top of page

ABOUT

EARLY LIFE
SNOOKER

Karen was born in Ballymoney, Northern Ireland and spent her early childhood near Maghera. When she was 8 years old, her family moved to England. She loved watching snooker matches on television and joined a snooker club at the age of 14 with her dad and her brother. Her friends in Bourne saw that she had exceptional snooker skills and encouraged her to play in tournaments. She was soon one of the top snooker players in England.

At the age of 15, she entered into her first tournament in Leicester and never looked back. Bolstered with confidence, she continued to play in tournaments and rapidly became a top-notch snooker player supported by her family. On the day after her 21st birthday, Karen won her first Women's World Snooker Championship. She would go on to repeat that feat 1991, 1995 and 1996. She also won three World English Billiards championships.

WPBA

In 1998, Karen was ranked #24. At the end of 1999, she soared through the rankings, all the way to # 4. By the end of 2000, she was ranked 2nd in the world.

 

Karen won her first WPBA Classic Tour title, "The 2000 Cuetec Cues Players Championship" in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. She completed that year with two more Classic tour titles. She also won the "All Japan Open Championship" held in Osaka, Japan. She placed second in the "WPA Women's World Championship" and in the "UCC World Ladies Championship" held in Tokyo, Japan.

In 2001, Karen became the first person to win every WPBA Classic tour event in the same season since they began. She won the silver medal at the World Games and placed 2nd at the World Championships. Before 2001 ended, Karen found herself at the top, the No. 1 ranked player in the World and remained there for 2 years.

 

Since then, Karen has been a dominant force in women’s pool. The crowning achievement of her career came on October 26, 2012, when Karen was formally inducted into the Greatest Player wing of the BCA Hall of Fame. Her Hall of Fame induction announcement stated “her quick rise to the top and her consistent dominance on American soil has earned her the only spot in this year’s BCA Hall of Fame class.”

 

The one crowning glory left for her to achieve is the World 9-ball Championship; she has been runner-up 6 times.

Achievements

NAPT

  • 2017 Summer Classic - Grayslake, IL

  • 2017 Freedom Classic - Dickson City, PA

  • 2017 Desert Challenge - Las Vegas, NV

  • 2018 Coupe de Quebec - Montreal, Canada

  • 2018 Super Billiards Expo - Valley Forge, PA

WPBA

  • 2000 WPBA Super Billiards Expo – Valley Forge, PA

  • 2000 WPBA Baltimore Classic – Baltimore, MD

  • 2000 WPBA Affinix Software Los Angeles Open – Los Angeles, CA

  • 2001 WPBA Cuetec Cues Players Championship – Valley Forge, PA

  • 2001 WPBA Spring Classic – Alpine, CA

  • 2001 WPBA Charlotte – Charlotte, NC

  • 2001 WPBA Fall Classic – Albuquerque, NM

  • 2001 WPBA Midwest Classic – Villa Park, IL

  • 2001 WPBA Nationals – Lincoln City, OR

  • 2002 WPBA Spring Classic – Alpine, CA

  • 2002 BCA Open 9-Ball Championships Women’s Division – Las Vegas, NV

  • 2002 WPBA Nationals – Miami, FL

  • 2003 Women’s Pro Player Championship – Valley Forge, PA

  • 2003 BCA Open 9-Ball Championships Women’s Division – Las Vegas, NV

  • 2003 WPBA US Open 9-Ball – Albuquerque, NM

  • 2003 WPBA Canadian Open – Windsor, Ontario

  • 2004 BCA Open 9-Ball Championships Women’s Division – Las Vegas, NV

  • 2004 WPBA Nationals – Lincoln City, OR

  • 2005 WPBA Southeast Classic – Hollywood, FL

  • 2006 WPBA Carolina Classic – Rocky Mount, NC

  • 2006 WPBA Florida Classic – Hollywood, FL

  • 2006 WPBA Midwest Classic – Peoria, IL

  • 2007 WPBA Midwest Classic – Norman, OK

  • 2007 Enjoypool.com 9-Ball Championship Ladies Division – Las Vegas, NV

  • 2017 WPBA Rivers Casino Open​

WORLD

  • 2000 All-Japan Championship

  • 2006 Tournament of Champions – Uncasville, CT

  • 2007 Tournament of Champions – Uncasville, CT

  • 2008 Tournament of Champions – Uncasville, CT

SNOOKER

World Snooker Championships

  • 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996

 

 

World English Billiards Championships

  • 1997, 1998, 1999

bottom of page