| Phil Taylor | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Philip Douglas Taylor |
| Nickname | The Power |
| Born | 13 August 1960 Stoke-on-Trent, England |
| Home town | Crewe England |
| Darts information | |
| Playing darts since | 1961 |
| Darts | 26g Unicorn Phase 5 Rosso[1] |
| Laterality | Right-handed |
| Walk-on music | "The Power" by Snap! |
| Organisation (see split in darts) | |
| BDO | 1988 – 1993 |
| PDC | 1993 – Present (Founding member) |
| Current world ranking | 1 |
| BDO majors - best performances | |
| World Ch'ship | Winner (2) 1990, 1992 |
| World Masters | Winner (1) 1990 |
| World Darts Trophy | Winner (1) 2006 |
| Int. Darts League | Quarter-finals (1) 2006 |
| PDC premier events - best performances | |
| World Ch'ship | Winner (13) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010 |
| World Matchplay | Winner (12) 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 |
| World Grand Prix | Winner (10) 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011 |
| Grand Slam | Winner (4) 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 |
| Premier League | Winner (6) 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012 |
| Ch'ship League | Winner (2) 2008, 2011 |
| Desert Classic | Winner (5) 2002, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009 |
| European Ch'ship | Winner (4) 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 |
| UK Open | Winner (4) 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010 |
| US Open/WSoD | Winner (4) 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 |
| Players Ch'ship Finals | Winner (2) 2009, 2011 |
| Other tournament wins | |
| Tournament | Years |
| Antwerp Darts Trophy Antwerp Open |
2008 |
| Other achievements | |
|
2002 Achieves his first televised nine dart finish (and the first live televised nine-darter in the UK) at World Matchplay |
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| Updated on 20 November 2011. | |
Philip Douglas 'Phil' Taylor (born 13 August 1960) is an English professional darts player, nicknamed The Power. He is regarded as the best darts player ever to have played the game, having won more than 150 professional tournaments and a record 15 World Championships.[6][7]
He has won the PDC Player of the Year award five times (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011) and has twice been nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year (2006 and 2010).[8][9] He was the first person to hit two nine dart finishes in one match, in the 2010 Premier League Darts final against James Wade.[10] As of 16 February 2012, he has hit nine televised nine darters, and is ranked World No. 1 in the PDC Order of Merit.
Taylor played in British Darts Organisation (BDO) events until 1993, when he and several other players broke away to form the World Darts Council, now known as the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).
He was given the nickname "The Power" by a Sky Sports production manager, Peter Judge. Judge told Taylor that he should have a nickname, and he was named "The Power" after Judge stepped on an empty CD case of Snap!'s "The Power".[11]
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Taylor was born to Doug and Liz Taylor on 13 August 1960 in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. He left school at the age of 16 [12] and after holding a few jobs including as a sheet metal worker,[13] he would spend most of his early working days making ceramic toilet roll handles, for which he earned £52 a week.[14][15] Although he liked to play darts as a child, he never took up the game seriously until 1986 when he moved into a terraced house in Burslem, living near to Eric Bristow's pub the Crafty Cockney. A few months later, his wife Yvonne bought him a set of darts for his birthday and he started playing weekly, occasionally at Bristow's pub. By 1988 he was selected for the county team and playing at Super League level. Bristow started sponsoring him by loaning him £10,000 later that year to help him get started as a professional darts player and on the condition that he gave up his job as a ceramic engineer.[16][17][18]
Taylor's first title came in the Canadian Open in 1988 and after reaching the quarter finals of the British Open and the semi finals of the Winmau World Masters in 1989 he had qualified for the World Championships for the first time in 1990. Although he had achieved some success in Open events, he went into the 1990 World Championship as a 125–1 unseeded outsider. He beat number six seed Russell Stewart 3–1 in the first round, Dennis Hickling 3–0 in the second round, Ronnie Sharp 4–2 in the quarter finals and Cliff Lazarenko 5–0 to reach the final,[19] where he met his mentor, Bristow. Bristow had been suffering with dartitis since 1986 but had recovered his world number one ranking to be the top seed in the event. After sharing the first two sets, Taylor beat Bristow 6–1 in sets[note 1] to claim his first world title.[19] For the rest of 1990, Taylor dominated the Open events taking the titles in Isle of Man, Finland, North America, Denmark plus the British Pentathlon, British Masters, Europe Cup and the game's second major tournament at the time, the Winmau World Masters.[20]
Taylor's defence of the world championship in 1991 ended at the quarter-final stage with a loss to Dennis Priestley, who went on to win his first world title.[21] He picked up fewer titles in 1991 losing both his Danish Open and World Masters titles in finals to Rod Harrington. Taylor regained the world championship the following year, beating Mike Gregory 6–5 in the final.[22] He called the win as the favourite of his career.[23]
From a peak during the 1980s, the game of darts had lost many sponsors and almost all television coverage. Players felt that the BDO was no longer serving the interests of the game at the top level. In 1993, some players broke away from the game's ruling body, the British Darts Organisation, and formed their own organisation, the World Darts Council (WDC), later renamed the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).[24]
In the 1993 World Championship, the last unified World Championship to be held,[25] Taylor lost in the second round to Kevin Spiolek.[26] The BDO refused to allow the new organisation to set up and run their own tournaments, so the WDC players decided that they would no longer compete in the BDO World Championship. They founded the WDC World Darts Championship as an alternative.[24] In the first WDC World Championship in 1994, Taylor lost to Priestley, but Taylor dominated the event for the next decade and beyond.[27]
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After losing to Priestley in the final of the first PDC World Championship in 1994, Taylor began to dominate the event during the next few years. Rod Harrington reached his first World Final in 1995 and although he had won his previous three finals against Taylor in 1991 and 1992, Taylor took the title 6–2 and it would turn out to be Harrington's only appearance in a World Final.
