Liam Pullen misses out on big pay day after failing to pot 14th black on route to a 147 break in World Snooker Championship 2026 qualifiers
Published 14/04/2026 at 16:10 GMT+1
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Liam Pullen is taking part in Judgement Day in the World Snooker Championship 2026 qualifiers but a miss on the way to a 147 break proved costly for the 20-year-old on Tuesday.
‘Oh no!’ – Pullen misses 14th black to end hopes of pocketing huge 147 bonus
Video credit: TNT Sports
Pullen, taking on Noppon Saengkham of Thailand in the fourth round of qualifying for a spot at the Crucible, was ahead 3-1 in their best-of-19 frames match. And he put together a wonderful set of shots to leave him on course for a remarkable 147.
However, with his score at 105 as he attempted to pot the 14th black, the ball ricocheted off both sides of the pocket and agonisingly away to end any hopes of a maximum.
Pullen’s disappointment was evident as he bent over with his head hanging before walking back to his chair.
"Oh no, such a shame. What a chance but a wonderful break," Ken Doherty said on TNT Sports’ coverage of the match. "Gutted for him."
Besides missing out on the achievement of making a 147 in such a prestigious event it also meant that Pullen missed out on a big pay day.
"Well, you’d be gutted anyway but it’s costly," TNT Sports commentator Dave Hendon said. "It’s cost him a lot of money but just think about the match, think about getting to 10 [frames] and to the Crucible."
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Players who successfully convert a 147 are awarded a £147,000 bonus for the achievement, something Pullen now has to go without.
Pullen also would have earned an additional £12,500 for a share of bonuses connected to the highest break at the tournament, meaning he’s lost out on £159,000 at the moment.
The person who benefits is Chang Bingyu who, after his 147 in his third-round qualifying defeat to Luca Brecel, will take home the full bonuses for making a 147 – totalling £25,000 – as it stands. Despite losing to Brecel, Chang is on course to make £172,000 from that result because of his 147.
To put how costly the miss is to Pullen into context, the prize money he would have earned from the 147 would have eclipsed what he has won in the past four seasons combined.
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So far this season, his prize money has been £59,000 and the biggest payday he has had in his career was £22,350 when he reached the quarter-finals of the Xi'an Grand Prix last year.
Pullen led the match 5-4 at the interval and if he books his spot at the Crucible with a victory, he will get at least £20,000, which is the prize money for losing in first round at the Crucible.
If he loses to Saengkham, he will earn £15,000.
Pullen has previously made a maximum break in the first round of the 2025 UK Championship.
Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the World Championship, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.
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