at 15 years of age. He continued to work with Steve Prest up until 2006. Willie Thorne coached him for the 2007/2008 season. He won the Challenge Tour’s third and fourth events.
Murphy won in China the Wuxi Classic. He was then invited to the elite top 16. His next appearance was the inaugural Northern Ireland Trophy. Despite playing only five frames in the tournament's qualifying round, he advanced to the quarterfinals beating teenager Luca Brecel.
He went on winning the German Masters, Ruhr Championships, and the inaugural Northern Ireland Trophy. For the 2008/2009 season, he remained at number three. He also reached the semi finals of both the Shanghai Masters and UK Championship during that season.