The finals of 1996, 1997 and 1998 would feature Taylor v Priestley in a repeat of the inaugural final. Priestley achieved the first 100 average in a final in 1996 but still ended up runner-up and the next two finals would be more one-sided in favour of Taylor who took the title 6–3 in 1997 and 6–0 in 1998 with an average in the final of 103.98. By 1998, he had passed his mentor Eric Bristow's haul of five world championships.
Taylor's record at Blackpool in the WDC's second major event, the World Matchplay was not as strong in the early days, losing to Bob Anderson in 1994, Peter Evison in 1996 and Ronnie Baxter in 1998 – but he still won the event twice in the first five years, beating Priestley 16–11 in 1995 and Alan Warriner-Little 16–11 in 1997.
Taylor stretched his World Championship unbeaten run to eight years in the PDC World Championship beating Peter Manley in 1999 and 2002, Priestley for a fourth time in 2000 and John Part in 2001. Part would finally end the run[27] by beating Taylor 7–6 (sets) in the 2003 World Championship.[28]
He would improve his record at Blackpool during this spell. After he lost in the 1999 semi-final of the World Matchplay to Peter Manley, he would go on to win the title for the next five years (2000–2004) beating five different opponents in the final, Alan Warriner-Little (2000), Richie Burnett (2001), John Part (2002), Wayne Mardle (2003) and Mark Dudbridge (2004). By the end of 2004, he had won 11 World Championships and seven World Matchplays.[citation needed]
Taylor has faced the incumbent BDO World Champion in challenge matches on two occasions. In 1999, he beat Raymond van Barneveld by 21 legs to 10 in a one-hour challenge dubbed "The Match of the Century" at the Wembley Conference Centre. The second challenge match came in 2004 against Andy Fordham. Taylor was leading 5–2 in sets when Fordham, feeling unwell, abandoned the match.[29]
Taylor continued his dominance during 2004 and 2005, but after winning his 13th World Championship title in January 2006,[30] he lost four matches in televised tournaments during the first half of the year.[31] He lost to Jelle Klaasen and Simon Whitlock in the International Darts League tournament,[32] and twice in a row to Raymond van Barneveld—in the UK Open[33] and the Las Vegas Desert Classic.[34] He came back to win the World Matchplay,[35] the World Darts Trophy[36] (a BDO affiliated event), and the World Grand Prix[37] in the second half of the year.
The 2007 World Final was between Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld. The game was tied at 6–6 in sets and van Barneveld had a 2–1 lead in legs. van Barneveld missed four darts and Taylor tied the set at 2–2. The set went to 5–5, and van Barneveld won the sudden death leg for his fifth World Championship (four with BDO and one with PDC).[38] Taylor had many opportunities to win the match, as he led 3–0, 4–2 and 5–3.[38] Taylor said, "Of all the finals I've played in, I would probably put this one as the best".[38]
2007 proved to be Taylor's most barren year for major title successes.[39] He was defeated at the International Darts League and the World Darts Trophy in the Netherlands. At the UK Open in Bolton, he suffered a 4–11 loss to van Barneveld.[40] He lost to Mark Dudbridge at the Las Vegas Desert Classic,[41] and lost at the World Matchplay in Blackpool. At the World Grand Prix in Dublin, he lost to Adrian Gray.[42] Taylor feared his career was in decline or over[43] but later vowed that he would continue.[44]
Taylor's 100% appearance record in the Final of the PDC World Darts Championship came to an end in 2008 after 14 years when Taylor was beaten in the quarter finals.[45] This was the first time that he had not reached the final stage of the PDC World Darts Championship.[27] He was taken to the final set in each of his first three rounds before losing to Wayne Mardle 5 sets to 4;[45] At one point he was up 3–0 in sets.[46]
Before the start of the Premier League tournament,[47] Taylor unveiled some new black 26g darts.[1] Despite a poor start to his Premier League Darts campaign, with three defeats in his first four matches, Taylor finished at the top of the Premier League standings. He beat Adrian Lewis 11–1 with a 112.68 average in the semi-final, and went on to take his fourth consecutive title[48] with a 16–8 victory over Wade (average 108.36).[49] He won his second US Open title in May 2008, defeating Colin Lloyd in the final.[50][51] At the UK Open, Taylor broke the world record for highest average in a televised game by averaging 118.66 against Kevin Painter in round four. He won the match 9–0,[52] but was defeated 10–9 in the quarter-finals by Raymond van Barneveld.[53]
As he went to Las Vegas for the 2008 Las Vegas Desert Classic in July, he was in an unusual position for him of not holding any of the major televised ranking events, but corrected that by taking his fourth Vegas title. He then regained the World Matchplay,[54] World Grand Prix,[55] the first European Darts Championship.[56][57] and the Grand Slam of Darts.[58][59]
