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Phil Taylor (darts player)

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Phil Taylor
Personal information
Full namePhilip Douglas Taylor
NicknameThe Power
Born (1960-08-13) 13 August 1960 (age 64)
Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England
Home townCrewe
Darts information
Darts26g Unicorn Phase 5 Rosso[1]
LateralityRight-handed
Walk-on music"The Power" by Snap!
Organisation (see split in darts)
BDO1988–1993
PDC1993– (founding member)
Current world ranking1
WDF major events – best performances
World Ch'shipWinner (2) 1990, 1992
World MastersWinner 1990
World TrophyWinner 2006
Int. Darts LeagueQuarter-final: 2006
PDC premier events – best performances
World Ch'shipWinner (14) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2013
World MatchplayWinner (14) 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
World Grand PrixWinner (10) 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011
UK OpenWinner (5) 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2013
Grand SlamWinner (4) 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011
European Ch'shipWinner (4) 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Premier LeagueWinner (6) 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012
Ch'ship LeagueWinner (3) 2008, 2011, 2012
Desert ClassicWinner (5) 2002, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009
US Open/WSoDWinner (4) 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010
PC FinalsWinner (3) 2009, 2011, 2012
Other tournament wins
TournamentYears
Antwerp Darts Trophy
Antwerp Open
Australian Open
Battle of the Champions
Berlin Open
Bobby Bourn Memorial
British Pentathlon
Canadian Open
Center Parcs Masters
Champion Vs Champion
China Telecom Cup
Dartgala Hengelo
Denmark Open
DPA Tournament of Champs
Eastbourne Pro
Finnish Open
German Darts Championship
Gleneagle Irish Masters
Hemeco Open Rosmalen
IRL Open Autumn Classic
Isle of Man Open
Jersey Festival of Darts
Jocky Wilson Cup
Killarney Pro Tour
London Masters
Masters of Darts
MDA Face Off
Montreal Open
Munich Open
News of the World Tournament
North American Cup
North American Open
Open Lunteren
PDC UK Masters
PDC UK Matchplay
PDC World Cup of Darts
PDC World Pairs
Pontins British Masters
RTL7 Masters
South African Masters
Sunparks Masters
WDF Europe Cup
WDF Europe Cup Pairs
World Cricket Championship

European Tour Events
German Darts Championship
Gibraltar Darts Trophy

Players Championships
Players Championship (AUS)
Players Championship (BRI)
Players Championship (DER)
Players Championship (EIN)
Players Championship (GER)
Players Championship (GIB)
Players Championship (HOL)
Players Championship (IRL)
Players Championship (LAV)
Players Championship (MID)
Players Championship (NUL)
players Championship (REA)
Players Championship (SOU)
Players Championship (WAL)
Players Championship (WIG)

UK Open Regionals
UK Open Regional (IRL)
UK Open Regional (MID)
UK Open Regional (NWE)
UK Open Regional (SWE)
UK Open Regional (SOU)
UK Open Regional (WAL)
UK Open Qualifier		2008
1997, 1998
2012
1997
1993
2003–2008
1990, 1991
1988
1996
1999, 2004
2004
2005
1990
2012
2002
1990
2007, 2009
2009
2009, 2011
2004, 2005
1990
1990, 1999
2009
2009
2008
2005
2010
2001, 2002
2006
1997
2000–2003
1990, 1991
2011
1994
1996
2012, 2013
1996
1990
2011
2007–2009
1996
1990, 1992
1990
2010


2012
2013


2010
2008
2010
2008
2008, 2009
2009
2005, 2007
2005–2009, 2011
2008
2008
2009
2012
2008, 2009
2005, 2006
2010, 2011


2002, 2004
2008, 2009
2008
2009
2003, 2007, 2009
2002, 2004, 2006
2010, 2011, 2012
Other achievements
2002 Achieves his first televised nine dart finish (and the first live televised nine-darter in the UK) at World Matchplay

2004 Becomes first player to hit a second televised nine-dart finish
2005 Hit third televised nine-dart finish
2006 PDC Player of the Year[2]
2007 Fourth televised nine-darter in IDL in the Netherlands
2007 Fifth televised nine-darter in 2007 UK Open at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton
2007 PDC Fans' Player of the Year[3]
2008 Sixth televised nine-darter in 2008 UK Open
2008 Fans' Player of the Year, PDC Player of the Year and PDPA Player's Player of the Year
2009 Hits seventh televised 9 darter in Championship League Darts against John Part
2009 PDC Player of the Year, PDPA Players’ Player of the Year, Fans’ Player of the Year and Best PDC Pro Tour Player
2010 Inaugural inductee into Stoke-on-Trent Sporting Hall of Fame[4]
2010 Hit two televised nine dart finishes in Premier League Final against James Wade
2010 Scored world record televised average of 118.66 against Kevin Painter in UK Open[5]

2012 Hits ninth televised 9 darter in the Premier League against Kevin Painter.
Updated on 3 January 2013.

Philip Douglas 'Phil' Taylor (born 13 August 1960) is an English professional darts player, nicknamed Phil "The Power" Taylor. He is widely regarded as the best darts player of all time, having won more than 200 professional tournaments, including 76 major titles, and a record 16 World Championships.[6][7] No darts player has a winning record against him.

He has won the PDC Player of the Year award six times (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012) and has twice been nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, in 2006 and 2010, finishing as runner-up in the latter.[8][9] He was the first, and to date, the only person to hit two nine dart finishes in one match, in the 2010 Premier League Darts final against James Wade.[10] He has hit a record nine televised nine-dart finishes and is ranked world number one in the PDC Order of Merit, a position he has held for longer than any other player.

Taylor played in British Darts Organisation (BDO) events until 1993, when he and several other players broke away to form the World Darts Council, now known as the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).

He was given the nickname "The Power" by a Sky Sports production manager, Peter Judge. Judge told Taylor that he should have a nickname, and he was named "The Power" after Judge stepped on an empty CD case of Snap!'s "The Power".[11]

Early life

Taylor was born to Doug and Liz Taylor on 13 August 1960 in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. He left school at the age of 16[12] and after holding a few jobs including as a sheet metal worker,[13] he would spend most of his early working days making ceramic toilet roll handles, for which he earned £52 a week.[14][15] Although he liked to play darts as a child, he never took up the game seriously until 1986 when he moved into a terraced house in Burslem, living near to Eric Bristow's pub the Crafty Cockney. A few months later, his wife Yvonne bought him a set of darts for his birthday and he started playing weekly, occasionally at Bristow's pub. By 1988 he was selected for the county team and playing at Super League level. Bristow started sponsoring him by loaning him £10,000 later that year to help him get started as a professional darts player and on the condition that he gave up his job as a ceramic engineer.[16][17][18]

Early career

Taylor's first title came in the Canadian Open in 1988 and after reaching the quarter finals of the British Open and the semi finals of the Winmau World Masters in 1989 he had qualified for the World Championships for the first time in 1990. Although he had achieved some success in Open events, he went into the 1990 World Championship as a 125–1 unseeded outsider. He beat number six seed Russell Stewart 3–1 in the first round, Dennis Hickling 3–0 in the second round, Ronnie Sharp 4–2 in the quarter finals and Cliff Lazarenko 5–0 to reach the final,[19] where he met his mentor, Bristow. Bristow had been suffering with dartitis since 1986 but had recovered his world number one ranking to be the top seed in the event. After sharing the first two sets, Taylor beat Bristow 6–1 in sets[note 1] to claim his first world title.[19] For the rest of 1990, Taylor dominated the Open events taking the titles in Isle of Man, Finland, North America, Denmark plus the British Pentathlon, British Masters, Europe Cup and the game's second major tournament at the time, the Winmau World Masters.[20]

