Luca Brecel travels to Northern Ireland Open from Mallorca just an hour before playing… then flies straight back

LUCA BRECEL is commuting to the Northern Ireland Open from a BEACH in Majorca.

The Belgian Bullet, 29, beat China’s He Guoqiang 4-3 in a low-scoring first-round clash in Belfast on Sunday afternoon in which his highest break was 42.

Yet he only arrived at the Waterfront Hall venue about an hour in advance having flown straight from a holiday break on the Spanish Island.

That evening the 2023 world snooker champion boarded a plane from George Best Belfast City Airport back to the Mediterranean seaside resort.

And ahead of his next assignment – a last-32 clash with No.27 seed Pang Junxu – he will fly in at the very last minute.

Brecel – who spent a few hours on Monday on a spinning exercise bike – has hardly practised on the table for this Home Series event, swapping his waistcoat for beach trunks.

He said: “It’s a bit of a crazy way but that’s how I like it. I cannot wait to be by the beach.

“I have done this my whole career. You could also say, ‘he could have won more’, but for me it’s not about winning more in this game, it’s about enjoying it.

“I do enjoy this game. I love it every time I come to the table. That’s the way I want to keep it. But this is the lifestyle I need to have to enjoy it the most.

“For me, this is a perfect combination.

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“I like being able to switch off from snooker when I’m not playing and then switch back on for matches. I want to win every time I play.

“Snooker is a lot of fun. Even with this lifestyle, I can still play well enough to win a trophy. Snooker is the side quest.”

Brecel – who wants to complete an Ironman triathlon race “in 2028 or maybe 2029” – is an unorthodox character, a throwback to an old era.

Despite being ranked 60th on the provisional end-of-season list – a dangerous position if he wants to keep his Tour Card for next season – he had not picked up a cue for THREE WEEKS.

Over the past year-and-a-half since becoming a Crucible King, he has spent a large portion of his £500,000 Crucible winnings, buying flash cars and travelling to glamorous holiday destinations with his partner.

As he gorged on good food during his breaks, the pounds have piled on but the bald-headed cueist has now upped his exercise routine.

He says he recently “lost 11 kilos now and I need to lose more, maybe 10 to 15 more”.