2004 Las Vegas Desert Classic

Last updated
2004 Las Vegas Desert Classic
Tournament information
Dates30 June–4 July 2004
Venue MGM Grand Casino and Hotel
Location Las Vegas, Nevada
CountryUnited States
Organisation(s) PDC
Format Sets
Final – best of 11
Prize fund£84,100
Winner's share£15,000
Champion(s)
Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor
«2003 2005»

The 2004 Las Vegas Desert Classic, promoted at the time as the Las Vegas Desert Classic III, was the third year that the Professional Darts Corporation held a major darts tournament in the United States. It was held between 30 June and July 4, 2004.

Contents

The tournament was held at the MGM Grand Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada and was broadcast in the UK by Sky Sports. The layout of the playing hall had been modified from the previous year, and attracted larger crowds.

Peter Manley, who went on to win the title the previous year, lost his title defence to fellow compatriot Kevin Painter in the second round, by 3 sets to 0.

The tournament was won by Phil Taylor, who beat Wayne Mardle 6–4 in sets in the final.

Qualified players

Prize money

Stage (no. of players) [1] Prize money
(Total: £84,100)
Winner(1)£15,000
Runner-Up(1)£7,500
Semi-finalists(2)£5,000
Quarter-finalists(4)£3,500
Round 2(8)£2,000
Round 1(16)£1,350

Results

Men's tournament

Round 1
(best of 3 sets)
June 30
Round 2
(best of 5 sets)
July 1
Quarter-finals
(best of 5 sets)
July 2
Semi-finals
(best of 7 sets)
July 3
Final
(best of 11 sets)
July 4
               
Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 2
Flag of England.svg Adrian Lewis 0
Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 3
Flag of England.svg Alan Warriner 1
Flag of England.svg Alan Warriner 2
Flag of England.svg Mark Dudbridge 1
Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 98.373
Flag of England.svg Steve Coote 90.930
Flag of England.svg Steve Coote w/o
Flag of the United States.svg Ricky Villanuevaw/d
Flag of England.svg Steve Coote 3
Flag of England.svg Andy Jenkins 2
Flag of England.svg Andy Jenkins 2
Flag of England.svg Bob Anderson 0
Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 96.394
Flag of England.svg Kevin Painter 91.022
Flag of England.svg Kevin Painter 2
Flag of England.svg James Wade 1
Flag of England.svg Kevin Painter 3
Flag of England.svg Peter Manley 0
Flag of England.svg Peter Manley 2
Flag of Singapore.svg Paul Lim 0
Flag of England.svg Kevin Painter 90.783
Flag of England.svg Dennis Smith 90.031
Flag of England.svg Dennis Smith 2
Flag of England.svg Paul Williams 0
Flag of England.svg Dennis Smith 3
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Gerry Convery 1
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Gerry Convery 2
Flag of England.svg Darren Webster 0
Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 100.806
Flag of England.svg Wayne Mardle 95.224
Flag of England.svg Wayne Mardle 2
Flag of England.svg Wes Newton 1
Flag of England.svg Wayne Mardle 3
Flag of the United States.svg Darin Young 0
Flag of the United States.svg Darin Young 2
Flag of England.svg Lionel Sams 1
Flag of England.svg Wayne Mardle 91.203
Flag of England.svg Ronnie Baxter 86.100
Flag of England.svg Ronnie Baxter 2
Flag of England.svg Steve Beaton 0
Flag of England.svg Ronnie Baxter 3
Flag of England.svg Denis Ovens 2
Flag of England.svg Denis Ovens 2
Flag of the United States.svg John Kuczynski 1
Flag of England.svg Wayne Mardle 87.424
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg John Part 87.901
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg John Part 2
Flag of England.svg Alex Roy 1
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg John Part 3
Flag of England.svg Adrian Gray 0
Flag of England.svg Adrian Gray 2
Flag of the United States.svg Bruce Cottrell 0
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg John Part 91.773
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Richie Burnett 92.701
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Richie Burnett 2
Flag of England.svg Colin Lloyd 1
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Richie Burnett 3
Flag of England.svg Dennis Priestley 1
Flag of England.svg Dennis Priestley 2
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Roland Scholten 1

Ricky Villanueva withdrew from the tournament for unknown reasons

Women's tournament

Semi-finals
(best of 7 legs)
Final
(best of 11 legs)
      
Flag of England.svg Trina Gulliver 4
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Gayl King 1
Flag of England.svg Trina Gulliver 6
Flag of the United States.svg Stacy Bromberg 5
Flag of the United States.svg Stacy Bromberg 4
Flag of the United States.svg Carolyn Mars 1

Tournament summary

Round One

Featured the last 32 and was not televised. Phil Taylor had the highest average in the best of 3 sets matches of 100.6 and coverage began live on Sky Sports with Round Two, the last 16 on Thursday 1 July.

