Shaun Murphy is an international snooker player. He is known for his long-potting and straight cue actions. He has over 400 century break records, including the second best in the Championship League.
Murphy was ranked three in the world for the 2008/2009 season. Murphy dropped to number seven for 2010/2011. He won the Players Tour Championship that year and finished his career Triple Crown. Murphy was considered a huge underdog at the time, and it was a surprising win. He then reached the finals at the UK Championship in 2012. He was eventually defeated by Judd Trump.
Murphy is considered a talented player and he has achieved many firsts in his career. These include his first 147 break and his first ranking title. He also made his first appearance in the World Snooker Championship.
His career began on the Challenge Tour, also known by the UK Tour in 1998. Tony, his dad, was a professional player golfer. He was bullied in school as a teenager. He was a homeschooler, but he did not see his mom until age 19. Elaine, his wife of one year, was his first love. They were married in June 2006. Despite family reservations, the couple got married in 2014.
Shaun has won over PS3 millions in prize money throughout his career. He has won seven tournaments not ranking. 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. He won the Brugge Open as well as the Welsh Open. At this point, he was diagnosed with Savant Syndrome. This is an autism-related condition where a person has exceptional skills.
He won the World Championship 2005. The BBC named him Sportsman of the Year the next year. After that, he became a surgical resident at the San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital in California.
Murphy had trouble communicating with his peers as a young boy. Murphy's social skills may have been affected by this. Although he has had many complicated relationships with women, he is able to resolve these issues. Elaine, his girlfriend from one of his matches, was even proposing to him in a restaurant in Ireland.
When he was 15, he was coached by Ray Reardon. He continued to work with Steve Prest up until 2006. Willie Thorne provided coaching for the 2007/2008 Season. He won the Challenge Tour's third- and fourth events.
Murphy won in China the Wuxi Classic. He then entered 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 won the German Masters, Ruhr Championship and the inaugural Northern Ireland Trophy. He was ranked third for the entire 2008/2009 year. He also reached the semi finals of both the Shanghai Masters and UK Championship during that season.