PDC World Grand Prix Darts
Encyclopedia
The World Grand Prix is a PDC
darts
tournament held in Dublin each October. 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 its current home at the Citywest Hotel
in Dublin. The event replaced the earlier World Pairs tournament which ran from 1995 to 1997.
The Grand Prix was originally sponsored by bookmakers Paddy Power
before Sky Bet
took over in 2004. The subsidiary Sky Poker followed as the tournament's sponsor in 2008 and 2009. In 2010, online gambling company Bodog
became the event's title sponsor and in 2011 PartyPoker.com took over as sponsor.
Although he has dominated the event with ten title wins, Phil Taylor has been knocked out of the World Grand Prix three times in the first round. In 2001, he lost 2-1 to qualifier Kevin Painter
, in 2004 by 2 sets to 0 to Andy Callaby, and in 2007 he went down 2-0 in sets to Adrian Gray
.
The current Champion is Phil Taylor
, who defeated Brendan Dolan
6-3 in the final on 9 October 2011.
There have been several different formats for the competition, the 1998 event was played in a matchplay format of legs rather than sets. The following year a group stage was introduced, where there were only four seeded players for the event, and all 4 reached the semi-finals, which is quite unusual in darts tournament history. The group stages were replaced again with straight knock-out for 2000. The present format has been in place since 2003, when the 2nd round was extended from best-of-3 to best-of-5 sets.
since the first tournament.
Professional Darts Corporation
The Professional Darts Corporation is a professional darts organization, established in the United Kingdom during 1992, when a group of leading professional players split from the British Darts Organisation to form what was initially called the World Darts Council...
darts
Darts
Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
tournament held in Dublin each October. 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
Rosslare Strand
Rosslare Strand, or simply Rosslare , is a village and Seaside resort in County Wexford, Ireland. The name Rosslare Strand is used to distinguish it from the nearby community of Rosslare Harbour, site of the Rosslare Europort....
, County Wexford
Wexford
Wexford is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. It is situated near the southeastern corner of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort. The town is connected to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network...
. In 2001 the tournament moved further north to its current home at the Citywest Hotel
Citywest Hotel
The Citywest Hotel, part of the Mansfield Group, is a 774 bedroomed hotel, conference and leisure centre located in Citywest, Dublin, Ireland. It is the largest hotel in Europe.-External links:*...
in Dublin. The event replaced the earlier World Pairs tournament which ran from 1995 to 1997.
The Grand Prix was originally sponsored by bookmakers Paddy Power
Paddy Power
Paddy Power is Ireland’s largest bookmaker. Offline it conducts business through a chain of licensed betting offices and by operating Ireland's largest telephone betting service. Online it offers sports betting, online poker, online bingo, online casino games and spread betting...
before Sky Bet
Sky Betting and Gaming
Sky Betting and Gaming is a British-based gambling company, and a subsidiary of BSkyB, with offices at Sky's headquarters in Isleworth, London and in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The company consists chiefly of five websites and two TV channels...
took over in 2004. The subsidiary Sky Poker followed as the tournament's sponsor in 2008 and 2009. In 2010, online gambling company Bodog
Bodog
Bodog is an online entertainment brand launched in 1994 by Calvin Ayre.Originally the company traded at but the brand was later divested and intellectual property rights were assigned to and consolidated in BodogBrand.com...
became the event's title sponsor and in 2011 PartyPoker.com took over as sponsor.
Although he has dominated the event with ten title wins, Phil Taylor has been knocked out of the World Grand Prix three times in the first round. In 2001, he lost 2-1 to qualifier Kevin Painter
Kevin Painter
Kevin Painter is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation tournaments, where he is known as "The Artist"...
, in 2004 by 2 sets to 0 to Andy Callaby, and in 2007 he went down 2-0 in sets to Adrian Gray
Adrian Gray
Adrian Gray is an English darts player. Previously using the nickname '3 Styler', he is now known as 'The Conqueror'. Adrian made his televised debut at the 2003 UK Open...
.
The current Champion is Phil Taylor
Phil Taylor
PhilipThe PowerTaylor, is an English professional darts player. He is recognised as one of the most successful individual sporting champions of all time and regarded as the best darts player ever to have played the game, having won more than 150 professional tournaments and a record 15 World...
, who defeated Brendan Dolan
Brendan Dolan
Brendan Dolan is a Irish darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation events.After two early exits in the 2003 and 2004 UK Open, his first major run came in the 2004 World Grand Prix where he qualified through the All Ireland qualifiers, winning one of four places...
6-3 in the final on 9 October 2011.
Tournament format
This tournament has shorter opening rounds, which can lead to some surprise results, and players must commence and finish each leg on a double including the option of the bull.There have been several different formats for the competition, the 1998 event was played in a matchplay format of legs rather than sets. The following year a group stage was introduced, where there were only four seeded players for the event, and all 4 reached the semi-finals, which is quite unusual in darts tournament history. The group stages were replaced again with straight knock-out for 2000. The present format has been in place since 2003, when the 2nd round was extended from best-of-3 to best-of-5 sets.
