Ronnie O’Sullivan showed once again why he is the king of snooker after he won his FIFTH ranking event of the season.

Ronnie O’Sullivan. Picture by Monique Limbos

O’Sullivan eased through the gears to lift the Players Championship trophy and the £125,000 winners prize after a comfortable 10-4 win over Shaun Murphy.

The 42-year-old went into this week’s event having already won four ranking events this season – the English Open, Shanghai Masters, UK Championship and the World Grand Prix.

Victory tonight means he has now equalled the record for winning five ranking events in a single season – an achievement recorded only by Stephen Hendry, Ding Junhui and Mark Selby.

Legendary snooker commentator Clive Everton said O’Sullivan is now a better competitor on the table than ever before in his career.

He has also won a total of 33 ranking events in a sensational career – now just three behind Hendry’s record of 36.

And O’Sullivan, who has been the season’s most standout player by far, stands a great chance of closing in on the famous Scotsman’s record with still the China Open and the World Championship to come in the coming weeks.

Victory in any of them major events will mean O’Sullivan will hold the new record of winning the most ranking events in a single season.

This was the third final of the season which O’Sullivan and Murphy competed in following their battles in the UK Championship and the Champion of Champions.

But like O’Sullivan’s other ranking titles this season he controlled the final as Murphy struggled to keep pace with the five-times world champion’s heavy scoring.

Ronnie O’Sullivan’s route to Players Championship glory

First round – beat Graeme Dott 6-1

Quarter-final – beat Ding Junhui 6-3

Semi-Final – beat Judd Trump 6-5

Final – beat Shaun Murphy 10-4