Ronnie O'Sullivan refuses to complete 147 break at Welsh Open 2016 after discovering prize money is 'only' £10,000

• Ronnie O'Sullivan was on 40 when he asked what the 147 prize was
• He was told it was £10,000 and continued his break until he was on 105
• O'Sullivan opted to pot the pink and completed a break of 146
• He admitted that the prize was 'too cheap' for such an accomplishment 
• World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn says it was a 'shame but not a crime' 

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Ronnie O'Sullivan refused to complete a 147 at the Welsh Open 2016 after discovering his prize would have been 'only' £10,000.

O'Sullivan was leading Barry Pinches 3-1 and had scored just 40 in the fifth frame when he asked the referee what he would win were he to score 147.

Having been told, he continued the red-black sequence until he chose to pot the pink after the penultimate red.

Ronnie O'Sullivan asks the referee what the prize for a maximum break of 147 is at the Welsh Open

Having been informed that it is £10,000, O'Sullivan's reaction was clear to see

O'Sullivan had potted the penultimate red but opted to then sink the pink rather than the necessary black

There was a mixed reaction to O'Sullivan's decision on Twitter

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O'Sullivan, 40, then cleared the rest of the table for a break of 146 as he closed out the match to reach the second round in Cardiff.

He said: 'I could have got on the black and possibly made a 147. 

'I knew it was 10 grand and I just thought that's a bit too cheap really. To make a maxi, it's such a massive achievement and if they're going to pay us 10 grand, I think it's worth a bit more than that.

'Once the prize goes up a bit, I'll go for the 147. A 146 is just as good.

'It was a good win. I started off alright but got bogged down. I started going for my shots because I didn't want to be out there for three or four hours. There are so many matches, you don't want to leave the tank empty.

'There are seven matches to play and you don't want to take too much time.' 

Responding to snooker fans' on Twitter, World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn said: 'Most people don't understand 10k not meaning anything! Fact is we have a lot of 147 breaks and the prize money reflects that.

'It's a shame that punters who buy tickets and tv fans who watch did not have the pleasure of seeing a maximum break. Players have a duty to the fans to deliver the best standard and entertainment they can. Anything less than playing to your best ability is unacceptable and disrespectful to the paying public. This is not a crime but a shame.'

O'Sullivan continued his break and made his way through the colours

O'Sullivan cleared the table to register a break of 146 as he won through to the second round 

O'Sullivan shakes Barry Pinches' hand after completing a comfortable 4-1 win in Cardiff 

Twitter users hailed O'Sullivan as a 'genius' after he settled for a break of 146 but some were less impressed

The prize for a 147 is calculated on a rollover basis, with £5,000 added to the pot in each tournament. Neil Robertson made the most recent maximum in December's UK Championship final, winning £44,000 including the £4,000 prize for the tournament high break.

In 2010 O'Sullivan refused to pot the final black in the final frame of his match at the World Open in Glasgow when he was told there was no bonus prize.

He had to be convinced to pot the final ball by referee Jan Verhaas to put himself in contention for the top break prize of £4,000.

O'Sullivan said: 'I wasn't going to pot the black because to make 147 and not really get a nice bonus was a bit disappointing because they are magical moments and they deserve magical bonuses.

'But the ref played a guilt trip on me and said 'Come on, do it for your fans'. And I thought, "OK, because I haven't got long to play anyway, so I might as well go out on a high".'