Taylor's defence of the world championship in 1991 ended at the quarter-final stage with a loss to Dennis Priestley, who went on to win his first world title.[21] He picked up fewer titles in 1991 losing both his Danish Open and World Masters titles in finals to Rod Harrington. Taylor regained the world championship the following year, beating Mike Gregory 6–5 in the final in a deciding leg, after Gregory had missed six darts to win the title himself.[22] He called the win as the favourite of his career and the match is still regarded by many as the greatest World Championship final in history.[23]

Split in darts

Main article: Split in darts

From a peak during the 1980s, the game of darts had lost many sponsors and almost all television coverage. Players felt that the BDO was no longer serving the interests of the game at the top level. In 1993, some players broke away from the game's ruling body, the British Darts Organisation, and formed their own organisation, the World Darts Council (WDC), later renamed the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).[24]

In the 1993 World Championship, the last unified World Championship to be held,[25] Taylor lost in the second round to Kevin Spiolek.[26] The BDO refused to allow the new organisation to set up and run their own tournaments, so the WDC players decided that they would no longer compete in the BDO World Championship. They founded the WDC World Darts Championship as an alternative.[24] In the first WDC World Championship in 1994, Taylor lost to Priestley, but Taylor dominated the event for the next decade and beyond.[27]

PDC career

1994 to 1998

After losing to Priestley in the final of the first PDC World Championship in 1994, Taylor began to dominate the event during the next few years. Rod Harrington reached his first World Final in 1995 and although he had won his previous three finals against Taylor in 1991 and 1992, Taylor took the title 6–2 and it would turn out to be Harrington's only appearance in a World Final.

The finals of 1996, 1997 and 1998 would feature Taylor v Priestley in a repeat of the inaugural final. Priestley achieved the first 100 average in a final in 1996 but still ended up runner-up and the next two finals would be more one-sided in favour of Taylor who took the title 6–3 in 1997 and 6–0 in 1998 with an average in the final of 103.98. By 1998, he had passed his mentor Eric Bristow's haul of five world championships.

Taylor's record at Blackpool in the WDC's second major event, the World Matchplay was not as strong in the early days, losing to Bob Anderson in 1994, Peter Evison in 1996 and Ronnie Baxter in 1998 – but he still won the event twice in the first five years, beating Priestley 16–11 in 1995 and Alan Warriner-Little 16–11 in 1997.

1999 to 2004

Taylor stretched his World Championship unbeaten run to eight years in the PDC World Championship beating Peter Manley in 1999 and 2002, Priestley for a fourth time in 2000 and John Part in 2001. Part would finally end the run[27] by beating Taylor 7–6 (sets) in the 2003 World Championship.[28]

He would improve his record at Blackpool during this spell. After he lost in the 1999 semi-final of the World Matchplay to Peter Manley, he would go on to win the title for the next five years (2000–2004) beating five different opponents in the final, Alan Warriner-Little (2000), Richie Burnett (2001), John Part (2002), Wayne Mardle (2003) and Mark Dudbridge (2004). By the end of 2004, he had won 11 World Championships and seven World Matchplays.[citation needed]

Taylor has faced the incumbent BDO World Champion in challenge matches on two occasions. In 1999, he beat Raymond van Barneveld by 21 legs to 10 in a one-hour challenge dubbed "The Match of the Century" at the Wembley Conference Centre. The second challenge match came in 2004 against Andy Fordham. Taylor was leading 5–2 in sets when Fordham, feeling unwell, abandoned the match.[29]

2004 to 2008

Taylor continued his dominance during 2004 and 2005, but after winning his 13th World Championship title in January 2006,[30] he lost four matches in televised tournaments during the first half of the year.[31] He lost to Jelle Klaasen and Simon Whitlock in the International Darts League tournament,[32] and twice in a row to Raymond van Barneveld—in the UK Open[33] and the Las Vegas Desert Classic.[34] He came back to win the World Matchplay,[35] the World Darts Trophy[36] (a BDO affiliated event), and the World Grand Prix[37] in the second half of the year.

The 2007 World Final was between Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld. The game was tied at 6–6 in sets and van Barneveld had a 2–1 lead in legs. van Barneveld missed four darts and Taylor tied the set at 2–2. The set went to 5–5, and van Barneveld won the sudden death leg for his fifth World Championship (four with BDO and one with PDC).[38] Taylor said, "Of all the finals I've played in, I would probably put this one as the best".[38]

2007 proved to be Taylor's most barren year for major title successes.[39] He was defeated at the International Darts League and the World Darts Trophy in the Netherlands. At the UK Open in Bolton, he suffered a 4–11 loss to van Barneveld.[40] He lost to Mark Dudbridge at the Las Vegas Desert Classic,[41] and lost at the World Matchplay in Blackpool. At the World Grand Prix in Dublin, he lost to Adrian Gray.[42] Taylor feared his career was in decline or over[43] but later vowed that he would continue.[44]

Taylor's 100% appearance record in the Final of the PDC World Darts Championship came to an end in 2008 after 14 years when Taylor was beaten in the quarter finals.[45] This was the first time that he had not reached the final stage of the PDC World Darts Championship.[27] He was taken to the final set in each of his first three rounds before losing to Wayne Mardle 5 sets to 4;[45] At one point he was up 3–0 in sets.[46]

Before the start of the Premier League tournament,[47] Taylor unveiled some new black 26g darts.[1] Despite a poor start to his Premier League Darts campaign, with three defeats in his first four matches, Taylor finished at the top of the Premier League standings. He beat Adrian Lewis 11–2 with a 112.68 average in the semi-final, and went on to take his fourth consecutive title[48] with a 16–8 victory over Wade (average 108.36).[49] He won his second US Open title in May 2008, defeating Colin Lloyd in the final.[50][51] At the UK Open, Taylor broke the world record for highest average in a televised game by averaging 118.66 against Kevin Painter in round four. He won the match 9–0,[52] but was defeated 10–9 in the quarter-finals by Raymond van Barneveld.[53]

As he went to Las Vegas for the 2008 Las Vegas Desert Classic in July, he was in an unusual position for him of not holding any of the major televised ranking events, but corrected that by taking his fourth Vegas title. He then regained the World Matchplay,[54] World Grand Prix,[55] the first European Darts Championship.[56][57] and the Grand Slam of Darts.[58][59]

2009 to 2011

Taylor won the World Championship title (his 14th title) for the first time in three years by beating Raymond van Barneveld 7–1 in the 2009 world final. His 110.94 three-dart average was the highest ever recorded in a PDC final.[60] His average during the course of the tournament was 104.08.[61] Taylor beat Colin Osborne 11–6 in the final[62] to win his third UK Open title in June, his first win at this tournament since 2005. His tournament average was 107.38.[63]

Success continued throughout the rest of 2009 winning the last Las Vegas Desert Classic (his fifth time),[64] the World Matchplay, the World Grand Prix,[65] European Darts Championship[66] and the Grand Slam of Darts for the third successive time in November.[67]