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Taylor won the World Championship title (his 14th title) for the first time in three years by beating Raymond van Barneveld 7–1 in the 2009 world final. His 110.94 three-dart average was the highest ever recorded in a PDC final.[60] His average during the course of the tournament was 104.08.[61] Taylor beat Colin Osborne 11–6 in the final[62] to win his third UK Open title in June, his first win at this tournament since 2005. His tournament average was 107.38.[63]
Success continued throughout the rest of 2009 winning the last Las Vegas Desert Classic (his fifth time),[64] the World Matchplay, the World Grand Prix,[65] European Darts Championship[66] and the Grand Slam of Darts for the third successive time in November.[67]
Taylor kicked off 2010 by winning his fifteenth World Championship title, beating Simon Whitlock seven sets to three with an average of more than 104 and winning the match with a 131 checkout.[68] Taylor lost in the semi-finals of the Players Championship at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet. Whilst attempting to defend his title earned in the inaugural event of 2009, Taylor lost to eventual champion Paul Nicholson. Taylor admitted, following his defeat, that he had had little time to practice after his World Championship win.[69] He made history again in the Premier League final against defending champion James Wade in the final by hitting two nine dart finishes, the first time this has been done in professional darts.[70]
By the summer of 2010, he was the holder of the World Championship, World Matchplay, Premier League, UK Open, World Grand Prix and Grand Slam of Darts – with only the Players Championship Finals missing from a complete set of major televised titles. These performances, in addition to his longevity contributed to his nomination for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 2010, where he was voted runner-up to A.P. McCoy.[71] However, defeats in the World Grand Prix, the Grand Slam and a loss to Mark Webster in the quarter finals of the 2011 World Championship meant he started 2011 as holder of three major titles – the World Matchplay, Premier League and UK Open.[72] However he won his first major tournament in seven months by winning the 2011 Players Championship beating Gary Anderson 13 – 12 in a thrilling final. Taylor won the World Matchplay for a record 12th time in 18 years, beating Mark Hylton 10–8 in the 1st round, Wayne Jones 13–7 in the 2nd round, Wes Newton 16–5 in the Quarter finals, Andy Hamilton 17–9 in the Semi finals and James Wade 18–8 in the final, with a tournament average of over 106.
One week later,Taylor flew over to Düsseldorf, Germany to play in the 2011 European Championship to win his 4th consecutive European title. He did this by beating John Michael 6–3, Mervyn King 10–3, Paul Nicholson 10–7, Simon Whitlock 11–4 and Adrian Lewis 11–8. He had a tournament average of 105.15.
On 27 September, Taylor competed in Group 1 of the Championship League, where he won all 7 of his qualifying games, 6–3 vs Adrian Lewis, 6–2 vs Terry Jenkins, 6–3 vs Wes Newton, 6–2 vs James Wade, 6–3 vs Simon Whitlock, 6–2 vs Gary Anderson and 6–1 vs Mark Webster, he finished the Group stage with a maximum 14 points, 42 legs won, 16 lost, for a leg difference of + 28, and won £2,100 during qualifying. He lost the semi final 6–5 in a superb match vs Wes Newton, he won a further £500 in that match, taking his total winnings for the day to £2,600. Due to not winning the Group he returned the next day to play in Group 2.
In Group 2 he won 6 out of his 7 games, losing his 4th match 6–4 to Simon Whitlock. He beat James Wade 6–1, Mervyn King 6–4, Paul Nicholson 6–0, Mark Webster 6–3, Wes Newton 6–4 and Andy Hamilton 6–1, to finish top of the Group with 12 points, 40 legs won, 19 lost, so a leg difference of + 21, he won £2,000 in qualifying. In the semi final he beat Paul Nicholson 6–3 and Simon Whitlock 6–5 to win Group 2 and progress to the Winner's Group.
In the Winner's Group he won all 7 of his qualifying games, he beat Gary Anderson 6–5, Steve Beaton 6–3, Mervyn King 6–3, he also hit a 9 dart leg in this match, his 10th in competition. He also beat Mark Walsh 6–3, Simon Whitlock 6–5, Paul Nicholson 6–1 and Dennis Priestley 6–2 to qualify top of the Group. In the Semi Finals he beat Steve Beaton 6–1 and in the Final he beat Paul Nicholson 6–1 to win his second Championship League title, winning £6,600 in the Group stages, and a further £10,000 for winning the title.
In November, he won the Grand Slam of Darts by beating Gary Anderson 16–4. He lost his Players championship title to Kevin Painter when he was defeated by Mervyn King.
