Welsh Open 2023: Robert Milkins opens up on what life-changing £230,000 pay cheque means after victory over Shaun Murphy

Last year, Robert Milkins admitted he was “struggling” to put food down on the table for his family such were his financial woes – but now the ‘Milkman’ has just claimed a “life-changing” £230,000 pay cheque after he won the Welsh Open. Just a month short of his 47th birthday, Milkins overcame Shaun Murphy 9-7 in a pulsating final at Venue Cymru to take the £80,000 winner’s prize as well as the Bet Victor European Series bonus of £150,000. Ad It is quite the turnaround from the man who, just last year, revealed that he was struggling to pay £30 for petrol.

Welsh OpenMurphy and Milkins all square in Welsh Open final ahead of evening conclusion14 HOURS AGO “I can’t even speak,” said Milkins, who now has two ranking titles to his name. “It’s unreal, really. All through the day, I was sort of struggling a bit.

Same as Shaun. We were both struggling and obviously, I have a lot of reasons to struggle – it’s a lot of money for me, that is! “I just tried not to think about it. To be fair, I played alright in the evening but to start off with today, it was really hard work, and if Shaun would have been pretty much 20 per cent of his game, I’m sure he would have taken a lead going into tonight.” On the £150,000 bonus, Milkins admitted that it’s a life-changing sum of money.

“Yeah, it is. Definitely. It's just a dream, really.

“I lost in the semis in Germany to Ali Carter and all I was thinking about was the Players Championship. And I thought ‘I’ve got to go through it all again here, do all the hard work, get to a semi’. “And then I’ve got to the semi and then, obviously, the pressure comes on even more, you know, not only just the bonus, but the trophy is more important to me, and I'm just so glad I got there in the end.” Asked