How it unfolded
Wales's Terry Griffiths was less than a year into his professional career during the season this tournament was held. He came through qualifying into the main draw and, round by round at the Crucible, picked off veterans with calm safety play and steady positional control. In the final he beat fellow debutant-era player Dennis Taylor of Ireland 24-16, achieving the extremely rare feat of winning the world title in his very first professional season. Griffiths said in his post-match interview that he could barely believe the result himself, having gone into the tournament with almost no expectation of winning. The victory made him Wales's second world champion, and in the latter part of his career and after retirement he built a second career as a respected commentator and coach.
Why it still matters
No player has repeated the feat of winning a world title in their first professional season, and the case is still cited as evidence that experience and the odds of winning are not necessarily proportional in this sport. Griffiths's restrained style reaffirmed the value of safety-first play, and the tournament reinforced the myth that the Crucible stage is open even to a complete unknown.