Taylor failed to make the quarter-finals of the PDC World Championship for the first time in his career in 2012, as he was beaten in the second round, 1–4, by Dave Chisnall.[73] He then represented England this time with Adrian Lewis in his second World Cup of Darts and looked to improve upon the second round exit of 2010. Taylor started the tournament sluggishly as he lost his singles matches to Ken MacNeil of Canada and Gary Mawson of the United States, but nevertheless England progressed thanks to a sudden-death leg in the former and a doubles victory in the latter. A comfortable 5–1 win over Wales followed to reach the final against the Australian pair of Simon Whitlock and Paul Nicholson. Taylor won both his singles matches, averaging 106 to beat Whitlock, but England lost the doubles meaning the tie was level at 3–3 and would require a sudden-death leg. It proved to be a nervous finale to the game as Australia missed four darts to win and Taylor missed two, before Lewis took out double 5 to ensure that England won their first World Cup title.[74]
Taylor played Lewis in the first week of the 2012 Premier League four days later and managed to draw 7–7 despite being 6–1 down.[75] He averaged 112.79, which is the highest ever average without actually winning the match.[76] Taylor hit the ninth televised nine-darter of his career in the second week of the Premier League, in a 8–5 win against Kevin Painter.[77] Two weeks later he beat Simon Whitlock 8–4, registering the highest 3 dart average in the history of the tournament with 117.35.[78] In week 13, he beat James Wade 8–1, averaging another masterclass 3 dart average of 116.10.[79] Taylor ended the league campaign 1st in the table 8 points ahead of the second placed Simon Whitlock and was the only player to have won more legs than they lost.[80] In the 14 game league phase Taylor had registered five of the top fifteen televised averages in the history of the game.[76] He played James Wade in the semi-finals against whom he inflicted heavy 8–1 and 8–2 defeats during the league stage.[81] The semi-final, however, was much closer with Taylor trailing early on before taking 4 successive legs to lead 6–4, only for Wade to level at 6–6. Taylor then took out a 149 finish, with Wade on 57, to break and then closed out the match 8–6 and reach the final where he faced Simon Whitlock. Taylor looked to be heading for a comfortable win in the final as he raced into a 7–2 lead, before the Australian stormed back to level 7–7. Taylor, however, held his nerve to win the last 3 legs of the match to win 10–7 and seal his sixth Premier League title.[82]
Taylor won the third event of the Players Championship in March with a 6–1 victory over Wes Newton, with an average of 113.54. He also hit a nine darter earlier in the tournament during his second round match against Tony West.[83] He reached the final of the fourth Players Championship event a day later, where he played Dave Chisnall in a repeat of their World Championship clash, with Taylor losing 5–6. He hit his second nine dart finish of the weekend in a first round match against Peter Hudson.[84]
Dennis Priestley and Phil Taylor have played each other in five World Finals, with Taylor on top in these head-to-heads 4–1.[85] During the early years of the WDC, Priestley and Taylor had an agreement where they would share prize money won at events. Following the split in darts, the players had already gone through large expenses to fight court cases that would last until 1997 when they were finally able to overturn a ban by the British Darts Organisation. Their arrangement lasted between 1994 and 2000 and made sound financial sense given that one or the other generally delivered success in the immediate years after the split. The agreement eventually ended when the prize money grew to a level where the players could individually sustain a better living and this ironically coincided with Priestley's sharp dip in form.
Taylor and Priestley first met in major competition in the 1990 World Masters. Taylor won that semi-final encounter en route to the title. Priestley then assumed the upper hand in their rivalry, however, with victories over Taylor in the 1991 World Championship and British Matchplay final later that year. Their early meetings in the WDC were also won by Priestley, who defeated Taylor in the finals of the 1993 UK Matchplay and 1994 World Championship.