Taylor kicked off 2010 by winning his fifteenth World Championship title, beating Simon Whitlock seven sets to three with an average of more than 104 and winning the match with a 131 checkout.[68] Taylor lost in the semi-finals of the Players Championship at[56] the Circus Tavern in Purfleet. Whilst attempting to defend his title earned in the inaugural event of 2009, Taylor lost to eventual champion Paul Nicholson. Taylor admitted, following his defeat, that he had had little time to practice after his World Championship win.[69] He made history again in the Premier League final against defending champion James Wade in the final by hitting two nine dart finishes, the first time this has been done in professional darts.[70]

By the summer of 2010, he was the holder of the World Championship, World Matchplay, Premier League, UK Open, World Grand Prix and Grand Slam of Darts – with only the Players Championship Finals missing from a complete set of major televised titles. These performances, in addition to his longevity contributed to his nomination for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 2010, where he was voted runner-up to A.P. McCoy.[71] However, defeats in the World Grand Prix, the Grand Slam and a loss to Mark Webster in the quarter finals of the 2011 World Championship meant he started 2011 as holder of three major titles – the World Matchplay, Premier League and UK Open.[72] However he won his first major tournament in seven months by winning the 2011 Players Championship beating Gary Anderson 13 – 12 in a thrilling final. Taylor won the World Matchplay for a record 12th time in 18 years, beating Mark Hylton 10–8 in the 1st round, Wayne Jones 13–7 in the 2nd round, Wes Newton 16–5 in the Quarter finals, Andy Hamilton 17–9 in the Semi finals and James Wade 18–8 in the final, with a tournament average of over 106.

One week later,Taylor flew over to Düsseldorf, Germany to play in the 2011 European Championship to win his 4th consecutive European title. He did this by beating John Michael 6–3, Mervyn King 10–3, Paul Nicholson 10–7, Simon Whitlock 11–4 and Adrian Lewis 11–8. He had a tournament average of 105.15.

On 27 September, Taylor competed in Group 1 of the Championship League, where he won all 7 of his qualifying games, 6–3 vs Adrian Lewis, 6–2 vs Terry Jenkins, 6–3 vs Wes Newton, 6–2 vs James Wade, 6–3 vs Simon Whitlock, 6–2 vs Gary Anderson and 6–1 vs Mark Webster, he finished the Group stage with a maximum 14 points, 42 legs won, 16 lost, for a leg difference of + 28, and won £2,100 during qualifying. He lost the semi final 6–5 in a superb match vs Wes Newton, he won a further £500 in that match, taking his total winnings for the day to £2,600. Due to not winning the Group he returned the next day to play in Group 2.

In Group 2 he won 6 out of his 7 games, losing his 4th match 6–4 to Simon Whitlock. He beat James Wade 6–1, Mervyn King 6–4, Paul Nicholson 6–0, Mark Webster 6–3, Wes Newton 6–4 and Andy Hamilton 6–1, to finish top of the Group with 12 points, 40 legs won, 19 lost, so a leg difference of + 21, he won £2,000 in qualifying. In the semi final he beat Paul Nicholson 6–3 and Simon Whitlock 6–5 to win Group 2 and progress to the Winner's Group.

In the Winner's Group he won all 7 of his qualifying games, he beat Gary Anderson 6–5, Steve Beaton 6–3, Mervyn King 6–3, he also hit a 9 dart leg in this match, his 10th in competition. He also beat Mark Walsh 6–3, Simon Whitlock 6–5, Paul Nicholson 6–1 and Dennis Priestley 6–2 to qualify top of the Group. In the Semi Finals he beat Steve Beaton 6–1 and in the Final he beat Paul Nicholson 6–1 to win his second Championship League title, winning £6,600 in the Group stages, and a further £10,000 for winning the title.

In November, he won the Grand Slam of Darts by beating Gary Anderson 16–4. He lost his Players Championship title to Kevin Painter when he was defeated by Mervyn King.

2012

Taylor failed to make the quarter-finals of the PDC World Championship for the first time in his career in 2012, as he was beaten in the second round, 1–4, by Dave Chisnall.[73] He then represented England this time with Adrian Lewis in his second World Cup of Darts and looked to improve upon the second round exit of 2010. Taylor started the tournament sluggishly as he lost his singles matches to Ken MacNeil of Canada and Gary Mawson of the United States, but nevertheless England progressed thanks to a sudden-death leg in the former and a doubles victory in the latter. A comfortable 5–1 win over Wales followed to reach the final against the Australian pair of Simon Whitlock and Paul Nicholson. Taylor won both his singles matches, averaging 106 to beat Whitlock, but England lost the doubles meaning the tie was level at 3–3 and would require a sudden-death leg. It proved to be a nervous finale to the game as Australia missed four darts to win and Taylor missed two, before Lewis took out double 5 to ensure that England won their first World Cup title.[74]

Taylor played Lewis in the first week of the 2012 Premier League four days later and managed to draw 7–7 despite being 6–1 down.[75] He averaged 112.79, which is the highest ever average without actually winning the match.[76] Taylor hit the ninth televised nine-darter of his career in the second week of the Premier League, in an 8–5 win against Kevin Painter.[77] Two weeks later he beat Simon Whitlock 8–4, registering the highest 3 dart average in the history of the tournament with 117.35.[78] In week 13, he beat James Wade 8–1, averaging another masterclass 3 dart average of 116.10.[79] Taylor ended the league campaign 1st in the table 8 points ahead of the second placed Simon Whitlock and was the only player to have won more legs than they lost.[80] In the 14 game league phase Taylor had registered five of the top fifteen televised averages in the history of the game.[76] He played James Wade in the semi-finals against whom he inflicted heavy 8–1 and 8–2 defeats during the league stage.[81] The semi-final, however, was much closer with Taylor trailing early on before taking 4 successive legs to lead 6–4, only for Wade to level at 6–6. Taylor then took out a 149 finish, with Wade on 57, to break and then closed out the match 8–6 and reach the final where he faced Simon Whitlock. Taylor looked to be heading for a comfortable win in the final as he raced into a 7–2 lead, before the Australian stormed back to level 7–7. Taylor, however, held his nerve to win the last 3 legs of the match to win 10–7 and seal his sixth Premier League title.[82]

Taylor won the third event of the Players Championship in March with a 6–1 victory over Wes Newton, with an average of 113.54. He also hit a nine darter earlier in the tournament during his second round match against Tony West.[83] He reached the final of the fourth Players Championship event a day later, where he again played Dave Chisnall, with Taylor losing 5–6. He hit his second nine dart finish of the weekend in a first round match against Peter Hudson.[84]

In June, Taylor looked on course to win his fifth UK Open title with convincing wins over the likes of Ronnie Baxter, Terry Jenkins and Denis Ovens to book a place in the final against Robert Thornton.[85] Taylor won the first two legs, but the Scot then won 9 of the next 10 and closed out the match 11–5, with Taylor missing a total of 23 darts at doubles and, in doing so, suffered his sixth defeat in a major PDC final out of the 72 he has reached.[86] Taylor then played in his first ever European Tour event and won it by beating Chisnall 6–2 in the final, gaining revenge for his defeat in the World Championship. He earlier overcame Raymond van Barneveld 6–5 in the quarter-finals and Wes Newton 6–3 in the semis at the event in Berlin.[87] In July 2012 Taylor walked off the stage at the Shetland Open during a semi final match with Raymond van Barneveld.[88]

