World Snooker Championship successive title. There were 48 century breaks during the final stages, a new record. In the first round of 1997 championship Ronnie O'Sullivan made the fastest maximum break in snooker history, taking just 5 minutes and 20 seconds. The final was between Stephen Hendry and Irishman Ken Doherty. Doherty led 15–7 before Hendry won 5 frames in a row. Doherty then won the next three frames to win 18–12, ending Hendry's winning run of 29 consecutive matches. Stephen Hendry lost to Jimmy White in the first round of the 1998 championship. Doherty reached the final again meeting 22-year-old John Higgins.
United States National Snooker Championship United States National Snooker Championship The United States National Snooker Championship is an annual snooker competition played in the USA and is the highest ranking amateur event in the USA. The competition was established in 1991 and was won by Tom Kollins, who currently holds the record for most championship wins, having won the title again in 1992, 1998, 1999 and 2001. Both the winner and runner-up are automatically selected to represent the United States in the following IBSF World Snooker Championship. The championship is currently held by New York's Ahmed Aly Elsayed, who won his fourth title at the