Round Two

The first match featured Kevin Painter against Peter Manley. Manley was erratic in the first set which went to Painter, who then went on to beat Manley 3-0 including checkouts of 143, 124 and 102. Painter averaged of 94.5.

The last American in the tournament, Darin Young (who was World Soft Tip Darts Champion) had beaten Lionel Sams in the first round and faced "Hawaii 501" – Wayne Mardle. The first two sets were close, but Mardle went through comfortably 3-0.

John Part also had a comfortable win against Adrian Gray and in the early stages of the match he was averaging 111.33. It was a 3–0 win for Part who also checked out 161 and a 164.

Alan Warriner faced Phil Taylor and started well. "The Ice Man" was two legs up in the first set only for Taylor to level at 2–2 before Warriner took the deciding leg. Taylor won the next two sets and started the fourth with a 147 checkout. Although Warriner won the next leg, Taylor pulled away to win the match.

The battle of two former World Champions saw Richie Burnett beat Dennis Priestley – the Welshman had to hit a 117 checkout to tie the match at 1–1, which was possibly the turning point and Burnett went on to win 3–1.

Quarterfinals

John Part overcame Richie Burnett 3-1 in a match that wasn't necessarily reflected by the scoreline. Burnett came close to winning the first set having levelled it with a 137 finish. But Part won the decider. Even as Part looked to be coasting to victory at 2–0 in both sets and legs, Burnett put on a fightback to win 3 consecutive legs. Part held him off in the end for a 3–1 win.

Vegas-loving Wayne Mardle, took the first set against Ronnie Baxter – averaging 101 to Baxter's 94.30. Mardle then appeared to slow the game down which possibly affected both players. Baxter was possibly affected the most as he lost 0–3.

Steve Coote put up a valiant battle against Phil Taylor. The first set went to the deciding leg, and Coote held a 2–1 lead in the second – but Taylor always had the better of his opponent when it mattered and won the match 3–0.

Dennis Smith had been suffering from toothache throughout the tournament and combined with an in-form Kevin Painter was too much for "Smiffy" winning 3–1

Semifinals

Part was dogged by a failure to hit his doubles against Mardle in the semi. Neither player was outstanding, yet Mardle raced to a 3–0 lead. Despite a mini-fightback from the Canadian to win the 4th set, it was Mardle who went to the final a 4–1 winner.

Kevin Painter v Phil Taylor was a repeat of the World Final from January. Taylor started the better, with a 114 winning the first set. Painter levelled and both players traded blows to stay level at 2–2. Taylor then surged to win the fifth and sixth sets to claim his place in the final.

Final

Taylor and Mardle had exchanged some verbal battles in the run-up to the match. The match started with Taylor in fine form, a first set average of 104 gave him the set 3 legs to 1. Taylor also took the second and started the third set with a 10 dart leg – his average now at 103.0. Mardle fought back to win the next two legs, but after Mardle missed darts to close the gap to 2 sets to 1, Taylor stretched the lead to 3–0.

"Hawaii 501" began to hit back. He took the fourth set by 3 legs to 1 with a 12 dart leg for the set. Close again in the next set and Taylor checked out a 135 to go 2 legs to 1 up and then the next leg for the set and a 4 sets to 1 lead.

Mardle then began an amazing comeback. He took the sixth set to make it 2–4 and despite being 2 legs behind in the seventh set – three consecutive legs made it 3–4. His surge continued as he tied the match at 4–4 and the ninth set went to the deciding leg. Taylor kept his match average at 101 and won that crucial deciding leg for a 5–4 set lead and was then able to win the 10th set to clinch the title.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Part</span> Canadian darts player

John Part is a Canadian former professional darts player and current commentator. Nicknamed Darth Maple, he is a three-times World Champion, having won the 1994 BDO World Darts Championship on his world championship debut, and the PDC World Championship in 2003 and 2008. Part is statistically North America's greatest darts player to date. He has the distinction of being the first non-UK player to win the World Championship, and the only non-European to date to win the PDC World Darts Championship.

The World Series of Darts was a professional darts tournament held from 19 to 21 May 2006 at the Mohegan Sun Casino, in Uncasville, Connecticut. It was the first and only edition of the competition, which was established by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) to capitalise on the potentially large North American market. It was the second of four PDC non-ranking events in the 2006 season and featured 32 players: 16 American entrants and 16 PDC players. There was a $1,000,000 bonus to the winner of the tournament if they were from the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colin Lloyd</span> English darts player

Colin Edward Lloyd, nicknamed Jaws, is an English former professional darts player. He is a former world number one ranked player and has won two major television titles in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) – the 2004 World Grand Prix and the 2005 World Matchplay.

