PDC Pro Tour
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The PDC Pro Tour is a series of non-televised darts tournaments organised by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). They comprise of Professional Dart Players Association (PDPA) Players Championships and UK Open Regional Finals. Ten players have won more than three Pro Tour titles, Phil Taylor having won the most with 23. Raymond van Barneveld has won 10 titles since switching to the PDC in January 2006.
Contents |
[edit] Total tournament wins
up to and including April 26, 2008
| Player | UK Open Regionals | Players Ch'ships | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
 Taylor, Phil |
9 | 15 | 24 |
 Barneveld, Raymond van |
5 | 6 | 11 |
| Lloyd, Colin |
3 | 4 | 7 |
| Manley, Peter |
4 | 1 | 5 |
| Mardle, Wayne |
1 | 3 | 4 |
| Wade, James |
3 | 1 | 4 |
| Dudbridge, Mark |
2 | 1 | 3 |
| Smith, Andy |
2 | 1 | 3 |
| Baxter, Ronnie |
1 | 2 | 3 |
| Lewis, Adrian |
1 | 2 | 3 |
 Part, John |
1 | 2 | 3 |
| Painter, Kevin |
2 | 0 | 2 |
| Ovens, Dennis |
1 | 1 | 2 |
| Priestley, Dennis |
1 | 1 | 2 |
| Hamilton, Andy |
1 | 1 | 2 |
| Jenkins, Terry |
0 | 2 | 2 |
| Tabern, Alan |
1 | 1 | 2 |
| Roy, Alex |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Jenkins, Andy |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Caves, Alan |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Maish, Steve |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Robinson, Mark |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Hine, Steve |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Mann, Jimmy |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Walsh, Mark |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Mason, Chris |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Osborne, Colin |
1 | 0 | 1 |
 Bates, Barrie |
0 | 1 | 1 |
| Klaasen, Jelle |
0 | 1 | 1 |
| Scholten, Roland |
0 | 1 | 1 |
| King, Mervyn |
0 | 1 | 1 |
[edit] Players Championships
Players Championships, originally known as PDPA Players Championships, are organised by the Professional Dart Players Association (PDPA) and have increased in number in recent years. They are known as "floor tournaments", because they feature around 32 darts boards in close proximity on an arena floor where the tournament is played in the space of a day. Televised events differ by having just one main board on a stage with the audience and cameras situated around it.
Eligibility for these events are usually restricted to PDPA members only, however tournaments in Belgium, Holland, Germany for instance often allow entry to non-PDPA members who are residents of the country staging the tournament. Some overseas players from the BDO take the opportunity of playing in PDC Players Championships in their home countries.
[edit] Number of events
The number of Players Championships has increased in recent years. In 2005 and 2006, there were just eight tournaments. Several tournaments which already existed, such as the Peachtree Open, Windy City Open and Bobby Bourne Memorial were awarded Player Championship status as the calendar expanded to 20 Players Championships in 2007. There are set to be around 25 events in 2008.
[edit] Prize money
In 2004, the first year of Players Championships - each tournament winner received £5,000. The total prize fund for each 2005 event was £19,600 with the champion still receiving £5,000. The prize money has remained the same since.
- Winner £5,000
- Runner-up £2,500
- Semi-finalists £1,250
- Quarter-finalists £600
- Last 16 £300
- Last 32 £150
- Last 64 £75
[edit] Order of Merit
The prize money won in Players Championship counts towards the PDC Order of Merit which contributes to each players world ranking, so there is some significance to the events, even though they are not televised.
During 2007, the PDC and PDPA added further importance to Players Championships by changing qualification criteria for major televised events. A separate Players Championship Order of Merit was introduced which calculates players earnings for these tournaments only each calendar year. The players who won the most money (without having already made it automatically) were awarded qualifying places at the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix and World Championship. Previously, a sudden-death knockout qualifying tournament decided the players which meant players could miss out on tournaments because of unlucky matches or unlucky draws. The World Championship, however still maintains an additional qualifying tournament - from which Kirk Shepherd emerged and went on to reach the world final itself in 2008.
