Ronnie O'Sullivan became the first player to make 1,000 officially recognised century breaks in professional snooker.
He reached the milestone in the 2019 Players Championship final against Neil Robertson at Preston Guild Hall. O'Sullivan completed the thousandth century during the deciding frame and won the match 10–4. The achievement was widely treated as a landmark in professional snooker because a century break requires at least 100 points in one visit to the table.
A century is not the same as a maximum break. A century can be made in many different ways, while a standard maximum is a 147 made by clearing fifteen reds with blacks and then all six colours. O'Sullivan is also famous for producing maximum breaks and for his speed of play.
The milestone counted centuries officially recorded in professional competition. It therefore differs from informal practice-break totals or statistics from exhibitions and amateur play.