“This is it,” said the 29 year-old Scot, after beating fellow countryman Stephen Maguire 9-6 to capture a record-equalling fourth British Open title at the Brighton Centre last night.

Higgins' victory was priceless as it brought the curtain down on a barren three years in which Higgins had failed to add to his collection of ranking-event trophies.

“When you go that long without winning it’s only natural to start doubting yourself and I was definitely doing that,” said Higgins, for whom the ranking title drought stretched back to the 2001 British Open in Newcastle.

“If you’re on a streak, and there’s a stream of silverware coming your way, life’s easy. It’s only when that starts to dry up when you begin to have negative thoughts.”

The transformation in the slumping fortunes of Higgins came last month when he took his cue to North West Cues and instructed the owner to reduce its length from 58 to 57 and a quarter inches.

“I watched a few videos of myself – when my son Pierce wasn’t watching the Gummi Bears – and I realised that my cue-action was too long. I heard Steve Davis say the same thing when he was analysing me on telly so I took his good advice,” explained Higgins.

“My cue’s now the same length it was three years ago and suddenly I feel so much more comfortable at the table again.

“After I lost my first match at the Grand Prix last month I just couldn’t see how I could produce the standard I needed to if I was going to get back to winning ways again. This just shows how quickly things can change.”

Higgins beat Stephen Hendry in the quarter-finals on Friday before delivering a stunning display to whitewash Shaun Murphy 6-0 in the semi-finals.

He outscored Murphy 566-72 and fired in two centuries including a 144 total clearance with which he claimed the event’s highest-break bonus.

But Maguire was also in fine fettle following a 6-1 semi-final success that ended Ronnie O’Sullivan’s 14-match unbeaten sequence.

And when Maguire, a 23-year-old Glaswegian who won the European Open in March, rallied from 3-1 down to lead 4-3, Higgins was in danger of suffering his seventh straight defeat in a final.

The turning point arrived in the eighth frame, the last of the afternoon session.

Invitingly placed in among the balls, Maguire missed a routine red to a middle pocket and Higgins pounced with a run of 53 to draw level at 4-4.

When the next two frames were shared for 5-5 the contest appeared set to go to the wire, but Higgins then clicked into top gear with breaks of 144, 107 – his eighth century of the event – 68 and 97 to sail through four of the following five.

“In my last two matches here I’ve played some of my best snooker. If I keep playing like that I’ll be right back up there,” said Higgins, who zooms up the provisional rankings from 10th to 4th after securing his first title of any description since the 2002 Irish Masters.

“I knew I’d have to play well to beat Stephen because I practise with him a lot and I know just how good he is. It’s great to finally get this monkey off my back.”

Higgins’ wife Denise is due to give birth to their second child any time – in fact she is already three days overdue – and the couple have ruled out an induced delivery.