[edit] 2004 Players Championship Finals
- Newport, Wales, September 25: Wayne Mardle 3-2 Colin Lloyd
- Ireland, October 16: Colin Lloyd beat Phil Taylor
- Scotland, November 13: Mark Dudbridge 3-1 Peter Manley
[edit] 2005 Players Championship Finals
- Hayling Island, Isle of Wight, June 18: Ronnie Baxter 3-2 Roland Scholten
- Hayling Island, Isle of Wight, June 19: Colin Lloyd 3-1 Andy Jenkins
- Newport, Wales, September 24: Phil Taylor 3-2 Colin Lloyd
- Dublin, October 22: Phil Taylor 3-2 Bob Anderson
- Magnum Centre, Irvine, November 5: Adrian Lewis 3-0 Mick McGowan
- Netherlands, November 12: Phil Taylor 3-0 Colin Lloyd
- Netherlands, November 13: Phil Taylor 3-0 Steve Maish
[edit] 2006 Players Championship Finals
- Gibraltar, January 21: Dennis Priestley 3-2 Terry Jenkins
- Hayling Island, Isle of Wight, June 17: Colin Lloyd 3-1 Barrie Bates
- Hayling Island, Isle of Wight, June 18: Raymond van Barneveld 3-1 Adrian Lewis
- Newport, Wales, September 24: Phil Taylor 3-1 James Wade
- Dublin, October 21: Phil Taylor 3-2 Bob Anderson
- Scotland, November 4: Adrian Lewis 3-1 Mick McGowan
- Netherlands, November 11: Colin Lloyd 3-0 Mick McGowan
- Netherlands, November 12: Barrie Bates 3-2 Phil Taylor
[edit] 2007 Players Championship Finals
- Gibraltar, January 20: Raymond van Barneveld 3-1 Adrian Lewis
- Gibraltar, January 21: Andy Hamilton 3-1 Colin Lloyd
- Frankfurt, March 24: Raymond van Barneveld 3-1 Ronnie Baxter
- Antwerp Darts Trophy, April 15: Terry Jenkins 3-1 Colin Lloyd
- Open Holland Masters, April 29: Peter Manley 3-0 James Wade
- Thialf Darts Trophy, Heerenveen, June 3: Roland Scholten 3-1 Chris Mason
- Hayling Island, June 16: Terry Jenkins 3-0 Wes Newton
- Hayling Island, June 17: John Part 3-1 Mervyn King
- Las Vegas, July 1: Raymond van Barneveld 3-2 Terry Jenkins
- Bobby Bourn Memorial Trophy, Blackpool, July 21: Phil Taylor 3-1 Adrian Lewis
- Peachtree Open, Atlanta, Georgia, August 26: Wayne Mardle 3-2 James Wade
- Ireland Open Classic, County Mayo, Rep. Ireland, September 9: Denis Ovens 3-0 Colin Osborne
- Windy City Open, Chicago, September 16: Ronnie Baxter 3-1 James Wade
- Newport, Wales, September 22: Raymond van Barneveld 3-0 Alex Roy
- Dublin, October 6: Phil Taylor 3-0 James Wade
- Irvine, October 20: Andy Smith 3-0 James Wade
- German Darts Trophy, October 27: Wayne Mardle 3-1 James Wade
- John McEvoy Gold Dart Classic, Killarney, November 4: Jelle Klaasen 3-2 Vincent van der Voort
- Lisse, Netherlands, November 10: Phil Taylor 3-0 Chris Mason
- Lisse, Netherlands, November 11: Phil Taylor 3-2 Raymond van Barneveld
[edit] 2008 Players Championship schedule
- Gibraltar, January 19: John Part 3-1 Chris Mason
- Gibraltar, January 20: James Wade 3-1 Denis Ovens
- South, March 1: Phil Taylor 3-0 James Wade
- North-West, March 15: Alan Tabern 3-0 Chris Mason
- Germany, March 22: Phil Taylor 3-1 Raymond Van Barneveld
- Germany, March 23: Phil Taylor 3-1 Wayne Jones
- Midlands, March 29: Phil Taylor 3-0 Colin Lloyd
- Antwerp Darts Trophy, April 12: Phil Taylor 3-0 Andy Smith
- Scotland, April 19: Mervyn King 3-0 Mark Dudbridge
- Open Holland Masters, April 26: Raymond van Barneveld 3-0 Colin Osborne
- Thialf Darts Trophy, Heerenveen, June 1: cancelled [1]
- Bristol (replaces Hayling Island), June 14
- Bristol (replaces Hayling Island), June 15
- Las Vegas, June 29
- Bobby Bourn Memorial Trophy, Blackpool, July 19
- Australia Open, Shoalhaven, August 10
- Kitchener Open, Canada, August 17
- Peachtree Open, Atlanta, August 24
- Koningshof, Netherlands, August 30
- Koningshof, Netherlands, August 30
- Ireland Open Classic, September 7
- Windy City Open, September 14
- Newport, Wales, September 20
- Newport, Wales, September 21
- Dublin, October 4
- Dublin, October 5
- Scotland, October 18
- Dinslaken, Germany, October 25
- Irish Masters, November 2
- Holland, November 8
- Holland, November 9
[edit] UK Open Regional Finals
The UK Open is a major tournament which takes place at Bolton's Reebok Stadium each year in June. Prior to the televised event, there are eight Regional Open Finals stages, where the prize money won is collated into a UK Open Order of Merit table which determines 128 qualifiers for the UK Open finals in Bolton.
