With three Grand Prix top eights and a ninth-place finish at the World Championship, he accumulated enough points to win the rookie of the year title that season.

[7] The following season Mori's success abated as he was unable to repeat his strong performance from the previous Worlds at the Pro Tour level.

While his finish at the tournament was mediocre, with his teammates Masashiro Kuroda and Masahiko Morita, he won the penultimate Masters Series, also held in Venice on the same weekend.

[8] The following season Mori failed to make the top eight of any premier event, although he did come close with a tenth-place finish at Pro Tour Kobe.

Beating Shuhei Nakamura, Tomohiro Kaji, and Frank Karsten, Mori won the tournament and became the 2005 World Champion.