Hann won the Lindrum Masters multi-format tournament in Newcastle, New South Wales in September 1998. After the tournament, he met with his mother and World Snooker chairman Rex Williams, and agreed to change his lifestyle and public image. Hann advanced to the quarter-finals of the Grand Prix tournament in the following month, losing to Stephen Lee in a 5–0 whitewash. He lost 5–9 to Marcus Campbell in the second round of the UK Championship in November; Hann's opponent criticised him for conceding two frames in the match. Hann replicated this performance once more during the season, this time in the Scottish Open in February 1999, losing 2–5 to Graeme Dott. He concluded the season ranked No. 26 in the world.