Ronnie O'Sullivan hit top form at the World Open in Glasgow today as he hit a maximum 147 on his way to a convincing 3-0 victory over Mark King but had to be persuaded by the referee to complete his break.

The world No6 took the first frame easily with breaks of 38 and 75 before getting the better of King in a scrappy second.

O'Sullivan hit his maximum in the next, but did not do so without controversy and had to be urged by the referee to pot the final black after seeming content to end his break at 140.

Earlier in the frame O'Sullivan had stopped to ask what the reward for a 147 was, only to be told there was no specific prize except for a £4,000 sum for the highest break. He took less than 10 minutes to reach 134 but shook hands with King after potting the pink. The referee Jan Verhaas then had to convince O'Sullivan to finish the break and he eventually potted the black before walking off.

"I wasn't going to pot the black because I asked and was told there was no break prize for a 147," O'Sullivan told the BBC. "What's the point of making a 147 if you're only going to make £4,000?"

"But the ref played a guilt trip on me and said, 'Come on, do it for your fans'. And I thought, 'OK, because I haven't got long to play anyway, so I might as well go out on a high.' But I wasn't going to pot it because four grand, once you've paid the taxes…"

When asked whether he needed the money, O'Sullivan responded: "Twenty-five (thousand) would have been nice so I could have gone on holiday."

This 147 means O'Sullivan now holds outright the record for the most televised maximum breaks – today's was his 10th, taking him clear of the previous record he held jointly with Stephen Hendry.

The 34-year-old's victory sets up a fourth-round match with his boyhood hero, Jimmy White.