However, since Taylor's defeat in the 1994 World Final, he has only lost twice in all competitions and hasn't been beaten on television by Priestley since 1995.[85] Taylor and Priestley remain great friends,[86] and Taylor has claimed Priestley is the toughest opponent he has ever faced.[87] At the 2009 Las Vegas championship Taylor was emotional when he beat Dennis Priestley 8–0 in the second round. He later said it was tough to beat such a great friend that way.[88]
Taylor's next rivalry was with Canadian John Part, who won the BDO World Championship in 1994[89] and moved to the PDC in 1997.[90] Their first meeting in the PDC came at the 2001 PDC World Championship final.[91] The match was one-sided as Taylor averaged 107 and won 7–0.[91] Taylor won their first five encounters including a 6–0 quarter final win at the 2002 PDC World Championships, a much closer match at the 2002 World Matchplay final, 18–16 and the 2002 World Grand Prix final, where Taylor again ended Part's attempt at a title by winning 7–3.[92][93][94]
A turning point came in the 2003 World Championship, where Part and Taylor met in the final. Part took a 4–1 lead but Taylor hit back to take the lead, 5–4. At 6–6 Part held his nerve and beat Taylor 7–6[95] to end Taylor's eight tournament unbeaten run in the championship.[27] Taylor's other losses to Part came in the 2003 Las Vegas Desert Classic (10–13 in the semi-final),[96] the 2004 UK Open (6–8 in the quarter final)[97] and at the 2005 World Matchplay (11–16 in the quarter final).[98]
Part won the 2008 PDC World Championship and became one of only three people with Adrian Lewis and Phil Taylor to have won the tournament more than once,[27] but Taylor has an overall winning record greater than 85% against Part and has continued to improve the win percentage in recent years by winning all of his games against Part since the 2005 World Matchplay defeat.[99]
Whilst Taylor was clocking up World titles in the PDC, Raymond van Barneveld was amassing four in the BDO. Darts was denied a great rivalry as the two best players were unable to compete against each other regularly due to the split in the game. Van Barneveld switched to the PDC in 2006. Their first clash came in the 2006 Premier League Darts tournament and ended in a 7–7 draw. The return match went in Taylor's favour.[100] Barneveld's first PDC win over Taylor came at the 2006 UK Open with an 11–10 quarter final success,[101] which he followed up with success in the semi-finals of the Las Vegas Desert Classic, winning by 4 sets to 3.[102] Taylor later defeated van Barneveld by 3 sets to 1 in the World Grand Prix.[103]
They then met in the final of the 2007 PDC World Championship at the Circus Tavern. The match has been described as the greatest game of darts ever played.[104] Despite being three sets to none up at one point, Taylor was defeated by van Barneveld seven sets to six in a sudden-death leg in the thirteenth set.[105] Taylor responded to his loss by defeating van Barneveld on two occasions in the 2007 Premier League Darts[106] and beating him in the final of the inaugural US Open.[107] van Barneveld later defeated Taylor in the quarter-finals of the UK Open by 11 legs to 4.[108] Taylor lost his top spot in the PDC World Rankings to van Barneveld in January 2008, but regained it in June.[109]
In major PDC tournaments in 2008, Taylor defeated van Barneveld twice in the Premier League,[110] lost by 10 legs to 9 in the quarter-finals of the UK Open,[111] but won the World Grand Prix against his rival by 6 sets to 2.[112] The rivalry continued into 2009 with the two meeting in the World Championship final for a second time, with Taylor winning 7–1 with a 110.94 three-dart average.[113] The two then met in the 2010 World Matchplay final; Taylor won 18–12, averaging more than 105, which was higher than van Barneveld's 100.11 average. After the game Barneveld acknowledged "I'm the number two at the moment, and players like James Wade, Simon Whitlock and Gary Anderson are all trying but he's just too good for everyone".[114]
They have now met more than 45 times, with Taylor having 35 victories.[115]
Taylor has overcome rivals such as Peter Manley whom he met in three World Finals (1999, 2002 and 2006) and has only lost twice on television (1999 World Matchplay semi-final and in a 2008 Premier League group game). His rivalry with Peter Manley started when Peter didn't shake hands after Taylor's 2002 World Championship victory. At the 2007 World Championships Taylor defeated Chris Mason in the 3rd round then claimed afterwards that Mason had sworn at him and the fans.[116] He was "seriously considering his future in the game" because of Mason's behaviour but decided to continue.[116] Mason apologised to Taylor for his behaviour a week later.[117][118]
He also has current rivalries with Mervyn King since he switched to the PDC in 2007 but has only suffered two televised defeats to-date (2009 Premier League semi-final, Players Championship Finals 2011). James Wade has won six PDC titles since he burst onto the scene in 2006, although he has yet to knock Taylor out of a tournament on his way to a televised title, although he beat him in the final of Championship League Darts 2010. Wade handed Taylor his first defeat in a Premier League match,[2][110] but Taylor has won every televised knockout match against him, including three World Matchplay finals and two Premier League finals.[119]
Taylor has often talked in interviews and his autobiography about his quests to achieve the perfect leg of darts – a nine dart finish. The first time he achieved this was at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, against Chris Mason in the televised World Matchplay Championship in 2002.[120] He has achieved the feat nine times on television, including four times in the UK Open at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton (2004, 2005, 2007, and 2008).
