Tearful Ford wins Shoot Out for first ranking title
Ford won his semi-final on a respotted blue after the scores were level
- Published
An emotional Tom Ford clinched his first ranking title, in his home city of Leicester, as he beat Liam Graham to win the Snooker Shoot Out.
The 41-year-old, who had been runner-up three times previously in ranking events, edged the final 31-28 to land the £50,000 first prize.
Ford was in tears as he dedicated victory to his sponsor Brian Todd, who died recently.
"I lost my sponsor and really good friend a few weeks ago and went to his funeral on Wednesday and that was really difficult," Ford said.
World number 22 Ford came from 28-8 behind against 20-year-old Scot Graham, who is ranked 100.
"To win on my home turf is absolutely brilliant, said Ford.
Snooker Shoot Out is a single-frame game with a maximum length of 10 minutes and players facing a shot clock.
Graham defeated another Leicester player, four-time world champion Mark Selby, 38-20 in the last four while Ford beat China's Wu Yize 37-32 on a respotted blue.