2023 Masters (darts)

2023 Cazoo Masters
Tournament information
Dates	27–29 January 2023
Venue	Arena MK
Location	Milton Keynes, England
Organisation(s)	Professional Darts Corporation (PDC)
Format	Legs Final: best of 21 legs
Prize fund	£275,000
Winner's share	£65,000
High checkout	170 Gerwyn Price
Champion(s)
Chris Dobey  (ENG)
«2022 2024»

The 2023 PDC Masters (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2023 Cazoo Masters) was the eleventh staging of the non-ranking Masters darts tournament, held by the Professional Darts Corporation. It was held from 27 to 29 January 2023 at Arena MK in Milton Keynes, England.

Joe Cullen was the defending champion after beating Dave Chisnall 11–9 in the 2022 final, ^[1] but he lost to Chris Dobey 6–4 in the first round.

Chris Dobey won his first televised title, defeating Rob Cross 11–7 in the final. ^[2]

The second-round match between Rob Cross and Gary Anderson produced the highest losing and highest combined average in Masters history, with Cross' setting the 2nd highest average at the tournament so far.^{[ citation needed ]}

Qualifiers

The Masters featured the top 24 players in the PDC Order of Merit after the 2023 PDC World Darts Championship, with the top 8 automatically qualifying for the second round.

Danny Noppert, Damon Heta, Ross Smith, and Callan Rydz made their debuts in the event.

The following players took part in the tournament:

1.   Michael Smith (semi-finals)
2.   Peter Wright (semi-finals)
3.   Michael van Gerwen (quarter-finals)
4.   Gerwyn Price (second round)
5.   Luke Humphries (second round)
6.   Rob Cross (runner-up)
7.   Jonny Clayton (quarter-finals)
8.   Danny Noppert (quarter-finals)
9.   Nathan Aspinall (first round)
10.   James Wade (second round)
11.   Dimitri Van den Bergh (first round)
12.   Joe Cullen (first round)
13.   Dirk van Duijvenbode (quarter-finals)
14.   José de Sousa (second round)
15.   Ryan Searle (first round)
16.   Damon Heta (first round)
17.   Ross Smith (second round)
18.   Dave Chisnall (second round)
19.   Gabriel Clemens (first round)
20.   Krzysztof Ratajski (first round)
21.   Chris Dobey (champion)
22.   Gary Anderson (second round)
23.   Callan Rydz (first round)
24.   Stephen Bunting (second round)

Prize money

The prize money was increased from £220,000 to £275,000 in total, with the winner earning £65,000. ^[3]

Stage (no. of players)		Prize money (Total: £275,000)
Winner	(1)	£65,000
Runner-up	(1)	£30,000
Semi-finalists	(2)	£20,000
Quarter-finalists	(4)	£12,000
Second round losers	(8)	£7,500
First round losers	(8)	£4,000

Draw

The schedule was confirmed on 18 January. ^[4]

	First round (best of 11 legs) 27 January					Second round (best of 19 legs) 28 January					Quarter-finals (best of 19 legs) 29 January					Semi-finals (best of 21 legs) 29 January					Final (best of 21 legs) 29 January
	16	Damon Heta 86.50	5			1	Michael Smith 98.72	10
	17	Ross Smith 88.72	6			17	Ross Smith 91.09	7
											1	Michael Smith 103.33	10
											8	Danny Noppert 97.13	5
	9	Nathan Aspinall 92.67	5			8	Danny Noppert 95.65	10
	24	Stephen Bunting 93.66	6			24	Stephen Bunting 99.92	9
																1	Michael Smith 90.02	7
																21	Chris Dobey 95.05	11
	13	Dirk van Duijvenbode 92.01	6			4	Gerwyn Price 95.26	8
	20	Krzysztof Ratajski 83.58	3			13	Dirk van Duijvenbode 96.28	10
											13	Dirk van Duijvenbode 94.58	5
											21	Chris Dobey 94.88	10
	12	Joe Cullen 95.17	4			5	Luke Humphries 95.66	8
	21	Chris Dobey 96.89	6			21	Chris Dobey 94.56	10
																					21	Chris Dobey 94.05	11
																					6	Rob Cross 90.20	7
	15	Ryan Searle 92.01	5			2	Peter Wright 101.56	10
	18	Dave Chisnall 95.62	6			18	Dave Chisnall 94.32	7
											2	Peter Wright 101.80	10
											7	Jonny Clayton 97.87	6
	10	James Wade 98.82	6			7	Jonny Clayton 99.68	10
	23	Callan Rydz 93.38	2			10	James Wade 90.16	3
																2	Peter Wright 97.07	10
																6	Rob Cross 98.91	11
	14	José de Sousa 89.18	6			3	Michael van Gerwen 104.74	10
	19	Gabriel Clemens 88.82	4			14	José de Sousa 95.64	7
											3	Michael van Gerwen 99.02	7
											6	Rob Cross 96.02	10
	11	Dimitri Van den Bergh 90.37	4			6	Rob Cross 112.32	10
	22	Gary Anderson 92.10	6			22	Gary Anderson 111.17	6

References

1. Allen, Dave (30 January 2022). "Emotional Cullen secures maiden TV title at Ladbrokes Masters". Professional Darts Corporation.
2. Gorton, Josh (29 January 2023). "Dobey defeats Cross to clinch first televised title at Cazoo Masters". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
3. Gorton, Josh (17 January 2023). "Prize money boost confirmed for 2023 Cazoo Masters". Professional Darts Corporation.
4. Gorton, Josh (17 January 2023). "2023 Cazoo Masters draw & schedule of play confirmed". Professional Darts Corporation.