World Grand Prix (darts)

Last updated

World Grand Prix
BoyleSports World Grand Prix.png
Founded1998
First season 1998
Organising body PDC
Country United Kingdom
Venue(s) Morningside Arena, Leicester
Most recent
champion(s)
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg   Mike De Decker
(2024)
Tournament format Sets
"double in, double out"

The BoyleSports World Grand Prix is a PDC darts tournament traditionally held in Dublin, Ireland every October, but has taken place in Leicester, England since 2021. Its original venue was the Casino Rooms in Rochester, Kent in 1998 and 1999, and then for one year only in 2000 at the Crosbie Cedars Hotel in Rosslare, County Wexford. In 2001, the tournament moved further north to the Citywest in Dublin. In 2009, the tournament moved from the Reception Hall at the main Citywest Hotel, to the newly completed bigger venue on site, the Citywest Hotel Convention Centre. In 2012, the tournament moved back to the Reception Hall for that year, before returning to the Convention Centre in 2013. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 tournament was held at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, and since 2021, it has been held at the Morningside Arena, Leicester. When the World Grand Prix was founded in 1998, it replaced the earlier World Pairs tournament which ran from 1995 to 1997.

Contents

The World Grand Prix was sponsored by bookmakers Paddy Power from 2001 to 2003, before Sky Bet took over in 2004. The subsidiary Sky Poker was the tournament's sponsor in 2008. In 2010, online gambling company Bodog became the event's title sponsor, while PartyPoker.com took over as the main sponsor in 2011. In 2016, Unibet took over as sponsor, with BoyleSports sponsoring the event since 2019.

Although he has dominated the event with eleven title wins, Phil Taylor has been knocked out of the World Grand Prix five times in the first round. In 2001, he lost 2–1 to qualifier Kevin Painter. in 2004, he was beaten 2–0 by Andy Callaby. in 2007, he lost 2–0 to Adrian Gray. in 2015, he was beaten 2–0 by Vincent van der Voort, and in 2016, he was beaten 2–1 by Steve West.

The current champion is Mike De Decker, who defeated Luke Humphries, by a margin of 6-4, in the 2024 final to win his first major and first World Grand Prix title.

Tournament format

The tournament is unusual in that it is the only televised event in which players must commence and finish each leg on a double (including the bullseye).

There have been several different formats for the tournament. The first event in 1998 was a straight knock-out tournament played in a setplay format with each set being contested over the best of three legs. The following year this changed to the best of five legs per set. Furthermore, a group stage was introduced in 1999, with there only being four seeded players for the event, all of whom reached the semi-finals. In 2000, the tournament reverted to being a straight knock-out and has remained so ever since.

The double-start format also makes landing a perfect nine-dart finish even more difficult, as it limits the number of combinations and guarantees that a player must finish on the bullseye (unless they start with one). There were two famous near misses in the first two years, the first with Phil Taylor in the 1998 final against Rod Harrington, when Taylor was distracted by loud commentary from Sid Waddell just before throwing the eighth dart (which Taylor hit) before he missed the bullseye; and the second in the 1999 semi final, when Harrington missed the bullseye against Taylor. The first nine-darter in Grand Prix history was eventually completed by Brendan Dolan in the 2011 semi-final against James Wade. In 2014, James Wade and Robert Thornton both hit perfect legs in the same match, the first time this happened in any televised event. On all three occasions, the leg started with a score of 160 (starting on double 20), followed by 180, followed by finishing 161 with treble 20, treble 17, and bullseye.