On 24 May 2010, in the final of the 2010 PDC Whyte & Mackay Premier League, Taylor became the first player in professional darts to hit two nine dart finishes in a single match.[10]
| Date | Opponent | Tournament | Method | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 August 2002 | Chris Mason | World Matchplay | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | £100,000 |
| 5 June 2004[121] | Matt Chapman | UK Open | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 501 bottles of Budweiser |
| 12 June 2005[122] | Roland Scholten | UK Open | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | 501 bottles of Budweiser |
| 8 May 2007[123] | Raymond van Barneveld | International Darts League | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | Opel Tigra Twin Top |
| 9 June 2007[124] | Wes Newton | UK Open | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | £20,000[125] |
| 7 June 2008[126] | Jamie Harvey | UK Open | 3 x T20; 2 x T20, T19; 2 x T20, D12 | £25,000[127] |
| 24 May 2010 | James Wade | Premier League Darts | T20, 2 x T19; 3 x T20; T20, T17, D18 | |
| 24 May 2010 | James Wade | Premier League Darts | 3 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T19, D12 | |
| 16 February 2012 | Kevin Painter | Premier League Darts | 3 x T20; T20, 2 x T19; T20, T17, D18 |
Taylor and his former wife Yvonne have four children: Lisa, Chris, Kelly and Natalie.[128] He has written an autobiography with Sky TV darts commentator Sid Waddell.[129] He supports his home town football club, Port Vale.[130] He was also inducted into the Stoke-on-Trent Hall of Fame when it was opened in January 2011.[131] Taylor discussed whether or not he thought Darts was a sport in a recent interview with 6 Towns Radio. [3] Taylor was convicted of sexual assault in 1999 and fined £2000[132]
Taylor's achievements in darts have led to guest appearances on television.[133]
Despite PDC darts not being broadcast on the BBC, he has appeared on several BBC television shows over the years.[134][135][136] On 2 February 2009, he made a guest appearance in the long-running popular soap opera Coronation Street, playing the part of 'Disco Dave', the captain of a rival darts team to the Rovers Return. Taylor was seen only briefly on screen and had no dialogue.[137][138] On 22 January 2011 he appeared to present the award for Best Comedy Panel Show at the British Comedy Awards hosted by Jonathan Ross. After winning the 2011 Players Championship he announced he would be taping an appearance for an upcoming edition of A Question Of Sport.
In 2012, Taylor, together with the seven other players who competed in the Premier League recorded a charity single with Chas Hodges and his band called 'Got My Tickets For The Darts' which was written by Chas. It was released on 18 May, the night after the play-offs at the O2 in London, where it was premiered. Proceeds from the single will be donated to the Haven House Children's Hospice.[139]
Taylor was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2001 New Year honours, but it was retracted and annulled in May 2002 following a conviction for indecent assault.[140] The incident happened after a 1999 exhibition match in Scotland when two women, aged 23 and 25, accompanied Taylor back to his van after the event. They later accused him of sexual assault. Taylor denied the charges but he was found guilty in 2001 and fined £2,000.[141]
Taylor holds records for high scoring in darts. His three-dart average per match records are the highest in the history of the game.[142] No player has a winning head-to-head record against him. Taylor has a 79% win rate against Raymond van Barneveld, the player with the most wins against him.[143] Taylor is the first darts player to win more than £1 million in prize money.[144]
On 9 January 2007 Taylor won the 2006 PDC Player of the Year award at the inaugural PDC Awards Dinner held at the Dorchester Hotel in London's Park Lane. He was one of ten nominees for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 2006; the award went to Zara Phillips.[145] Taylor was voted the 2007 Fans' Player of the Year following a vote conducted on the website Planet Darts. He received the award at the annual PDC Awards Dinner in January 2008. After his fifteenth world championship victory, Taylor was made an inaugural inductee to the Stoke-on-Trent Sporting Hall of Fame on 7 January 2010.[4] Awards excluding Hall Of Fame are handed out the following January so add a year for the year received.
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This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (February 2012) |
| Legend |
| World Championship (2–0) |
| Winmau World Masters (1–1) |
| World Darts Trophy (1–1) |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score[N 1] | Ref. |