The 2007 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship was the 14th World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the British Darts Organisation. The tournament took place between 18 December 2006 – 1 January 2007. The championship was once again held at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet, Essex, where it had been staged since the first PDC World Championship in 1994. However, it would turn out to be the last time the tournament would be held at the Tavern: in April 2007, the PDC announced that the event would be moving to Alexandra Palace from 2008.

The 2001 BDO World Darts Championship was a professional darts tournament held from 6 to 14 January 2001 at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green, Surrey. It was the 24th staging of the competition since the 1978 event and the 16th time it took place at the Lakeside Country Club. The tournament was the first of 44 British Darts Organisation (BDO) tournaments in 2001. The host broadcaster was the BBC and the competition was sponsored by the cigarette company Embassy.

The 2005 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship was the 12th edition of the PDC World Darts Championship, and was held at the Circus Tavern, Purfleet taking place between 26 December 2004 and 3 January 2005.

The 2004 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship was the 10th anniversary of the PDC version of the World Darts Championship. The tournament took place between 27 December 2003 and 4 January 2004 at the Circus Tavern, Purfleet, England.

The 2002 PDC World Darts Championship was a professional darts tournament held from 28 December 2001 to 5 January 2002 at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet, Essex. It was the ninth staging of the competition beginning with the 1994 edition and the ninth time it was held at the Circus Tavern. The competition was the first of 30 Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) tournaments in the 2002 season.

The 2001 PDC World Darts Championship was a professional darts tournament held from 28 December 2000 and 3 January 2001 at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet, Essex, England. It was the eighth staging of the competition since the 1994 competition. The competition was the first of 34 Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) tournaments in the 2001 season. The tournament was broadcast on Sky Sports and was sponsored by Skol.

The 2002 Stan James World Matchplay was a professional darts tournament held from 28 July to 3 August 2002 at the Empress Ballroom in the Winter Gardens of Blackpool. It was the ninth staging of the competition since the 1994 edition and the 18th of 35 Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) tournaments in the 2002 season. The tournament was broadcast on Sky Sports and was sponsored by the betting company Stan James.

The 2006 Holsten Premier League the second year of the Professional Darts Corporation's popular darts league. The 2006 league was launched with the top six players in the PDC world rankings and the addition of a wildcard player, Raymond van Barneveld who decided to switch from the British Darts Organisation just weeks after reaching their 2006 World Championship final.

The 2004 Budweiser UK Open was the second time the Professional Darts Corporation held the tournament which had quickly earned the nickname the "FA Cup of Darts". It was held at Bolton Wanderers' Reebok Stadium between 4–6 June 2004. Budweiser became the tournament's new sponsor.

This is a list of some of the major events and competitions in the sport of darts in 2007. Raymond van Barneveld proved to be the most successful player with ten professional tournament wins across the PDC and BDO, including four majors.

The 2007 Keukenconcurrent Masters of Darts was the second staging of a Dutch darts tournament featuring five top Dutch and five top English players.

The 2008 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship was the 15th World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the British Darts Organisation. The event took place between 17 December 2007 and 1 January 2008 at the Alexandra Palace, London, England.

The 2009 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship was the 16th World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the British Darts Organisation. The event took place at Alexandra Palace in London from 19 December 2008 and 4 January 2009.

This article documents all the events in the sport of darts over the course of 2009.

The 2009 Las Vegas Desert Classic was a professional darts tournament staged from July 1 to July 5, 2009 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was the eighth and final staging of the event since the original 2002 edition, and the fourth time it took place at the Mandalay Bay Resort. The tournament was the third of five Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) premier events in the 2009 season. Online gambling website PartyPower.com sponsored the tournament broadcast on Sky Sports.

The 2010 Players Championship Finals was a professional darts tournament held at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet, England, from 28 to 31 January 2010. It was the first of the five Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) premier events in the 2010 calendar and the second edition of the tournament. The event was sponsored by the betting company totesport.com and featured an increased prize fund of £250,000 with £60,000 going to the winner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronnie Baxter</span> English darts player

Ronnie Baxter is an English former professional darts player who competed in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He used the nickname "The Rocket" for his matches. Baxter was known for his fast robotic throwing action. He currently resides in his hometown Blackpool. Baxter is widely regarded as one of the best players never to have won a major TV title. He is still active on the exhibition circuit.

References

  1. "2004 Las Vegas Desert Classic Player Prize Money". Darts Database. 2007. Archived from the original on 2016-03-13. Retrieved 1 November 2020.