Taylor then won his fifth consecutive World Matchplay title and thirteenth in total. He beat Mervyn King (10–8), Ian White (13–3), Andy Hamilton (16–11) and Ronnie Baxter (17–10) to face James Wade in the final of the tournament for the fourth time.[89][90] The final proved to be tight and tense, with Taylor edging it 18–15 and extending his unbeaten run in the event to 25 games.[91] Taylor suffered defeat in the European Championship for the first time in September, as he lost 6–10 to Brendan Dolan in the quarter-finals. He averaged just 89.88 in the match which ended his run of four consecutive titles since the inaugural tournament in 2008.[92] Taylor then lost to Thornton in a major event for the second time this year, as he missed six darts for the match in a 2–3 defeat in the second round of the World Grand Prix.[93] Taylor qualified from Group 4 of the Championship League winning all nine of his games, concluding with a 6–1 win over Mark Walsh.[94] In the winners group, he won each of his seven league matches, before defeating Dave Chisnall 6–0 in the semi-finals (averaging 112.73) and Simon Whitlock 6–4 in the final (averaging 108.20) to take his third Championship League title.[95] Taylor finished second in Group A of the Grand Slam of Darts to face Michael van Gerwen in the last 16, in a match that was billed as a clash between the current two best players in the world.[96] Taylor averaged 105, but failed to hit a single maximum, as van Gerwen hit seven in a 10–5 win and an average of 108.[97] Taylor lost in consecutive Players Championship finals over the last weekend of November to Chisnall and van Gerwen, despite averaging 110 in the latter.[98][99] He finished sixth on the ProTour Order of Merit to qualify for the Finals, where he won his third title.[100] He saw off Mark Webster and Adrian Lewis in the first two rounds, but was then 5–9 down in the quarter-finals to Andy Hamilton in the best of 19 legs match. However, he restricted Hamilton to only one chance to win the match when on 60, but he missed the board with his first dart and failed to hit double 20 with his third, as Taylor took the five consecutive legs he required to win 10–9.[101] He outplayed Simon Whitlock in the semi-finals in an 11–2 victory and with the scores at 5–5 in the final against Kim Huybrechts, Taylor produced a devastating run to take eight of the next nine legs to secure the title.[102][103]

2013

Taylor won his 16th World Championship in the 2013 staging of the event. He lost only nine legs in reaching the semi-finals to play Raymond van Barneveld.[104] Before the match Taylor had taken offence to comments van Barneveld made about not being scared of him and wanting to face him rather than Taylor's quarter-final opponent Andy Hamilton.[105] Taylor raced into a 5–1 and withstood a strong fightback from van Barneveld to win 6–4.[106] After the match Taylor reacted angrily when van Barneveld attempted to pull him back to congratulate him after their handshake, with the pair being escorted from the stage separately by security staff.[107] The next day Taylor apologised for his behaviour which he labelled as "disgraceful".[108] Taylor faced Michael van Gerwen in the final, and from 2–4 down won five sets in a row to become the first man to lift the Sid Waddell Trophy.[109] A day later he was named the PDC Player of the Year.[110]

Taylor retained his World Cup of Darts crown with Adrian Lewis in February. They survived two match darts from South Africa in the last 16 and one from Wales in the semi-finals to play the Belgian brothers Ronny and Kim Huybrechts in the final.[111][112] Taylor beat Ronny 4–0 and went into his second singles match knowing a win against Kim would secure the title and he did so 4–1.[113] Taylor did not finish top of the Premier League for the first time ever this year.[114] He won eight, drew four and lost four of his 16 matches to finish third in the table.[115] He played van Barneveld in the semi-finals who he had beaten 7–3 and drawn with 6–6 during the league stage.[115] From level at 3–3, Taylor moved away to triumph 8–4 and played van Gerwen in the final. Taylor started the better of the two as he led 5–3 at the break, but then lost four successive legs upon the resumption of play. In the 14th leg, van Gerwen opted not to go for the bull when on 87 and Taylor stepped in to finish 160 to level the match at 7–7. At 8–9 down Taylor had left 40 after 12 darts, but van Gerwen finished 132 on the bull to seal the title with a 10–8 win.[116] After the match Taylor vowed to ease up on his schedule but increase his practice in order to play his best in the major events.[117] It worked as at the next major event Taylor won his fifth UK Open title. He had to compete in the second round due to being ranked 44th on the UK Open Order of Merit after only competing in four of the eight Qualifiers and not advancing beyond the quarter-finals in any of them.[118] At the tournament he dropped only three legs in his first three matches, before getting lucky in the last 16 as Brendan Dolan missed three match darts to win 9–7, before Taylor threw an 11 dart leg in the decider.[119] He produced an average of 106.56 to beat van Gerwen 10–7, before easing past Peter Wright 10–5 in the semis and Andy Hamilton 11–4 in the final. Taylor's combined average during the six matches he played was over 100.[120] Taylor then won the Gibraltar Darts Trophy, dropping just seven legs in the six matches he played, which concluded with a 6–1 victory over Jamie Lewis in the final.[121] At the European Championship, Taylor lost in the second round to Ronny Huybrechts 5–10.[122] Taylor then won his sixth consecutive World Matchplay crown and 14th in total by defeating Adrian Lewis 18–13 in the final with an average of 111.23, a record for a Matchplay final. His tournament average through 123 legs was 105.81.[123]

Rivalries

Priestley

Dennis Priestley and Phil Taylor have played each other in five World Finals, with Taylor on top in these head-to-heads 4–1.[124] During the early years of the WDC, Priestley and Taylor had an agreement where they would share prize money won at events. Following the split in darts, the players had already gone through large expenses to fight court cases that would last until 1997 when they were finally able to overturn a ban by the British Darts Organisation. Their arrangement lasted between 1994 and 2000 and made sound financial sense given that one or the other generally delivered success in the immediate years after the split. The agreement eventually ended when the prize money grew to a level where the players could individually sustain a better living and this ironically coincided with Priestley's sharp dip in form.

Taylor and Priestley first met in major competition in the 1990 World Masters. Taylor won that semi-final encounter en route to the title. Priestley then assumed the upper hand in their rivalry, however, with victories over Taylor in the 1991 World Championship and British Matchplay final later that year. Their early meetings in the WDC were also won by Priestley, who defeated Taylor in the finals of the 1993 UK Matchplay and 1994 World Championship.

However, since Taylor's defeat in the 1994 World Final, he has only lost twice in all competitions and hasn't been beaten on television by Priestley since 1995.[124] Taylor and Priestley remain great friends,[125] and Taylor has claimed Priestley is the toughest opponent he has ever faced.[126] At the 2009 Las Vegas championship Taylor was emotional when he beat Dennis Priestley 8–0 in the second round. He later said it was tough to beat such a great friend that way.[127]

Part

Taylor's next rivalry was with Canadian John Part, who won the BDO World Championship in 1994[128] and moved to the PDC in 1997.[129] Their first meeting in the PDC came at the 2001 PDC World Championship final.[130] The match was one-sided as Taylor averaged 107 and won 7–0.[130] Taylor won their first five encounters including a 6–0 quarter final win at the 2002 PDC World Championships, a much closer match at the 2002 World Matchplay final, 18–16 and the 2002 World Grand Prix final, where Taylor again ended Part's attempt at a title by winning 7–3.[131][132][133]

A turning point came in the 2003 World Championship, where Part and Taylor met in the final. Part took a 4–1 lead but Taylor hit back to take the lead, 5–4. At 6–6 Part held his nerve and beat Taylor 7–6[134] to end Taylor's eight tournament unbeaten run in the championship.[27] Taylor's other losses to Part came in the 2003 Las Vegas Desert Classic (10–13 in the semi-final),[135] the 2004 UK Open (6–8 in the quarter final)[136] and at the 2005 World Matchplay (11–16 in the quarter final).[137]

