BARRY Hawkins has won the PartPoker.com Snooker Shoot-Out after beating Graeme Dott in the final at the Circus Arena, Blackpool Tower.
The 32-year-old from Dartford collected the £32,000 first prize – the biggest payday of his career since turning professional in 1996.
The tournament consisted of single-frame matches lasting just 10 minutes, played with a shot clock and with a requirement for a ball to touch a cushion after every shot, which discouraged safety play.
In the final, Hawkins got the first chance and made an excellent break of 46 before missing a red with the rest. 2006 world champion Dott knocked in a long red and had a chance to counter, but made just eight before jawing a red to a centre pocket.
As the clock ran down, Dott had one more scoring chance, but failed to double a red to a centre pocket, and Hawkins was able to close out the frame by a 61-23 scoreline.
Following his victory over the three-time Crucible finalist, Hawkins said: “It’s a brilliant feeling, definitely the best moment of my career so far.
“I’ve played in big matches at the Crucible, but to win a tournament live on television is amazing. It’s a shame there were no ranking points but I’m still delighted.
“The money is amazing, especially as I’m getting married in June (to Tara) in Dartford. This will pay for the whole thing and we’ll be able to have a great day.”
World No 23 Hawkins, who has appeared in the semi-finals of four ranking events, added: “I’ve shown spells of form but always struggled with consistency. I’ve been working with Terry Griffiths for the last few months on mental strength because in the past I have lacked self-belief. Terry is brilliant and has helped me a lot.
“I’ve always scored very heavily in practice so it’s a case of taking that to the match table. I made a lot of 50 and 60 breaks in this event, kept my composure under pressure and didn’t miss much. Hopefully this is the start of things to come.”
In the semi-finals, Hawkins beat Dave Harold 56-30, while Dott scored a 56-38 win over Tom Ford, who missed the black off the last red when poised to clear up.
Martin Gould made the highest break with a brilliant 135 total clearance.
Results (last 16 onwards)
Last 16
Dave Harold bt Ryan Day
Graeme Dott bt Rob Milkins
Barry Hawkins bt Stephen Maguire
Dominic Dale bt Stephen Lee
Martin Gould bt Jamie Jones
Tom Ford bt Gerard Greene
Barry Pinches bt Liang Wenbo
Mark Davis bt Mark Allen
Quarter-finals
Graeme Dott bt Dominic Dale
Barry Hawkins bt Mark Davis
Dave Harold bt Martin Gould
Tom Ford bt Barry Pinches
Semi-finals
Barry Hawkins bt Dave Harold
Graeme Dott bt Tom Ford
Final
Barry Hawkins bt Graeme Dott