World Grand Prix 2025: How Jimmy White has a remarkable 36-year-old sporting link to snooker in Hong Kong
By Desmond Kane
Updated 04/03/2025 at 06:31 GMT
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Jimmy White will play an exhibition match against Marco Fu during the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong as a major ranking event is held in the city for the first time since 1989. The six-time world finalist is the only professional remaining on the main circuit who competed the last time a ranking tournament was held in Hong Kong as he bridges an astonishing 36-year gap between events.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Jimmy 'Whirlwind' White is the only surviving member of the World Snooker circuit who played the last time Hong Kong staged a major professional ranking event in the 1980s.
In a remarkable feat of sporting longevity, the six-time world finalist enjoyed wins over Jack McLaughlin (5-2), Eddie Charlton (5-2), Doug Mountjoy (5-3) and Neal Foulds (5-2) at the Hong Kong Open in August 1989 before losing 5-2 to Mike Hallett in the semi-finals.
Hallett also defeated Stephen Hendry on his way to claiming the only ranking title of his career and £40,000 first prize with a 9-8 win over Dene O'Kane in the final at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
White, who is still inside the game's top 100 at the age of 62, was ranked fourth in the world behind then world champion Steve Davis, John Parrott and Hendry 36 years ago.
It was a field that also contained iconic world champions Alex Higgins, John Spencer, Dennis Taylor, Joe Johnson, Cliff Thorburn and Terry Griffiths.
His trip to Hong Kong came a year after he defeated Foulds 6-3 to claim the non-ranking Hong Kong Masters at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in 1988.
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White also returns to the city where he flipped a speedboat in the 1980s.
"Jimmy White had this friend who had a boat and took us out after the tournament," said Hendry on the WST podcast.
"I was seasick and had to get helped back to shore, but meanwhile Jimmy was on this little boat off the bigger boat.
"He had Steve Davis with him and was going so fast, he sunk the boat Jimmy."
White is due to take on local favourite Marco Fu over the weekend in an exhibition match at the new Kai Tak Arena with the winner of the event, involving the top 32 on the one-year list, earning a £180,000 first prize.
An estimated 5,000 fans, a record for a ranking tournament on the professional circuit, will be able to watch the World Grand Prix, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
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The first matches on Tuesday morning at 5am GMT see Mark Williams take on Stuart Bingham, with Jack Lisowski up against Zhang Anda.
Masters champion Shaun Murphy then faces Ben Woollaston, who replaced Stephen Maguire after the Scotsman pulled out due to medical reasons, with Chris Wakelin meeting David Gilbert.
John Higgins returns from his World Open title victory in Yushan with a match against Ali Carter at 11:30am as world No. 1 Judd Trump confronts Gary Wilson.
World champion Kyren Wilson opens his campaign against Matthew Selt at 12:30pm.
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Stream top snooker action, including the World Grand Prix, live on discovery+
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