Part won the 2008 PDC World Championship and became the second player after Taylor to have won the tournament more than once,[27] but Taylor has an overall winning record greater than 85% against Part and has continued to improve the win percentage in recent years by winning all but one of his games against Part since the 2005 World Matchplay defeat.[138]

Van Barneveld

While Taylor was clocking up World titles in the PDC, Raymond van Barneveld was amassing four in the BDO. Darts was denied a great rivalry as the two best players were unable to compete against each other regularly due to the split in the game. Van Barneveld switched to the PDC in 2006. Their first clash came in the 2006 Premier League Darts tournament and ended in a 7–7 draw. The return match went in Taylor's favour.[139] Barneveld's first PDC win over Taylor came at the 2006 UK Open with an 11–10 quarter final success,[140] which he followed up with success in the semi-finals of the Las Vegas Desert Classic, winning by 4 sets to 3.[141] Taylor later defeated van Barneveld by 3 sets to 1 in the World Grand Prix.[142]

They then met in the final of the 2007 PDC World Championship at the Circus Tavern. The match has been described as the greatest game of darts ever played.[143] Despite being three sets to nothing up at one point, Taylor was defeated by van Barneveld seven sets to six in a sudden-death leg in the thirteenth set.[144] Taylor responded to his loss by defeating van Barneveld on two occasions in the 2007 Premier League Darts[145] and beating him in the final of the inaugural US Open.[146] van Barneveld later defeated Taylor in the quarter-finals of the UK Open by 11 legs to 4.[147] Taylor lost his top spot in the PDC World Rankings to van Barneveld in January 2008, but regained it in June.[148]

In major PDC tournaments in 2008, Taylor defeated van Barneveld twice in the Premier League,[149] lost by 10 legs to 9 in the quarter-finals of the UK Open,[150] but won the World Grand Prix against his rival by 6 sets to 2.[151] The rivalry continued into 2009 with the two meeting in the World Championship final for a second time, with Taylor winning 7–1 with a 110.94 three-dart average.[152] The two then met in the 2010 World Matchplay final; Taylor won 18–12, averaging more than 105, which was higher than van Barneveld's 100.11 average. After the game Barneveld acknowledged "I'm the number two at the moment, and players like James Wade, Simon Whitlock and Gary Anderson are all trying but he's just too good for everyone".[153] They have now met more than 50 times, with Taylor having 45 victories. Van Barneveld has 11 victories against Taylor, more than any other player.[154]

Wade

James Wade has won six PDC titles since he burst onto the scene in 2006, although he has yet to knock Taylor out of a tournament on his way to a televised title, he did beat him in the final of Championship League Darts 2010. Wade handed Taylor his first defeat in a Premier League match,[2][149] but Taylor has won every televised knockout match against him, including two Premier League finals.[155] They have met in the final of the World Matchplay four times between 2006 and 2012 with Taylor victorious each time.[91] Taylor has played Wade 46 times, winning 37 and losing 6, with 3 draws.[156]

van Gerwen

Despite there being an age gap of almost 30 years between the two, in 2013 Michael van Gerwen became the world number two behind Taylor and has been tipped to take over Taylor's dominance of the sport.[157] The pair's first meeting saw Taylor win 3–2 when the Dutchman was 17-years old, before van Gerwen beat him 3–0 in the Masters of Darts and 7–6 in the International Darts League.[158] Taylor then won 15 consecutive games against him encompassing a span of five years, during which van Gerwen struggled for form and confidence. However, in October 2012 Van Gerwen won his first PDC major and when the two met in the last 16 of the 2012 Grand Slam of Darts, the match was billed as a clash between the two best players in the world.[159] It was this match which truly started the rivalry as both players averaged over 110 for long parts of it, with Taylor at one point gesturing for van Gerwen to get out of his way when he paused in retrieving his darts. Van Gerwen took the match 10–5 with it being signalled as the start of a new era in darts.[160] The two then met in a Players Championship final with van Gerwen coming back from 4–5 down with back to back finishes of 164 and 124 to win in a final against Taylor for the first time.[161] Before their meeting in the final of the 2013 World Championship, Taylor said that van Gerwen's talent was better than himself at his peak and it was suggested that a win for the Dutchman would be a changing of the guard for the sport.[162] However, Taylor fought back from 2–4 down in sets to win 7–4. A few months later, van Gerwen became the first player other than Taylor to finish top of the table of the Premier League with the two meeting in the final which van Gerwen won 10–8.[114] Afterwards Taylor stated that he would reinvent himself and make himself better as the pair would have many battles in the future and that his next target in his career would be to beat van Gerwen.[163] Van Gerwen himself called Taylor the greatest ever and said that no one will ever match his achievements in darts.[157] Their next meeting was at the 2013 UK Open with Taylor winning 10–7. Taylor has now won two major titles since the Premier League loss and van Gerwen hasn't won any.[164]

Nine-dart finishes

Taylor has supplemented his accomplishments in televised tournaments by frequently achieving the perfect leg of darts – a nine dart finish. The first time he achieved this was at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, against Chris Mason in the televised World Matchplay Championship in 2002.[165] He has achieved the feat nine times on television, including four times in the UK Open at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton (2004, 2005, 2007, and 2008).

On 24 May 2010, in the final of the 2010 PDC Whyte & Mackay Premier League, Taylor became the first player in professional darts to hit two nine dart finishes in a single match.[10]

Phil Taylor's televised nine-dart finishes
Date Opponent Tournament Method Prize
1 August 2002 Chris Mason World Matchplay 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 £100,000
5 June 2004[166] Matt Chapman UK Open 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 501 bottles of Budweiser
12 June 2005[167] Roland Scholten UK Open 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 501 bottles of Budweiser
8 May 2007[168] Raymond van Barneveld International Darts League 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 Opel Tigra Twin Top
9 June 2007[169] Wes Newton UK Open 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 £20,000[170]
7 June 2008[171] Jamie Harvey UK Open 3 x T20; 2 x T20, T19; 2 x T20, D12 £25,000[172]
24 May 2010 James Wade Premier League Darts T20, 2 x T19; 3 x T20; T20, T17, D18
24 May 2010 James Wade Premier League Darts 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12
16 February 2012 Kevin Painter Premier League Darts 3 x T20; T20, 2 x T19; T20, T17, D18

Outside darts

Taylor and his former wife Yvonne have four children: Lisa (born 1983), Chris (born 1984), Kelly (born 1989) and Natalie (born 1992).[173] He has written an autobiography with the late Sky TV darts commentator Sid Waddell.[174] He supports his home town football club, Port Vale.[175] He was also inducted into the Stoke-on-Trent Hall of Fame when it was opened in January 2011.[176] Taylor was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2001 New Year honours.

