Masters (darts)
| The Masters | |
|---|---|
| Tournament information | |
| Venue | Arena:MK |
| Location | Milton Keynes |
| Country | England |
| Established | 2013 |
| Organisation(s) | PDC |
| Format | Legs |
| Prize fund | £200,000 (2014/2015) [1] |
| Month(s) Played | October/November (2013-2014) February (2015) January (2016) |
| Current champion(s) | |
 Michael van Gerwen | |
"The Masters" (also known as the Unibet Masters for sponsorship purposes)[2] is a PDC darts tournament which features the top 16 darts players according to the Order of Merit.
The inaugural tournament, held in 2013, was won by Phil Taylor, who defeated Adrian Lewis 10-1 in the final.[3] James Wade won the following year by defeating Mervyn King 11-10 in the 2014 final.[4] Michael van Gerwen became the third different champion in 3 years when he defeated Raymond van Barneveld 11-6.[5] The reigning champion is Michael van Gerwen, who won his second Masters title in a row by defeating Dave Chisnall 11-6.[6]
In 2013 and 2014 the tournament took place in the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh, Scotland and was played in late October/early November. However, the tournament was moved to February in 2015 and had a new venue at the Arena:MK in Milton Keynes, England.[7] The 2016 edition was held in January of that year.[8]
Format
The tournament features the top 16 of the Order of Merit, with all players being seeded. The first round and the quarter finals are played over best of 19 legs, the semi finals and the final are played over best of 21 legs.[9]
Finalists
| Year | Champion (average in final) | Score | Runner-up (average in final) | Sponsor | Prize money | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Champion | Runner-up | |||||
| 2013 |  Phil Taylor (108.50)
|
10–1 | Adrian Lewis (100.03)
|
Coral | £160,000 | £50,000 | £20,000 |
| 2014 | James Wade (91.39)
|
11–10 | Mervyn King (92.15)
|
Unibet | |||
| 2015 | Michael van Gerwen (112.49)
|
11–6 | Raymond van Barneveld (96.13)
|
£200,000 | £60,000 | £25,000 | |
| 2016 | Michael van Gerwen (98.94)
|
11–6 | Dave Chisnall (96.71)
| ||||
Statistics
| Player | Won | Runner-up | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael van Gerwen |
2 | 0 | 2 |
| Phil Taylor |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| James Wade |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Raymond van Barneveld |
0 | 1 | 1 |
| Mervyn King |
0 | 1 | 1 |
| Adrian Lewis |
0 | 1 | 1 |
| Dave Chisnall |
0 | 1 | 1 |
Media coverage
The Masters will be broadcast by ITV4 in the United Kingdom for at least the first four editions.[10] RTL 7 broadcasts the Masters in The Netherlands.[9]
References
- ^ "The Masters Roll Of Honour".
- ^ "Unibet To Sponsor The Unibet Masters". PDC.tv.
- ^ "2013 PDC The Masters". Mastercaller.nl.
- ^ "2014 PDC The Masters". Mastercaller.nl.
- ^ "2015 PDC The Masters". Mastercaller.nl.
- ^ http://www.rtl7darts.nl/nieuws/873/volgende_titel_voor_van_gerwen/
- ^ "2015 PDC Calendar Amendments". PDC.tv.
- ^ "2016 Unibet Masters Preview". PDC.tv.
- ^ a b "Toernooicenter The Unibet Masters 2016". RTL 7 Darts.
- ^ "The Unibet Masters - PDC".