Ronnie O'Sullivan will fly to the World Snooker Championship from Ireland after confirming he will be based in Dublin for the competition. The World Championship, part of snooker's Triple Crown Series, begins on Saturday.
O'Sullivan warmed up by winning the inaugural John Virgo Trophy on Sunday, beating John Higgins at Goffs in Ireland. For tax reasons, due to his residence in Dubai, the Rocket will be based in Dublin for the tournament and will fly back and forth from the UK over the coming weeks.
Following his victory, O'Sullivan said: 'I started playing alright a couple of weeks ago. For three years I have been very poor, pretty much every day. So I didn't think I'd ever have another day where I'd feel good. But the last month I've been feeling alright.'
He praised the Irish crowd: 'The crowd here was amazing. Any venue we play in Ireland, but especially here at Goffs, the atmosphere is electric. Amazing.' O'Sullivan added that he spends three months a year in Ireland and has loved coming there, calling it 'a special place in my heart.'
Earlier, O'Sullivan revealed that moving to Dubai had transformed his wellbeing and eased travel demands. He said: 'It wears you down after a while. It's the jet lag more than anything. You never really recover. I kept a diary and for about 90 days a year I was in a zombie state.'