Indecent assault conviction

In 1999, following an exhibition match in Fife, Scotland, Taylor returned to his van accompanied by two women, aged 23 and 25, who subsequently accused him of indecent assault. Taylor denied the charges but in May 2001 he was found guilty and fined £2,000.[177] As a result of his conviction, Taylor's MBE nomination was annulled before he was awarded it.[178]

Television and music appearances

Taylor's achievements in darts have led to guest appearances on television.[179]

He also appeared in Justin Hawkins solo project "British Whale"s music video for sparks cover "This Town Aint Big Enough for the Both of Us"

Despite PDC darts not being broadcast on the BBC, he has appeared on several BBC television shows over the years.[180][181][182] On 2 February 2009, he made a guest appearance in the long-running popular soap opera Coronation Street, playing the part of 'Disco Dave', the captain of a rival darts team to the Rovers Return. Taylor was seen only briefly on screen and had no dialogue.[183][184] On 22 January 2011 he appeared to present the award for Best Comedy Panel Show at the British Comedy Awards hosted by Jonathan Ross. After winning the 2011 Players Championship he announced he would be taping an appearance for an upcoming edition of A Question of Sport.

On 1 January 2012, Taylor appeared on OMG! Jedward's Dream Factory, an Irish children's reality television show which pop duo Jedward helped to fulfil the wishes of children who have previously written in to the show, similar to the concept of long-running UK Jim'll Fix It. One episode featured a girl who was a huge darts fan and wrote in wanting to play darts with Taylor. It was recorded in 2011 when the World Grand Prix was in Dublin.

On 12 March 2012, Taylor made a guest appearance on A Question of Sport.

In May 2012, Taylor, together with the seven other players who competed in the Premier League recorded a charity single with Chas Hodges and his band called 'Got My Tickets for the Darts' which was written by Chas. It was released on 18 May, the night after the play-offs at the O2 in London, where it was premiered. Proceeds from the single will be donated to the Haven House Children's Hospice.[185]

Awards and records

Taylor holds records for high scoring in darts. His three-dart average per match records are the highest in the history of the game.[186] No player has a winning head-to-head record against him. Taylor has a 79% win rate against Raymond van Barneveld, the player with the most wins against him.[187] Taylor is the first darts player to win more than £1 million in prize money.[188]

On 9 January 2007 Taylor won the 2006 PDC Player of the Year award at the inaugural PDC Awards Dinner held at the Dorchester Hotel in London's Park Lane. He was one of ten nominees for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 2006; the award went to Zara Phillips.[189] Taylor was voted the 2007 Fans' Player of the Year following a vote conducted on the website Planet Darts. He received the award at the annual PDC Awards Dinner in January 2008. After his fifteenth world championship victory, Taylor was made an inaugural inductee to the Stoke-on-Trent Sporting Hall of Fame on 7 January 2010.[4] Awards excluding Hall of Fame are handed out the following January so add a year for the year received.

  • PDC Player of the Year: 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
  • PDC Fans' Player of the Year: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
  • Best PDC Pro Tour Player/Floor Player: 2008, 2009
  • PDPA Players' Player of the Year: 2008, 2009
  • PDC Nine Dart Club: *2006, *2007, *2008, −2008, *2009(x2), *2010, *2011, −2011, *2012 *Gold Pin Badge(Televised)/-Silver Pin Badge(Non-Televised)
  • PDC Hall of Fame: 2011
  • BBC Sports Personality of the Year (Runner Up): 2010

World Championship results

BDO

PDC

  • 1994: Runner-up (lost to Dennis Priestley 1–6)
  • 1995: Winner (beat Rod Harrington 6–2)
  • 1996: Winner (beat Dennis Priestley 6–4)
  • 1997: Winner (beat Dennis Priestley 6–3)
  • 1998: Winner (beat Dennis Priestley 6–0)
  • 1999: Winner (beat Peter Manley 6–2)
  • 2000: Winner (beat Dennis Priestley 7–3)
  • 2001: Winner (beat John Part 7-0)
  • 2002: Winner (beat Peter Manley 7–0)
  • 2003: Runner-up (lost to John Part 6-7)
  • 2004: Winner (beat Kevin Painter 7–6)
  • 2005: Winner (beat Mark Dudbridge 7–4)
  • 2006: Winner (beat Peter Manley 7–0)
  • 2007: Runner-up (lost to Raymond van Barneveld 6–7)
  • 2008: Quarter-finals (lost to Wayne Mardle 4–5)
  • 2009: Winner (beat Raymond van Barneveld 7–1)
  • 2010: Winner (beat Simon Whitlock 7–3)
  • 2011: Quarter-finals (lost to Mark Webster 2–5)
  • 2012: 2nd round (lost to Dave Chisnall 1–4)
  • 2013: Winner (beat Michael van Gerwen 7–4)

Tournament wins

BDO major finals: 6 (4 titles, 2 runner-ups)

Legend
World Championship (2–0)
Winmau World Masters (1–1)
World Darts Trophy (1–1)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score[note 2] Ref.
Winner 1. 1990 World Darts Championship England Eric Bristow 6–1 (s) [190]
Winner 2. 1990 Winmau World Masters Scotland Jocky Wilson [note 3] [191]
Runner-up 1. 1991 Winmau World Masters England Rod Harrington [note 3] [192]
Winner 3. 1992 World Darts Championship (2) England Mike Gregory 6–5 (s) [193]
Winner 4. 2006 World Darts Trophy England Martin Adams 7–2 (s) [194]
Runner-up 2. 2007 World Darts Trophy Scotland Gary Anderson 3–7 (s) [195]

PDC premier event finals: 79 (72 titles, 7 runner-ups)

