Mark Allen vowed to avoid career regret by winning the World Championship title, comparing his quest to Rory McIlroy's golf Grand Slam triumph. The Northern Ireland snooker star, 39, has 12 ranking titles but remains winless at snooker's Triple Crown finale after semi-final exits in 2009 and 2023. "You pot those balls as a kid and you want to pot them to be World champion," Allen told BBC Sport NI, echoing McIlroy's decade-long wait before his 2023 victory. His Players Championship defense (won in 2016 and 2024) and Masters triumph (2018) anchor his legacy, but the World title remains elusive. "If I look back and haven't won it, I'll be very disappointed," he warned, eyeing a redemptive run at the Crucible. Allen's frustration with a subpar season fuels determination: "I can win when I'm not playing well," he noted, targeting a Players Championship springboard.

His strategy hinges on consistency, citing past streaks of multiple wins in quick succession. At 2024's Players Championship, he faces Wu Yize, a rising star with his first ranking title, aiming to reset his season. Northern Ireland Sport fans watch closely as Allen balances legacy preservation with historic ambition, knowing snooker's Triple Crown demands nothing less than a Crucible crown.