Player Profile - Fergal O'Brien
DOB: 08 Mar 1972
Lives: Dublin
Provisional Ranking: 21st (Main Tour) Ranking Points this Season
Last 5 Seasons: 37-46-44-41-33
Turned Pro: 1991
Ranking Tournament Victories: One - British Open 1999
Last Seasons Prize Money: £38,475
Career Prize Money: (up to start of 2007/08 season): £871,425
Highest Tournament Break: 143 - B&H Championship 1991

O’Brien reached his first ranking event final in eight years with a brilliant run at the 2007 Northern Ireland Trophy in Belfast.
After beating Dave Harold, he scored a superb 5-4 win over John Higgins, finishing with two century breaks. O’Brien went on to beat Barry Hawkins, Mark Allen and another of snooker’s big guns – Ronnie O’Sullivan – to earn his final place. “I've had a few lean years so to come back and be in the mix at this stage is great.”
He battled hard against Stephen Maguire but could manage only five frames in the best-of-17 encounter. "I felt great and I still enjoyed it. I hope this is the norm for me now and I don’t have to wait eight years for my next final. It’s been five years since I got to the quarters, let alone a final. Some people pigeon-hole me as a boring plodder but I hope I have shown this week that I’m more than that,” said O’Brien.
The remainder of the season brought few real highlights, but he only lost one first round match in seven ranking events, and climbed 13 places to No 24.
O’Brien had double cause for celebration during the 1998-99 season as he claimed his first major title and secured his place among the top 16 for the first time.
He showed all his battling qualities in the 1999 British Open, winning four of his six matches in the deciding frame then overcoming Anthony Hamilton 9-7 in the final.
An emotional O’Brien dedicated his triumph to his grandfather Danny Burke, who had passed away two months earlier. "He used to come to the tournaments with me and I’m sure he was there with me in spirit for the final," said fearless Fergal.
In 2001, O’Brien came within one frame of winning the Masters at Wembley Conference Centre. Victories over Mark Williams, Ken Doherty and Dave Harold took him through to the final and he then led Paul Hunter 7-3 before losing a superb match 10-9 some 30 minutes after midnight.

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