The tournaments are organised in a similar fashion to the Players Championships in that 32 boards are in operation for a non-televised "floor tournament", completed inside one day. During the 2007-08 UK Open, sponsors Blue Square have streamed live coverage of these Regional Finals on the internet.
[edit] Prize money
Prize Money was identical to the Player's Championship prize fund until the 2007-08 UK Open when there was increase from £19,600 to £25,000 for each of the eight finals.
- Winner £6,000
- Runner-up £3,000
- Semi-finalists £1,600
- Quarter-finalists £800
- Last 16 £400
- Last 32 £200
- Last 64 £100
[edit] Player eligibility
Player's must compete in at least three Regional finals before being able to qualify for the televised stages. Until 2007-08, the tournaments were open to all darts players, which meant that players from both darts organisations, the PDC and the BDO were able to compete. They are now restricted to PDPA members only.
[edit] 2002-2003 UK Open Regional Finals
- July 21, 2002 (Wales) Phil Taylor beat Roland Scholten
- October (Ireland) Phil Taylor
- November (Scotland) Peter Manley beat Roland Scholten
- December 1 (Laurel UK Open) Andy Jenkins beat Colin Lloyd
- January 12, 2003 (North East) Peter Manley beat Phil Taylor
- February (South West) John Part
- March 23 (North West) Mark Dudbridge 2-0 Bob Anderson
- April 13 (Midlands) Peter Manley 2-0 Roland Scholten
[edit] 2003-2004 UK Open Regional Finals
- October 19, 2003 (All Ireland) Ronnie Baxter beat Dennis Smith
- November 9 (Wales) Peter Manley beat Darren Webster
- November 30 (South) Phil Taylor beat Peter Manley
- January 11, 2004 (North East) Alan Caves beat Dennis Priestley
- January 24 (Scotland) Steve Maish beat Steve Parsons
- February 15 (South-West) Kevin Painter 2-0 Roland Scholten
- March 21 (North-West) Mark Robinson beat Mark Dudbridge
- April 4 (Midlands) Wayne Mardle beat Andy Jenkins
[edit] 2004-2005 UK Open Regional Finals
- September 26, 2004 (Wales) Phil Taylor 2-0 Tommy Wilson
- October 17 (All-Ireland) Phil Taylor 2-0 Mark Walsh
- November 19 (Scotland) Andy Smith 2-1 Gary Anderson
- January 19, 2005 (North East) Steve Hine 2-0 Bob Anderson
- February 6 2005 (South West) Andy Smith 2-0 Andy Jenkins
- March 6 (South) Denis Ovens 2-1 Mark Dudbridge
- March (North West) Alex Roy 2-1 Ronnie Baxter
- April 9 (Midlands) Jimmy Mann 2-0 Mark Walsh
[edit] 2005-2006 UK Open Regional Finals
- September 25, 2005 (Wales) Mark Walsh 2-1 Phil Taylor
- October 23 (Ireland) Colin Lloyd 2-1 Andy Smith
- November 6 (Scotland) Adrian Lewis 2-0 Colin Lloyd
- January 8, 2006 (North-East) Kevin Painter 2-0 Colin Lloyd
- February 12 (South-West) Mark Dudbridge
- March 5 (South) Chris Mason 2-1 Barrie Bates
- March 19 (North-West) Alan Tabern 2-1 Steve Maish
- April 9 (Midlands) Raymond van Barneveld 2-0 Ronnie Baxter
[edit] 2006-2007 UK Open Regional Finals
- 24 September, 2006 (Wales) Phil Taylor 2-1 Adrian Lewis
- October 22 (Ireland) Raymond van Barneveld 2-1 Colin Lloyd
- November 5 (Scotland) Raymond van Barneveld 2-0 Barrie Bates
- January 6, 2007 (North-East) Raymond van Barneveld 2-0 Roland Scholten
- February 11 (South-West) Dennis Priesley 2-0 James Wade
- March 4 (South) Phil Taylor 2-0 Wayne Mardle
- March 18 (North-West) James Wade 2-0 Terry Jenkins
- April 1 (Midlands) Andy Hamilton 2-0 James Wade
[edit] 2007-2008 UK Open Regional Finals
semi-finals and finals reverted from sets to matchplay
- September 23, 2007 (Wales): James Wade 8-7 Raymond van Barneveld
- October 7 (Ireland): Raymond van Barneveld 8-2 Kevin McDine
- October 21 (Scotland): James Wade 8-2 Ronnie Baxter
- January 13, 2008 (North East): Colin Osborne 8-6 Denis Ovens
- February 10 South-West: Colin Lloyd 8-6 Andy Hamilton
- March 2, South: Colin Lloyd 8-6 Phil Taylor
- March 16, North-West: Phil Taylor 8-7 Adrian Lewis
- March 30, Midlands: Phil Taylor 8-0 Brendan Dolan
[edit] References
- ^ Thialf Darts Trophy cancelled planetdarts.tv