World Grand Prix Finals

YearChampion (average in final)ScoreRunner-up (average in final)Prize moneySponsorVenue
TotalChampionRunner-up
1998 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (94.61)13–8 Flag of England.svg Rod Harrington (86.64)£38,000£9,000£5,000 PDC Casino Rooms, Rochester
1999 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (92.59)6–1 Flag of England.svg Shayne Burgess (81.26)
2000 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (91.32)6–1 Flag of England.svg Shayne Burgess (81.48)£70,000£15,000£7,500Crosbie Cedars Hotel, Rosslare
2001 Flag of England.svg Alan Warriner (83.52)8–2 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Roland Scholten (81.84)£78,000 Paddy Power Citywest Hotel, Dublin
Reception Hall
(2001–2008, 2012)
Convention Centre
(2009–2011, 2013–2019)
2002 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (100.17)7–3 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg John Part (88.62)£70,000£14,000£7,000
2003 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (94.80)7–2 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg John Part (83.25)£76,000£15,000£7,500
2004 Flag of England.svg Colin Lloyd (85.29)7–3 Flag of England.svg Alan Warriner (77.91)£100,000£20,000£10,000 Sky Bet
2005 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (90.74)7–1 Flag of England.svg Colin Lloyd (82.05)
2006 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (88.24)7–4 Flag of England.svg Terry Jenkins (82.51)£130,000£25,000£12,500
2007 Flag of England.svg James Wade (86.03)6–3 Flag of England.svg Terry Jenkins (84.58)£200,000£50,000£20,000
2008 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (97.81)6–2 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Raymond van Barneveld (90.42)£250,000£25,000 Sky Poker
2009 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (97.07)6–3 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Raymond van Barneveld (86.62)£350,000£100,000£40,000 Sky Bet
2010 Flag of England.svg James Wade (88.92)6–3 Flag of England.svg Adrian Lewis (89.33)Bodog
2011 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (90.29)6–3 Ulster Banner.svg Brendan Dolan (84.68) PartyPoker.com
2012 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Michael van Gerwen (87.53)6–4 Flag of England.svg Mervyn King (81.96)
2013 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor (97.67)6–0 Flag of England.svg Dave Chisnall (81.29)
2014 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Michael van Gerwen (90.81)5–3 Flag of England.svg James Wade (89.26)£400,000£100,000£45,000
2015 Flag of Scotland.svg Robert Thornton (90.79)5–4 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Michael van Gerwen (96.79)
2016 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Michael van Gerwen (100.29)5–2 Flag of Scotland.svg Gary Anderson (92.73) Unibet
2017 Ulster Banner.svg Daryl Gurney (88.50)5–4 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Simon Whitlock (83.53)
2018 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Michael van Gerwen (88.85)5–2 Flag of Scotland.svg Peter Wright (91.61)
2019 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Michael van Gerwen (94.74)5–2 Flag of England.svg Dave Chisnall (93.32)£450,000£110,000£50,000 BoyleSports
2020 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Gerwyn Price (88.19)5–2 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Dirk van Duijvenbode (87.07) Ricoh Arena, Coventry [1]
2021 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Jonny Clayton (94.44)5–1 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Gerwyn Price (92.47) Morningside Arena, Leicester
2022 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Michael van Gerwen (91.07)5–3 Flag of England.svg Nathan Aspinall (91.88)£600,000£120,000£60,000
2023 Flag of England.svg Luke Humphries (93.30)5–2 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Gerwyn Price (91.00)
2024 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Mike De Decker (92.06)6–4 Flag of England.svg Luke Humphries (90.56)

Records and statistics

As of 13 October 2024.

Total finalist appearances

RankPlayerNationalityWonRunner-upFinalsAppearances
1 Phil Taylor Flag of England.svg England 1101119
2 Michael van Gerwen Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands 61714
3 James Wade Flag of England.svg England 21320
4 Gerwyn Price Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Wales 12310
5 Colin Lloyd Flag of England.svg England 11214
Alan Warriner Flag of England.svg England 1129
Luke Humphries Flag of England.svg England 1124
8 Daryl Gurney Ulster Banner.svg Northern Ireland 10111
Robert Thornton Flag of Scotland.svg Scotland 1018
Jonny Clayton Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Wales 1017
Mike De Decker Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium 1012
12 Raymond van Barneveld Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands 02215
Dave Chisnall Flag of England.svg England 02214
John Part Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada 02214
Terry Jenkins Flag of England.svg England 02212
Shayne Burgess Flag of England.svg England 0224
17 Adrian Lewis Flag of England.svg England 01116
Mervyn King Flag of England.svg England 01115
Brendan Dolan Ulster Banner.svg Northern Ireland 01115
Gary Anderson Flag of Scotland.svg Scotland 01115
Peter Wright Flag of Scotland.svg Scotland 01113
Simon Whitlock Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia 01111
Roland Scholten Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands 0119
Nathan Aspinall Flag of England.svg England 0116
Rod Harrington Flag of England.svg England 0115
Dirk van Duijvenbode Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands 0114

Nine-dart finishes

Three nine-darters have been thrown at the World Grand Prix. The first one was in 2011, the other two happened in the same game in 2014, notable as being the only televised match which has had nine-darters from both players.

