Why Ronnie O'Sullivan pulled out of British Open after turning down £502,000 opportunity

Ronnie O'Sullivan pulled out of this year's British Open due to medical reasons. The seven-time world snooker champion was set to play Sanderson Lam on Monday but was replaced by Daniel Womersley.

O'Sullivan hasn't played since the Saudi Arabia Masters last month and will continue to remain absent from the table due to an unknown medical issue. An official statement from the World Snooker Tour confirmed the 49-year-old's premature exit from the competition, which read: "Ronnie O'Sullivan has pulled out of next week's Unibet British Open for medical reasons.

"O'Sullivan was due to face Sanderson Lam in the opening round on Monday, September 22nd at 7pm. He has been replaced in the draw by the highest available player from the 2025 Q School ranking list, Daniel Womersley."

O'Sullivan's withdrawal from the British Open means that he will miss out on a share of the £502,000 prize pot.

While his current medical state remains unclear, the veteran snookerstar posted a video of himself exercising on social media, quelling fans' fears over how serious his condition may be. In the post on Instagram, O'Sullivan wrote: "Exercise is so important to me. Not just for the body, but for my mindset too."

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The British Open is currently underway, with O'Sullivan's potential opponent Lam marching on past Womersley with a 4-2 victory. Welsh snooker star Mark Williams put a stop to his run on Tuesday. Fourth round matches are scheduled for Thursday, September 25.

Defending champion Mark Selby is in action against Liu Hongyu. The 42-year-old is aiming to repeat his impressive performance last year, when he defeated John Higgins 10-5 in the final.

Meanwhile, O'Sullivan will be watching on from the sidelines. The former world champion's last major victory was at the 2024 Masters, where he broke his record of being the oldest winner in the tournament.

However, O'Sullivan's career has been on the decline in recent months, withdrawing from nine tournaments throughout the 2024/25 snooker season. He made a return to the table at the 2025 World Snooker Championship, making it all the way to the semi-finals.

The Rocket was defeated by eventual champion Zhao Xintong and is currently focusing on his mental and physical health.