Legend
World Championship (14–3)
World Matchplay (14–0)
World Grand Prix (10–0)
Grand Slam (4–0)
Premier League (6–1)
Other (24–3)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score[note 2]
Runner-up 1. 1994 World Darts Championship England Dennis Priestley 1–6 (s)
Winner 1. 1995 World Darts Championship England Rod Harrington 6–2 (s)
Winner 2. 1995 World Matchplay England Dennis Priestley 16–11 (l)
Winner 3. 1996 World Darts Championship (2) England Dennis Priestley 6–4 (s)
Winner 4. 1997 World Darts Championship (3) England Dennis Priestley 6–3 (s)
Winner 5. 1997 World Matchplay (2) England Alan Warriner-Little 16–11 (l)
Winner 6. 1998 World Darts Championship (4) England Dennis Priestley 6–0 (s)
Winner 7. 1998 World Grand Prix England Rod Harrington 13–8 (l)
Winner 8. 1999 World Darts Championship (5) England Peter Manley 6–2 (s)
Winner 9. 1999 World Grand Prix (2) England Shayne Burgess 6–1 (s)
Winner 10. 2000 World Darts Championship (6) England Dennis Priestley 7–3 (s)
Winner 11. 2000 World Matchplay (3) England Alan Warriner-Little 18–12 (l)
Winner 12. 2000 World Grand Prix (3) England Shayne Burgess 6–1 (s)
Winner 13. 2001 World Darts Championship (7) Canada John Part 7–0 (s)
Winner 14. 2001 World Matchplay (4) Wales Richie Burnett 18–10 (l)
Winner 15. 2002 World Darts Championship (8) England Peter Manley 7–0 (s)
Winner 16. 2002 Las Vegas Desert Classic England Ronnie Baxter 3–0 (s)
Winner 17. 2002 World Matchplay (5) Canada John Part 18–16 (l)
Winner 18. 2002 World Grand Prix (4) Canada John Part 7–3 (s)
Runner-up 2. 2003 World Darts Championship Canada John Part 6–7 (s)
Winner 19. 2003 UK Open England Shayne Burgess 18–8 (l)
Winner 20. 2003 World Matchplay (6) England Wayne Mardle 18–12 (l)
Winner 21. 2003 World Grand Prix (5) Canada John Part 7–2 (s)
Winner 22. 2004 World Darts Championship (9) England Kevin Painter 7–6 (s)
Winner 23. 2004 Las Vegas Desert Classic (2) England Wayne Mardle 6–4 (s)
Winner 24. 2004 World Matchplay (7) England Mark Dudbridge 18–8 (l)
Winner 25. 2005 World Darts Championship (10) England Mark Dudbridge 7–4 (s)
Winner 26. 2005 Premier League Darts England Colin Lloyd 16–4 (l)
Winner 27. 2005 UK Open (2) England Mark Walsh 13–7 (l)
Winner 28. 2005 Las Vegas Desert Classic (3) England Wayne Mardle 6–1 (s)
Winner 29. 2005 World Grand Prix (6) England Colin Lloyd 7–1 (s)
Winner 30. 2006 World Darts Championship (11) England Peter Manley 7–0 (s)
Winner 31. 2006 World Series of Darts England Adrian Lewis 13–5 (l)
Winner 32. 2006 Premier League Darts (2) Netherlands Roland Scholten 16–6 (l)
Winner 33. 2006 World Matchplay (8) England James Wade 18–11 (l)
Winner 34. 2006 World Grand Prix (7) England Terry Jenkins 7–4 (s)
Runner-up 3. 2007 World Darts Championship Netherlands Raymond van Barneveld 6–7 (s)
Winner 35. 2007 US Open (2) Netherlands Raymond van Barneveld 4–1 (s)
Winner 36. 2007 Premier League Darts (3) England Terry Jenkins 16–6 (l)
Winner 37. 2007 Grand Slam of Darts England Andy Hamilton 18–11 (l)
Winner 38. 2008 US Open (3) England Colin Lloyd 3–0 (s)
Winner 39. 2008 Premier League Darts (4) England James Wade 16–8 (l)
Winner 40. 2008 Las Vegas Desert Classic (4) England James Wade 13–7 (l)
Winner 41. 2008 World Matchplay (9) England James Wade 18–9 (l)
Winner 42. 2008 World Grand Prix (8) Netherlands Raymond van Barneveld 6–2 (s)
Winner 43. 2008 Championship League Darts England Mervyn King 7–5 (s)
Winner 44. 2008 European Championship England Adrian Lewis 11–5 (l)
Winner 45. 2008 Grand Slam of Darts (2) England Terry Jenkins 18–9 (l)
Winner 46. 2009 World Darts Championship (12) Netherlands Raymond van Barneveld 7–1 (s)
Winner 47. 2009 Players Championship Finals Scotland Robert Thornton 16–9 (l)
Winner 48. 2009 UK Open (3) England Colin Osborne 11–6 (l)
Winner 49. 2009 Las Vegas Desert Classic (5) Netherlands Raymond van Barneveld 13–11 (l)
Winner 50. 2009 World Matchplay (10) England Terry Jenkins 18–4 (l)
Winner 51. 2009 World Grand Prix (9) Netherlands Raymond van Barneveld 6–3 (s)
Runner-up 4. 2009 Championship League Darts England Colin Osborne 4–6 (l)
Winner 52. 2009 European Championship (2) England Steve Beaton 11–3 (l)
Winner 53. 2009 Grand Slam of Darts (3) England Scott Waites 16–2 (l)
Winner 54. 2010 World Darts Championship (13) Australia Simon Whitlock 7–3 (s)
Winner 55. 2010 Premier League Darts (5) England James Wade 10–8 (l)
Winner 56. 2010 UK Open (4) Scotland Gary Anderson 11–5 (l)
Winner 57. 2010 US Open (4) England Denis Ovens 6–3 (l)
Winner 58. 2010 World Matchplay (11) Netherlands Raymond van Barneveld 18–12 (l)
Winner 59. 2010 European Championship (3) England Wayne Jones 11–1 (l)
Runner-up 5. 2010 Championship League Darts England James Wade 5–6 (l)
Winner 60. 2011 Players Championship Finals (2) Scotland Gary Anderson 13–12 (l)
Winner 61. 2011 World Matchplay (12) England James Wade 18–8 (l)
Winner 62. 2011 European Championship (4) England Adrian Lewis 11–8 (l)
Winner 63. 2011 World Grand Prix (10) Northern Ireland Brendan Dolan 6–3 (s)
Winner 64. 2011 Championship League Darts (2) Australia Paul Nicholson 6–1 (l)
Winner 65. 2011 Grand Slam of Darts (4) Scotland Gary Anderson 16–4 (l)
Winner 66. 2012 Premier League Darts (6) Australia Simon Whitlock 10–7 (l)
Runner-up 6. 2012 UK Open Scotland Robert Thornton 5–11 (l)
Winner 67. 2012 World Matchplay (13) England James Wade 18–15 (l)
Winner 68. 2012 Championship League Darts (3) Australia Simon Whitlock 6–4 (l)
Winner 69. 2012 Players Championship Finals (3) Belgium Kim Huybrechts 13–6 (l)
Winner 70. 2013 World Darts Championship (14) Netherlands Michael van Gerwen 7–4 (s)
Runner-up 7. 2013 Premier League Darts Netherlands Michael van Gerwen 8–10 (l)
Winner 71. 2013 UK Open (5) England Andy Hamilton 11–4 (l)
Winner 72. 2013 World Matchplay (14) England Adrian Lewis 18–13 (l)

Other wins

[196]

  • Antwerp Darts Trophy: 2008
  • Antwerp Open: 1997, 1998
  • Australian Open: 2012
  • Battle of the Champions: 1997
  • Berlin Open: 1993
  • Bobby Bourn Memorial: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
  • British Pentathlon: 1990, 1991
  • Canadian Open: 1988
  • Center Parcs Masters: 1996
  • Champion Vs Champion: 1999, 2004
  • China Telecom Cup: 2004
  • Dartgala Hengelo: 2005, 2005, 2005
  • Denmark Open: 1990
  • DPA Tournament of Champions: 2012
  • Eastbourne Pro: 2002
  • Finnish Open: 1990
  • German Darts Championship: 2007, 2009, 2012
  • Gleneagle Irish Masters: 2009
  • Hemeco Open Rosmalen: 2009, 2011
  • Ireland Open Autumn Classic: 2004, 2005
  • Isle Of Man Open: 1990
  • Jersey Festival Of Darts: 1990, 1999
  • Jocky Wilson Cup: 2009
  • Killarney Pro Tour: 2009
  • London Masters: 2008
  • Masters Of Darts: 2005
  • MDA Face Off: 2010
  • Montreal Open: 2001, 2002
  • Munich Open: 2006
  • News of the World Tournament: 1997
  • North American Cup: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
  • North American Open: 1990, 1991
  • Open Lunteren: 2011
  • PDC UK Masters: 1994
  • PDC UK Matchplay: 1996
  • PDC World Cup of Darts: 2012, 2013
  • PDC World Pairs: 1996
  • Pontins British Masters: 1990
  • RTL7 Masters: 2011
  • South African Masters: 2007, 2008, 2009
  • Sunparks Masters: 1996
  • WDF Europe Cup: 1990, 1992
  • WDF Europe Cup Pairs: 1990
  • World Cricket Championship: 2010