| Winner | 1. | 1990 | World Darts Championship | 6–1 (s) | [146] | |
| Winner | 2. | 1990 | Winmau World Masters | [N 2] | [147] | |
| Runner-up | 1. | 1991 | Winmau World Masters | [N 2] | [148] | |
| Winner | 3. | 1992 | World Darts Championship (2) | 6–5 (s) | [149] | |
| Winner | 4. | 2006 | World Darts Trophy | 7–2 (s) | [150] | |
| Runner-up | 2. | 2007 | World Darts Trophy | 3–7 (s) | [151] |
| Legend |
| World Championship (13–3) |
| World Matchplay (12–0) |
| World Grand Prix (10–0) |
| Grand Slam (4–0) |
| Premier League (6–0) |
| Other (21–2) |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score[N 1] |
| Runner-up | 1. | 1994 | World Darts Championship | 1–6 (s) | |
| Winner | 1. | 1995 | World Darts Championship | 6–2 (s) | |
| Winner | 2. | 1995 | World Matchplay | 16–11 (l) | |
| Winner | 3. | 1996 | World Darts Championship (2) | 6–4 (s) | |
| Winner | 4. | 1997 | World Darts Championship (3) | 6–3 (s) | |
| Winner | 5. | 1997 | World Matchplay (2) | 16–11 (l) | |
| Winner | 6. | 1998 | World Darts Championship (4) | 6–0 (s) | |
| Winner | 7. | 1998 | World Grand Prix | 13–8 (l) | |
| Winner | 8. | 1999 | World Darts Championship (5) | 6–2 (s) | |
| Winner | 9. | 1999 | World Grand Prix (2) | 6–1 (s) | |
| Winner | 10. | 2000 | World Darts Championship (6) | 7–3 (s) | |
| Winner | 11. | 2000 | World Matchplay (3) | 18–12 (l) | |
| Winner | 12. | 2000 | World Grand Prix (3) | 6–1 (s) | |
| Winner | 13. | 2001 | World Darts Championship (7) | 7–0 (s) | |
| Winner | 14. | 2001 | World Matchplay (4) | 18–10 (l) | |
| Winner | 15. | 2002 | World Darts Championship (8) | 7–0 (s) | |
| Winner | 16. | 2002 | Las Vegas Desert Classic | 3–0 (s) | |
| Winner | 17. | 2002 | World Matchplay (5) | 18–16 (l) | |
| Winner | 18. | 2002 | World Grand Prix (4) | 7–3 (s) | |
| Runner-up | 2. | 2003 | World Darts Championship | 6–7 (s) | |
| Winner | 19. | 2003 | UK Open | 18–8 (l) | |
| Winner | 20. | 2003 | World Matchplay (6) | 18–12 (l) | |
| Winner | 21. | 2003 | World Grand Prix (5) | 7–2 (s) | |
| Winner | 22. | 2004 | World Darts Championship (9) | 7–6 (s) | |
| Winner | 23. | 2004 | Las Vegas Desert Classic (2) | 6–4 (s) | |
| Winner | 24. | 2004 | World Matchplay (7) | 18–8 (l) | |
| Winner | 25. | 2005 | World Darts Championship (10) | 7–4 (s) | |
| Winner | 26. | 2005 | Premier League Darts | 16–4 (l) | |
| Winner | 27. | 2005 | UK Open (2) | 13–7 (l) | |
| Winner | 28. | 2005 | Las Vegas Desert Classic (3) | 6–1 (s) | |
| Winner | 29. | 2005 | World Grand Prix (6) | 7–1 (s) | |
| Winner | 30. | 2006 | World Darts Championship (11) | 7–0 (s) | |
| Winner | 31. | 2006 | World Series of Darts | 13–5 (l) | |
| Winner | 32. | 2006 | Premier League Darts (2) | 16–6 (l) | |
| Winner | 33. | 2006 | World Matchplay (8) | 18–11 (l) | |
| Winner | 34. | 2006 | World Grand Prix (7) | 7–4 (s) | |
| Runner-up | 3. | 2007 | World Darts Championship | 6–7 (s) | |
| Winner | 35. | 2007 | US Open (2) | 4–1 (s) | |
| Winner | 36. | 2007 | Premier League Darts (3) | 16–6 (l) | |
| Winner | 37. | 2007 | Grand Slam of Darts | 18–11 (l) | |
| Winner | 38. | 2008 | US Open (3) | 3–0 (s) | |
| Winner | 39. | 2008 | Premier League Darts (4) | 16–8 (l) | |
| Winner | 40. | 2008 | Las Vegas Desert Classic (4) | 13–7 (l) | |
| Winner | 41. | 2008 | World Matchplay (9) | 18–9 (l) | |
| Winner | 42. | 2008 | World Grand Prix (8) | 6–2 (s) | |
| Winner | 43. | 2008 | Championship League Darts | 7–5 (s) | |
| Winner | 44. | 2008 | European Championship | 11–5 (l) | |
| Winner | 45. | 2008 | Grand Slam of Darts (2) | 18–9 (l) | |
| Winner | 46. | 2009 | World Darts Championship (12) | 7–1 (s) | |
| Winner | 47. | 2009 | Players Championship Finals | 16–9 (l) | |
| Winner | 48. | 2009 | UK Open (3) | 11–6 (l) | |
| Winner | 49. | 2009 | Las Vegas Desert Classic (5) | 13–11 (l) | |
| Winner | 50. | 2009 | World Matchplay (10) | 18–4 (l) | |
| Winner | 51. | 2009 | World Grand Prix (9) | 6–3 (s) | |
| Runner-up | 4. | 2009 | Championship League Darts | 4–6 (l) | |
| Winner | 52. | 2009 | European Championship (2) | 11–3 (l) | |
| Winner | 53. | 2009 | Grand Slam of Darts (3) | 16–2 (l) | |
| Winner | 54. | 2010 | World Darts Championship (13) | 7–3 (s) | |
| Winner | 55. | 2010 | Premier League Darts (5) | 10–8 (l) | |
| Winner | 56. | 2010 | UK Open (4) | 11–5 (l) | |
| Winner | 57. | 2010 | US Open (4) | 6–2 (s) | |
| Winner | 58. | 2010 | World Matchplay (11) | 18–12 (l) | |
| Winner | 59. | 2010 | European Championship (3) | 11–1 (l) | |
| Runner-up | 5. | 2010 | Championship League Darts | 5–6 (l) | |
| Winner | 60. | 2011 | Players Championship Finals (2) | 13–12 (l) | |
| Winner | 61. | 2011 | World Matchplay (12) | 18–8 (l) | |
| Winner | 62. | 2011 | European Championship (4) | 11–8 (l) | |
| Winner | 63. | 2011 | World Grand Prix (10) | 6–3 (s) | |
