RONNIE O’SULLIVAN was momentarily refused entry into the Masters when a security guard did not recognise him.
The seven-time snooker world champion, 48, arrived at Alexandra Palace on Monday for his first-round match against Ding Junhui.
But as he drove up to the entrance, the man at the gate was not willing to let O’Sullivan through given he did not have a pass and was not on the list.
The awkward exchange, shared on social media, left O’Sullivan smiling in amusement at the situation.
He then decided to have a bit of fun with the security guard, saying: “I’m playing today at one o’clock.”
The security person replied: “Oh, you’re a player?”
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To which O’Sullivan added: “Yeah, do you want to let me in?”
The man then radioed to ask for confirmation regarding letting seven-time Masters winner O’Sullivan into the building.
As he waited, the snooker icon added: “If I’m not on the list does that mean I can’t go in? I’m playing in five minutes.”
O’Sullivan then chuckled to the person in the passenger seat as he saw the funny side of the interaction.
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Winding up the security guard some more, he said: “Quick, I’m going to be late. They’re gonna dock me. I’m gonna lose it, that’s it. And then my missus is gonna hate me and the whole world is gonna end.”
After making sure it was OK to go in, O’Sullivan drove into Alexandra Palace, joking: “He was under a bit of pressure there, wasn’t he?”
O’Sullivan beat Ding 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals of the Masters.
But the moment of the match came from his Chinese opponent as Ding made a 147 break in the seventh frame – the first maximum at the Masters since 2015.
O’Sullivan is into his 25th Masters quarter-final, though he has not won the competition since he claimed a record-breaking seventh title in 2017.
The Rocket will face either Neil Robertson or Barry Hawkins in the last eight.
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