PlayerYear (+ Round)Method (double-in double-out)OpponentResult
Ulster Banner.svg Brendan Dolan 2011, Semi-Final D20, 2 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T17, Bull Flag of England.svg James Wade 5–2
Flag of England.svg James Wade 2014, 2nd Round D20, 2 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T17, Bull Flag of Scotland.svg Robert Thornton 3–2
Flag of Scotland.svg Robert Thornton 2014, 2nd Round D20, 2 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T17, Bull Flag of England.svg James Wade 2–3

High averages

An average over 100 in a match in the World Grand Prix has been achieved 22 times, of which Phil Taylor is responsible for 9.

Ten highest World Grand Prix one-match averages
AveragePlayerYear (+ Round)OpponentResult
106.45 Flag of England.svg Alan Warriner 2001, 1st Round Flag of England.svg Andy Jenkins 2–0
104.86 Flag of Scotland.svg Gary Anderson 2013, 1st Round Flag of the Netherlands.svg Jelle Klaasen 2–0
104.47 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Michael van Gerwen 2013, 1st Round Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg John Part 2–0
103.09 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Michael van Gerwen 2016, Quarter-Final Flag of Australia (converted).svg Simon Whitlock 3–1
103.02 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 2011, Semi-Final Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Richie Burnett 5–2
102.85 Flag of England.svg Dave Chisnall 2020, 1st Round Flag of England.svg Glen Durrant 2–0
102.48 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 2010, 1st Round Ulster Banner.svg Brendan Dolan 2–0
102.26 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 2011, 1st Round Flag of Scotland.svg Peter Wright 2–1
101.79 Flag of England.svg Ross Smith 2024, 1st round Flag of the Netherlands.svg Gian van Veen 2–0
101.75 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 2010, 2nd Round Flag of England.svg Andy Smith 3–0
Five highest losing averages
AveragePlayerYear (+ Round)OpponentResult
97.78 Flag of England.svg Dave Chisnall 2018, Quarter-Final Flag of the Netherlands.svg Michael van Gerwen 1–3
97.20 Flag of Scotland.svg Gary Anderson 2015, 2nd Round Flag of England.svg Ian White 1–3
97.03 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 2015, 1st Round Flag of the Netherlands.svg Vincent van der Voort 0–2
96.84 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Michael van Gerwen 2020, Quarter-Final Flag of Australia (converted).svg Simon Whitlock 0–3
96.79 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Michael van Gerwen 2015, Final Flag of Scotland.svg Robert Thornton 4–5
Different players with a 100+ match average – updated 12/10/24
PlayerTotalHighest Av.Year (+ Round)
Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 9103.022011, Semi-Final
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Michael van Gerwen 4104.472013, 1st Round
Flag of England.svg Dave Chisnall 2102.852020, 1st Round
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Simon Whitlock 2101.122020, 1st Round
Flag of England.svg Alan Warriner 1106.452001, 1st Round
Flag of Scotland.svg Gary Anderson 1104.862013, 1st Round
Flag of England.svg Ross Smith 1101.792024, 1st Round
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Gerwyn Price 1100.822021, 1st Round
Flag of England.svg Luke Humphries 1100.302024, Semi-Final
Five highest tournament averages
AveragePlayerYear
99.46 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Michael van Gerwen 2016
99.23 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 2010
98.62 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 2009
98.50 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 2008
98.22 Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor 2012

World Team Championship

The World Team Championship event which preceded the introduction of this event was held between 1995 and 1997. [2]

YearWinnersScoreRunners UpVenue
1995 Flag of England.svg Eric Bristow
Flag of England.svg Dennis Priestley
14–9 (legs) Flag of England.svg Keith Deller
Flag of Scotland.svg Jamie Harvey
Butlin's Wonder West World, Ayr
1996 Flag of England.svg Bob Anderson
Flag of England.svg Phil Taylor
18–15 (legs) Flag of England.svg Chris Mason
Flag of England.svg Steve Raw
Willows Variety Centre, Salford
1997 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Raymond van Barneveld
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Roland Scholten
18–15 (legs) Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Richie Burnett
Flag of England.svg Rod Harrington
Butlin's South Coast World, Bognor Regis

Media coverage

The World Grand Prix has been broadcast in the UK by Sky Sports since the first tournament.

References

  1. Allen, Dave. "BoyleSports World Grand Prix moves to Coventry in 2020". Professional Darts Corporation . Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  2. "PDC World Pairs Winners". dartsdatabase.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2011.