European Tour Events

  • German Darts Championship: 2012
  • Gibraltar Darts Trophy: 2013

Players championships

  • Players Championships (Austria): 2010
  • Players Championships (Bristol): 2008
  • Players Championships (Derby): 2010, 2010
  • Players Championships (Eindhoven): 2008, 2008
  • Players Championships (Germany): 2008, 2008, 2009, 2009
  • Players Championships (Gibraltar): 2009, 2009
  • Players Championships (Netherlands): 2005, 2005, 2007, 2007
  • Players Championships (Ireland): 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011
  • Players Championships (Las Vegas): 2008
  • Players Championships (English Midlands): 2008
  • Players Championships (Nuland): 2009, 2009
  • Players Championships (Reading): 2012
  • Players Championships (Southern England): 2008, 2009
  • Players Championships (Wales): 2005, 2006
  • Players Championships (Wigan): 2010, 2011, 2011

UK Open Regionals

  • UK Open Regional (Ireland): 2002, 2004
  • UK Open Regional (English Midlands): 2008, 2009
  • UK Open Regional (North West England): 2008
  • UK Open Regional (South West England): 2009
  • UK Open Regional (Southern England): 2003, 2007, 2009
  • UK Open Regional (Wales): 2002, 2004, 2006
  • UK Open Qualifier: 2010, 2010, 2011, 2011, 2012, 2012

Performance timeline

Tournament 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
BDO World Championship DNP W QF W 2R No longer a BDO Member
PDC World Championship Not yet founded RU W W W W W W W W RU W W W RU QF W W QF 2R W
Winmau World Masters 2R SF W RU 1R Did not participate
World Matchplay Not held 2R W 2R W QF SF W W W W W QF W SF W W W W W W
World Grand Prix Not held W W W 1R W W 1R W W 1R W W SF W 2R
World Darts Trophy Not held Did not participate W RU Not held
Las Vegas Desert Classic Not held W SF W W SF 1R W W Not held
UK Open Not held W QF W QF QF QF W W 5R RU W
Premier League Darts Not held W W W W SF W SF W RU
US Open/WSoD Not held W W W A W Not held
Grand Slam of Darts Not held W W W QF W 2R
European Championship Not held W W W W QF 2R
Championship League Not held W RU RU W W
Players Championship Finals Not held W SF W 2R W

High averages

Taylor has recorded the majority of the highest ever televised averages in the PDC, including the highest ever.[76] This was achieved in round four of the 2010 UK Open, in which he averaged 118.66 in a 9–0 win over Kevin Painter.[197] He also holds the record for the highest average in a PDC World Championship final of 110.94 which he set whilst beating Raymond van Barneveld in 2009.[60] In February 2012, Taylor achieved the highest ever average without actually winning the match, as he drew 7–7 with Adrian Lewis in the Premier League with an average of 112.79.[198]

Rank Average Player Score Opponent Tournament Stage
1 118.66 England Phil Taylor 9–0 (L) Kevin Painter England 2010 UK Open Round 4
2 118.14 England Phil Taylor 10–3 (L) Gary Anderson England 2009 European Championship Quarter Finals
3 117.35 England Phil Taylor 8–4 (L) Simon Whitlock Australia 2012 Premier League League
4 116.10 England Phil Taylor 8–1 (L) James Wade England 2012 Premier League League
5 116.01 England Phil Taylor 8–3 (L) John Part Canada 2009 Premier League League
6 115.62 England Phil Taylor 10–0 (L) Mark Lawrence England 2009 UK Open Quarter-finals
7 115.51 England Phil Taylor 9–3 (L) Ken Mather England 2009 UK Open Round 4
8 114.99 England Phil Taylor 10–6 (L) Barrie Bates Wales 2010 World Matchplay Round 1
9 114.54 England Phil Taylor 9–3 (L) Wes Newton England 2008 UK Open Round 5
10 114.15 England Darryl Fitton 6–0 (L) Davy Richardson England 2004 International Darts League Last 32 group
11 113.92 England Phil Taylor 9–3 (L) Mervyn King England 2008 European Championship Round 2
12 113.92 England Phil Taylor 8–4 (L) Adrian Lewis England 2011 RTL 7 Masters Poule
13 113.60 England Phil Taylor 8–3 (L) Raymond van Barneveld Netherlands 2011 RTL 7 Masters Final
14 113.43 England Phil Taylor 8–0 (L) Gary Mawson United States 1997 World Matchplay Round 1
15 113.33 England Phil Taylor 11–7 (L) Robert Thornton Scotland 2008 European Championship Semi-finals
16 113.30 England Phil Taylor 8–2 (L) Kevin Painter England 2012 Premier League League
17 113.04 Netherlands Raymond van Barneveld 6–1 (L) Terry Jenkins England 2012 European Championship Round 1
18 112.91 England Phil Taylor 8–4 (L) Raymond van Barneveld Netherlands 2012 Premier League League
19 112.79 England Phil Taylor 7–7 (L) Adrian Lewis England 2012 Premier League League
20 112.68 England Phil Taylor 11–1 (L) Adrian Lewis England 2008 Premier League Semi-finals
21 112.56 England Chris Mason 11–8 (L) Adrian Lewis England 2005 UK Open Round 6
22 112.28 Netherlands Raymond van Barneveld 8–6 (L) Kevin Painter England 2012 Premier League League
23 112.17 England Phil Taylor 16–7 (L) Chris Mason England 2002 World Matchplay Quarter-finals
Legend
Average was achieved by Phil Taylor
L Game was in legs
S Game was in sets

Notes

Footnotes

  1. ^ Each set is best of five legs of 501 points each.
  2. ^ a b (l) = score in legs, (s) = score in sets.
  3. ^ a b No record of the final score.

Citations

  1. ^ a b "Unicorn Darts – Phase 5". Unicorn Darts. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Phil Taylor profile". PDC. 26 January 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  3. ^ "Wade scoops PDC Player of the Year award". Matchroomsport. 10 January 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
  4. ^ a b Walley, Tony (4 January 2010). "Darts champion to attend civic reception". Stoke-on-Trent Pits n Pots. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  5. ^ "Taylor on Fire, Whitewashes Kevin Painter and sets new Record with 118.66 AVG". The Oche. 5 June 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
  6. ^ BBC (6 January 2003). "Part relishes Taylor triumph". BBC. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
  7. ^ "Phil Taylor player profile". Dartsdatabase. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
  8. ^ BBC Press Office (4 December 2006). "BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2006 shortlist unveiled". Unicorn: The Big Name in Darts. BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  9. ^ "Sports Personality of the Year 2010: Phil Taylor". Unicorn: The Big Name in Darts. BBC Sport. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  10. ^ a b "Historic Taylor nails TWO 9 darters in Premier League triumph!". Unicorn: The Big Name in Darts. Unicorn. 24 May 2010. pp. "Unicorn Darts News" section. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
  11. ^ "Phil 'The Power' Taylor previews the 2012 World Darts Championship". TalkSport. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  12. ^ "The Man with the Golden Elbow". Independent. London. 28 May 2007. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  13. ^ "My Sport – Phil Taylor". Independent. London. 30 December 2003. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  14. ^ Cartwright, Phil (29 July 2009). "Is Taylor the greatest sportsman ever?". BBC. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  15. ^ Walters, Mike (10 December 2008). "Phil Taylor says he's ready to reclaim world title". Mirror. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by BDO World Champion
1990 		Succeeded by
Preceded by BDO World Champion
1992 		Succeeded by
Preceded by PDC World Champion
1995–2002 		Succeeded by
Preceded by PDC World Champion
2004–2006 		Succeeded by
Preceded by PDC World Champion
2009–2010 		Succeeded by
Preceded by PDC World Champion
2013 		Succeeded by
Incumbent

Template:Persondata

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