The world's best darters will be in Minehead this weekend, where the 22nd edition of the UK Open is scheduled from Friday, March 1 to Sunday, March 3.
The UK Open is one of the most unique tournaments on the PDC calendar. No televised tournament at the PDC has such a large field of participants and it also uses an open draw. After the third round, there is a new draw after each round. This can lead to clashes between some of the big-name players early in the tournament.
Tournament History
The UK Open has been on the PDC's calendar since 2023. From 2003 to 2013, it took place at the Reebok Stadium, the home of football club Bolton Wanderers. Back then, the boards were set up slightly differently than today at Butlin's Resort in Minehead. In Bolton, the main stage could be seen on television, while in the background of the venue, the other boards could be seen.
Playing in Minehead since 2014, it uses three different halls. One for the main stage, one hall for stage 2, while boards three through eight can be seen elsewhere.
Who has won the UK Open?
The past 21 editions of the UK Open have produced as many as 12 different winners. Only Phil Taylor (5x), Michael van Gerwen (3x), James Wade (3x) and Raymond van Barneveld (2x) won the tournament more than once.
Furthermore, Peter Wright, Gary Anderson, Nathan Aspinall, Andrew Gilding, Adrian Lewis, Danny Noppert, Roland Scholten and Robert Thornton managed to win the UK Open once. What is remarkable is that the last seven editions have produced as many as seven different winners.
Roll of Honour
2003 Phil Taylor
2004 Roland Scholten
2005 Phil Taylor
2006 Raymond van Barneveld
2007 Raymond van Barneveld
2008 James Wade
2009 Phil Taylor
2010 Phil Taylor
2011 James Wade
2012 Robert Thornton
2013 Phil Taylor
2014 Adrian Lewis
2015 Michael van Gerwen
2016 Michael van Gerwen
2017 Peter Wright
2018 Gary Anderson
2019 Nathan Aspinall
2020 Michael van Gerwen
2021 James Wade
2022 Danny Noppert
2023 Andrew Gilding
Nine darters at UK Open
Fifteen nine-darters have been thrown in the 21-year history of the UK Open. Phil Taylor was the very first in 2004, while 'The Power' also accounted for the next three nine darters at the UK Open in 2005, 2007 and 2008.
Mervyn King threw a nine-darter against Gary Anderson in 2010, while Anderson in turn produced a perfect leg in 2012. Wes Newton threw a leg in nine perfect darts at the 2013 UK Open, but was unlucky that the nine darter was not noticed by the cameras because he was playing on one of the other stages. By the way, the same was true of the nine darters by Sebastian Bialecki (2021), Jitse van der Wal (2021) and José Justicia (2022).
That nine-darter by Michael van Gerwen in 2016 was on the main stage, though, as was his perfect leg in 2020. During that edition, Jonny Clayton threw a nine-darter on the second stage, footage of which did eventually become available.
The last two nine darters at the 2022 UK Open were thrown in a 20-minute span. James Wade threw one on the main stage, then a moment later Michael Smith managed to throw a perfect leg on the stream board.
Who are the top favourites for the upcoming edition?
Because of the unpredictable nature of this tournament, it is difficult to pinpoint a standout favourite in advance. Of course, we can look at the players who have been in good form in recent weeks.
In that regard, Michael van Gerwen is obviously one of the big contenders for the title. 'Mighty Mike' won the Dutch Darts Masters in Den Bosch at the end of January and already captured three weekly titles in the Premier League Darts in the month of February.
And what can Luke Littler do at the UK Open? 'The Nuke' was allowed to compete at last year's UK Open as a Riley Qualifier and managed to qualify for the fourth round. Back then, despite a 100+ average, he went down 10-8 against later semi-finalist Adam Gawlas, but now expectations are a bit higher. Littler reached the final of the World Darts Championship, won the Bahrain Darts Masters, has already won a Pro Tour title and reached the weekly final of the Premier League Darts;
Of course, we must also mention world champion Luke Humphries. Four of the last five ranking majors were won by 'Cool Hand Luke'. The Englishman made it to his first major final at the UK Open in 2021, but then lost out to James Wade.
Looking at the results of the first floor tournaments of 2024, Ryan Searle and Gary Anderson could also be aiming high at the UK Open. Anderson already stood in two Pro Tour finals, won one and impressed with many high 100+ averages. Searle even reached three finals on the Pro Tour already and leads the Players Championship Order of Merit after four tournaments. Don't be surprised if one of these two men stands with the trophy in his hands Sunday night.
Format
First round: Best of 11 legs
Second round: Best of 11 legs
Third round: Best of 11 legs
Fourth round: Best of 19 legs
Fifth round: Best of 19 legs
Sixth round: Best of 19 legs
Quarterfinals: Best of 19 legs
Semifinals: Best of 21 legs
Final: Best of 21 legs
Also read
Draw revealed for the 2024 UK Open Darts
How can you watch the UK Open live?
All matches played on the main stage can be seen on ITV. A live stream of the proceedings on the other seven boards can be followed via PDC TV.
What is the prize money at the UK Open?
The prize pool for the UK Open Darts has stood at £600,000 since the 2023 edition. Of this, £110,000 in prize money goes to the winner of the tournament.
The UK Open is the first major tournament of the year to count toward the PDC Order of Merit. This means that all the prize money won will be added to the world rankings. The results of the 2022 edition will expire from the ranking after this tournament.
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