| Winner | 64. | 2011 | Championship League Darts (2) | 6–1 (s) | |
| Winner | 65. | 2011 | Grand Slam of Darts (4) | 16–4 (l) | |
| Winner | 66. | 2012 | Premier League Darts (6) | 10–7 (l) |
| Tournament | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BDO World Championship | DNP | W | QF | W | 2R | Not BDO Member | ||||||||||||||||||||
| PDC World Championship | Not yet founded | RU | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | RU | W | W | W | RU | QF | W | W | QF | 2R | ||||||
| Winmau World Masters | 2R | SF | W | RU | 1R | Did not participate | ||||||||||||||||||||
| World Matchplay | Not held | 2R | W | 2R | W | QF | SF | W | W | W | W | W | QF | W | SF | W | W | W | W | |||||||
| World Grand Prix | Not held | W | W | W | 1R | W | W | 1R | W | W | 1R | W | W | SF | W | |||||||||||
| Las Vegas Desert Classic | Not held | W | SF | W | W | SF | 1R | W | W | Not held | ||||||||||||||||
| World Darts Trophy | Not held | Did not participate | W | RU | Not held | |||||||||||||||||||||
| UK Open | Not held | W | QF | W | QF | QF | QF | W | W | 5R | ||||||||||||||||
| Premier League Darts | Not held | W | W | W | W | SF | W | SF | W | |||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam of Darts | Not held | W | W | W | QF | W | ||||||||||||||||||||
| US Open | Not held | W | W | A | W | Not held | ||||||||||||||||||||
| South African Masters | Not held | W | W | W | DNP | |||||||||||||||||||||
| German Darts Championship | Not held | W | RU | W | Not held | |||||||||||||||||||||
| European Championship | Not held | W | W | W | W | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship League | Not held | W | RU | RU | W | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Players Championship Finals | Not held | W | SF | W | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Taylor has recorded the majority of the highest ever televised averages in the PDC, including the highest ever.[76] This was achieved in round four of the 2010 UK Open, in which he averaged 118.66 in a 9–0 win over Kevin Painter.[153] He also holds the record for the highest average in a PDC World Championship final of 110.94 which he set whilst beating Raymond van Barneveld in 2009.[60] In February 2012, Taylor achieved the highest ever average without actually winning the match, as he drew 7–7 with Adrian Lewis in the Premier League with an average of 112.79.[154]
| Rank | Average | Player | Score | Opponent | Tournament | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 118.66 | 9–0 (L) | Kevin Painter |
2010 UK Open | Round 4 | |
| 2 | 117.35 | 8–4 (L) | Simon Whitlock |
2012 Premier League | League | |
| 3 | 116.10 | 8–1 (L) | James Wade |
2012 Premier League | League | |
| 4 | 116.01 | 8–3 (L) | John Part |
2009 Premier League | League | |
| 5 | 115.62 | 10–0 (L) | Mark Lawrence |
2009 UK Open | Quarter-finals | |
| 6 | 115.51 | 9–3 (L) | Ken Mather |
2009 UK Open | Round 4 | |
| 7 | 114.54 | 9–3 (L) | Wes Newton |
2008 UK Open | Round 5 | |
| 8 | 114.15 | 6–0 (L) | Davy Richardson |
2004 International Darts League | Last 32 group | |
| 9 | 113.92 | 9–3 (L) | Mervyn King |
2008 European Championship | Round 2 | |
| 10 | 113.43 | 8–0 (L) | Gary Mawson |
1997 World Matchplay | Round 1 | |
| 11 | 113.33 | 11–7 (L) | Robert Thornton |
2008 European Championship | Semi-finals | |
| 12 | 113.30 | 8–2 (L) | Kevin Painter |
2012 Premier League | League | |
| 13 | 112.91 | 8–4 (L) | Raymond van Barneveld |
2012 Premier League | League | |
| 14 | 112.79 | 7–7 (L) | Adrian Lewis |
2012 Premier League | League | |
| 15 | 112.68 | 11–1 (L) | Adrian Lewis |
2008 Premier League | Semi-finals | |
| 16 | 112.56 | 11–8 (L) | Adrian Lewis |
2005 UK Open | Round 6 | |
| 17 | 112.28 | 8–6 (L) | Kevin Painter |
2012 Premier League | League | |
| 18 | 112.17 | 16–7 (L) | Chris Mason |
2002 World Matchplay | Quarter-finals | |
| 19 | 111.74 | 8–3 (L) | John Part |
2008 Premier League | League | |
| 20 | 111.67 | 10–8 (L) | James Wade |
2010 Premier League | Final |
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Average was achieved by Phil Taylor | |
| L | Game was in legs |
| S | Game was in sets |
[3] http://www.6towns.co.uk/news/2011/10/dan-discussesis-darts-sport-and-should-it-be-olympics Phil Taylor interview on 6 Towns radio 22 October 2011
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jocky Wilson |
BDO World Champion 1990 |
Succeeded by Dennis Priestley |
| Preceded by Dennis Priestley |
BDO World Champion 1992 |
Succeeded by John Lowe |
| Preceded by Dennis Priestley |
PDC World Champion 1995–2002 |
Succeeded by John Part |
| Preceded by John Part |
PDC World Champion 2004–2006 |
Succeeded by Raymond van Barneveld |
| Preceded by John Part |
PDC World Champion 2009–2010 |
Succeeded by Adrian Lewis |
|
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