Sponsors
| Sponsor | Years |
|---|---|
| None | 1998 - 2001 |
| Paddy Power Paddy Power Paddy Power is Ireland’s largest bookmaker. Offline it conducts business through a chain of licensed betting offices and by operating Ireland's largest telephone betting service. Online it offers sports betting, online poker, online bingo, online casino games and spread betting... |
2002 - 2003 |
| Sky Bet | 2004 - 2007 |
| Sky Poker | 2008 - 2009 |
| Bodog Bodog Bodog is an online entertainment brand launched in 1994 by Calvin Ayre.Originally the company traded at but the brand was later divested and intellectual property rights were assigned to and consolidated in BodogBrand.com... |
2010 |
| PartyPoker.com | 2011 - present |
Venues
| Venue | Years |
|---|---|
| Casino Rooms, Rochester, Kent | 1998 - 1999 |
| Crosbie Cedars Hotel, Rosslare Rosslare The name Rosslare may refer to:*Rosslare Strand, a village in County Wexford, Ireland* Rosslare Harbour, a village in County Wexford, Ireland*The Rosslare Europort at Rosslare Harbour... |
2000 |
| Citywest Hotel, Dublin | 2001 - present |
Finals
The list of finals:| Year | Winner | Score | Runner Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 |  Phil Taylor |
13-8 (legs) | Rod Harrington Rod Harrington Rod Harrington is a former English darts player. He used the nickname The Prince of Style for his matches, often wearing a suit and waistcoast for his games... |
| 1999 | Phil Taylor |
6-1 (sets) | Shayne Burgess Shayne Burgess Shayne Burgess is an English darts player who is one of the few examples of players that has switched from the British Darts Organisation to the Professional Darts Corporation and back - he announced his intention to return to the BDO in early 2007, but remains a competitor in the PDC... |
| 2000 | Phil Taylor |
6-1 (sets) | Shayne Burgess |
| 2001 | Alan Warriner Alan Warriner-Little Alan Warriner-Little is an English professional darts player. He currently lives in Crosby, Cumbria and plays with the nickname The Iceman... |
8-2 (sets) |  Roland ScholtenRoland Scholten Roland Scholten is a Dutch professional darts player who plays for the Professional Darts Corporation and formerly for the British Darts Organisation. He is nicknamed Tripod or The Flying Dutchman and uses Hey Ya by Outkast as his walk-on. He is currently ranked 45th in the PDC... |
| 2002 | Phil Taylor |
7-3 (sets) |  John PartJohn Part John Part is a Canadian professional darts player, who is nicknamed Darth Maple.Part is one of only five players in darts history to be a three time World Champion... |
| 2003 | Phil Taylor |
7-2 (sets) | John Part |
| 2004 | Colin Lloyd Colin Lloyd Colin Lloyd , nicknamed Jaws, is an English professional darts player on the Professional Darts Corporation circuit. He is a former world number one ranked player and he has won two major television titles in the PDC - the 2004 World Grand Prix and 2005 World Matchplay... |
7-3 (sets) | Alan Warriner |
| 2005 | Phil Taylor 90.74 |
7-1 (sets) | Colin Lloyd 82.05 |
| 2006 | Phil Taylor 88.24 |
7-4 (sets) | Terry Jenkins Terry Jenkins Terry Jenkins is an English professional darts player who is nicknamed The Bull, having previously used the nickname "Tucker" for his matches... 82.51 |
| 2007 | James Wade James Wade James Wade is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation . He became the youngest player ever to win a major PDC title at the World Matchplay in July 2007... 86.03 |
6-3 (sets) | Terry Jenkins 84.58 |
| 2008 | Phil Taylor 97.81 |
6-2 (sets) | Raymond van Barneveld Raymond van Barneveld Raymond van Barneveld , nickname Barney is a professional darts player. He is a five time World Darts Champion, and two time UK Open Champion. From January to June 2008, he was the PDC world number one ranked player... 90.42 |
| 2009 | Phil Taylor 97.07 |
6-3 (sets) | Raymond van Barneveld 86.62 |
| 2010 | James Wade 88.92 |
6-3 (sets) | Adrian Lewis Adrian Lewis Adrian Lewis is an English professional darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation who is the reigning PDC World Darts Champion... 89.33 |
| 2011 2011 World Grand Prix (darts) The 2011 PartyPoker.com World Grand Prix was the fourteenth staging of the World Grand Prix. It was played from October 3 to 9.James Wade was the defending champion. However he lost in the semi finals to Brendan Dolan who had the unique achievement of becoming the first player to achieve a... |
Phil Taylor |
6-3 (sets) |  Brendan DolanBrendan Dolan Brendan Dolan is a Irish darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation events.After two early exits in the 2003 and 2004 UK Open, his first major run came in the 2004 World Grand Prix where he qualified through the All Ireland qualifiers, winning one of four places... |
Finalists
As of 2011:| Player | Won | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| Phil Taylor |
10 | 0 |
| James Wade James Wade James Wade is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation . He became the youngest player ever to win a major PDC title at the World Matchplay in July 2007... |
2 | 0 |
| Colin Lloyd Colin Lloyd Colin Lloyd , nicknamed Jaws, is an English professional darts player on the Professional Darts Corporation circuit. He is a former world number one ranked player and he has won two major television titles in the PDC - the 2004 World Grand Prix and 2005 World Matchplay... |
1 | 1 |
| Alan Warriner Alan Warriner-Little Alan Warriner-Little is an English professional darts player. He currently lives in Crosby, Cumbria and plays with the nickname The Iceman... |
1 | 1 |
| Shayne Burgess Shayne Burgess Shayne Burgess is an English darts player who is one of the few examples of players that has switched from the British Darts Organisation to the Professional Darts Corporation and back - he announced his intention to return to the BDO in early 2007, but remains a competitor in the PDC... |
0 | 2 |
| John Part John Part John Part is a Canadian professional darts player, who is nicknamed Darth Maple.Part is one of only five players in darts history to be a three time World Champion... |
0 | 2 |
| Terry Jenkins Terry Jenkins Terry Jenkins is an English professional darts player who is nicknamed The Bull, having previously used the nickname "Tucker" for his matches... |
0 | 2 |
| Raymond van Barneveld Raymond van Barneveld Raymond van Barneveld , nickname Barney is a professional darts player. He is a five time World Darts Champion, and two time UK Open Champion. From January to June 2008, he was the PDC world number one ranked player... |
0 | 2 |
| Rod Harrington Rod Harrington Rod Harrington is a former English darts player. He used the nickname The Prince of Style for his matches, often wearing a suit and waistcoast for his games... |
0 | 1 |
| Roland Scholten Roland Scholten Roland Scholten is a Dutch professional darts player who plays for the Professional Darts Corporation and formerly for the British Darts Organisation. He is nicknamed Tripod or The Flying Dutchman and uses Hey Ya by Outkast as his walk-on. He is currently ranked 45th in the PDC... |
0 | 1 |
| Adrian Lewis Adrian Lewis Adrian Lewis is an English professional darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation who is the reigning PDC World Darts Champion... |
0 | 1 |
| Brendan Dolan Brendan Dolan Brendan Dolan is a Irish darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation events.After two early exits in the 2003 and 2004 UK Open, his first major run came in the 2004 World Grand Prix where he qualified through the All Ireland qualifiers, winning one of four places... |
0 | 1 |
World Pairs winners
The World Pairs event which preceded the introduction of this event was held between 1995 and 1997.| Year | Winners | Score | Runners Up | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Eric Bristow Eric Bristow Eric Bristow MBE is a British darts player, whose skill at the game in the 1980s helped turn it into a worldwide spectator sport.- Early career :... Dennis PriestleyDennis Priestley Dennis Priestley is an English professional darts player. He has won two world championships, and was the first player to win both the BDO and WDC world championships, in 1991 and 1994 respectively... |
14-9 (legs) | Keith Deller Keith Deller Keith Deller is an English darts player, who won the Embassy World Professional Darts Championship in 1983. He was the first qualifier ever to win the championship and remains one of the youngest champions in history...  Jamie HarveyJamie Harvey Jamie Harvey is a Scottish darts player who plays in the British Darts Organization . He currently resides in Barrhead. Harvey uses the nickname Bravedart for his matches - a play on the lead character from the film Braveheart... |
unknown, Ayr Ayr Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205... |
| 1996 | Bob Anderson Bob Anderson (darts player) Robert Charles "Bob" Anderson is a former world darts champion. He was ranked as world number one for over three years in the late 1980s. Nicknamed The Limestone Cowboy, he lives in Clevedon in Somerset.-Before Darts:Anderson threw his first darts maximum at the age of just five... Phil Taylor |
18-15 (legs) | Chris Mason Chris Mason (darts player) Christopher John Mason is an English darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation. He uses the nickname Mace the Ace for his matches.- BDO and first PDC spell :... Steve Raw |
Willows Variety Centre, Salford City of Salford The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over... |
| 1997 | Raymond van Barneveld Raymond van Barneveld Raymond van Barneveld , nickname Barney is a professional darts player. He is a five time World Darts Champion, and two time UK Open Champion. From January to June 2008, he was the PDC world number one ranked player... Roland ScholtenRoland Scholten Roland Scholten is a Dutch professional darts player who plays for the Professional Darts Corporation and formerly for the British Darts Organisation. He is nicknamed Tripod or The Flying Dutchman and uses Hey Ya by Outkast as his walk-on. He is currently ranked 45th in the PDC... |
18-15 (legs) |  Richie BurnettRichie Burnett Richie Burnett is a Welsh darts player who was the 1995 Embassy World Darts Champion and currently plays in Professional Darts Corporation events. His nickname is The Prince of Wales.-BDO career:... Rod HarringtonRod Harrington Rod Harrington is a former English darts player. He used the nickname The Prince of Style for his matches, often wearing a suit and waistcoast for his games... |
Butlin's South Coast World, Bognor Regis Bognor Regis Bognor Regis is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, on the south coast of England. It is south-south-west of London, west of Brighton, and south-east of the city of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Littlehampton east-north-east and Selsey to the... |
Media coverage
The World Grand Prix has been broadcast in the UK by Sky SportsSky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
since the first tournament.