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World Grand Prix (darts)
PDC darts tournament
PDC darts tournament
| Field | Value | |
|---|---|---|
| title | World Grand Prix | |
| logo | [[File:BoyleSports_World_Grand_Prix.png | 200px]] |
| venue | Leicester Arena, Leicester | |
| country | United Kingdom | |
| founded | 1998 | |
| inaugural | 1998 | |
| organizer | Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) | |
| tournament_format | Sets | |
| "double in, double out" | ||
| champion | ||
| champ_season | 2025 |
"double in, double out"
The World Grand Prix (known for sponsorship reasons as the BoyleSports World Grand Prix) is a professional darts tournament that has been held at the Leicester Arena in Leicester, England since 2021. The tournament was traditionally held in Dublin, Ireland every October. It is played in Sets format, and is run by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). The tournament is the only one in the PDC which currently uses the "double in, double out" format.
The current champion is Luke Littler, who defeated Luke Humphries 6–1 in the 2025 final to win his first World Grand Prix title.
The tourmament's 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 Leicester Arena. When the World Grand Prix was founded in 1998, it replaced the earlier World Pairs tournament which ran from 1995 to 1997.
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.
History
Tournament format
The tournament is unique as it is the only event in the PDC darts calendar that uses the "double in, double out" format, in which players must start on a double or the bullseye to start scoring and do the same to win a leg. The inaugural edition in 1998 featured matches consisting of sets played to the best of three legs, with Phil Taylor winning the final 13–8 against Rod Harrington. The following year this changed to 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.
Brendan Dolan became the first player to hit a double-start nine-dart finish, achieving the feat in his match against James Wade at the 2011 World Grand Prix; Wade and Robert Thornton both hit nine-darters in their match at the 2014 event, 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.
Location
After first serving as host venue for the 2001 event, the Citywest Hotel in Dublin became the regular home of the tournament. In 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Grand Prix was relocated to England due to the Citywest being used for health services, with the event being held in Leicester since 2021.
World Grand Prix Finals
| Year | Champion (average in final) | Score | Runner-up (average in final) | Prize money | Sponsor | Venue | Total | Champion | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | ENG Phil Taylor | 13–8 | ENG Rod Harrington | £38,000 | £9,000 | £5,000 | PDC | Casino Rooms, Rochester | |
| 1999 | ENG Phil Taylor | 6–1 | ENG Shayne Burgess | ||||||
| 2000 | ENG Phil Taylor | 6–1 | ENG Shayne Burgess | £70,000 | £15,000 | £7,500 | Crosbie Cedars Hotel, Rosslare | ||
| 2001 | ENG Alan Warriner | 8–2 | NED Roland Scholten | £78,000 | Paddy Power | Citywest Hotel, Dublin | |||
| Reception Hall | |||||||||
| (2001–2008, 2012) | |||||||||
| Convention Centre | |||||||||
| (2009–2011, 2013–2019) | |||||||||
| 2002 | ENG Phil Taylor | 7–3 | CAN John Part | £70,000 | £14,000 | £7,000 | |||
| 2003 | ENG Phil Taylor | 7–2 | CAN John Part | £76,000 | £15,000 | £7,500 | |||
| 2004 | ENG Colin Lloyd | 7–3 | ENG Alan Warriner | £100,000 | £20,000 | £10,000 | Sky Bet | ||
| 2005 | ENG Phil Taylor | 7–1 | ENG Colin Lloyd | ||||||
| 2006 | ENG Phil Taylor | 7–4 | ENG Terry Jenkins | £130,000 | £25,000 | £12,500 | |||
| 2007 | ENG James Wade | 6–3 | ENG Terry Jenkins | £200,000 | £50,000 | £20,000 | |||
| 2008 | ENG Phil Taylor | 6–2 | NED Raymond van Barneveld | £250,000 | £25,000 | Sky Poker | |||
| 2009 | ENG Phil Taylor | 6–3 | NED Raymond van Barneveld | £350,000 | £100,000 | £40,000 | Sky Bet | ||
| 2010 | ENG James Wade | 6–3 | ENG Adrian Lewis | Bodog | |||||
| 2011 | ENG Phil Taylor | 6–3 | NIR Brendan Dolan | PartyPoker.com | |||||
| 2012 | NED Michael van Gerwen | 6–4 | ENG Mervyn King | ||||||
| 2013 | ENG Phil Taylor | 6–0 | ENG Dave Chisnall | ||||||
| 2014 | NED Michael van Gerwen | 5–3 | ENG James Wade | £400,000 | £100,000 | £45,000 | |||
| 2015 | SCO Robert Thornton | 5–4 | NED Michael van Gerwen | ||||||
| 2016 | NED Michael van Gerwen | 5–2 | SCO Gary Anderson | Unibet | |||||
| 2017 | NIR Daryl Gurney | 5–4 | AUS Simon Whitlock | ||||||
| 2018 | NED Michael van Gerwen | 5–2 | SCO Peter Wright | ||||||
| 2019 | NED Michael van Gerwen | 5–2 | ENG Dave Chisnall | £450,000 | £110,000 | £50,000 | BoyleSports | ||
| 2020 | WAL Gerwyn Price | 5–2 | NED Dirk van Duijvenbode | Ricoh Arena, Coventry | |||||
| 2021 | WAL Jonny Clayton | 5–1 | WAL Gerwyn Price | Leicester Arena, Leicester | |||||
| 2022 | NED Michael van Gerwen | 5–3 | ENG Nathan Aspinall | £600,000 | £120,000 | £60,000 | |||
| 2023 | ENG Luke Humphries | 5–2 | WAL Gerwyn Price | ||||||
| 2024 | BEL Mike De Decker | 6–4 | ENG Luke Humphries | ||||||
| 2025 | ENG Luke Littler | 6–1 | ENG Luke Humphries |
Records and statistics
Total finalist appearances
| Rank | Player | Nationality | Won | Runner-up | Finals | Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phil Taylor | ENG England | 11 | 0 | 11 | 19 |
| 2 | Michael van Gerwen | NED Netherlands | 6 | 1 | 7 | 15 |
| 3 | James Wade | ENG England | 2 | 1 | 3 | 21 |
| 4 | Gerwyn Price | WAL Wales | 1 | 2 | 3 | 11 |
| Luke Humphries | ENG England | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
| 6 | Alan Warriner | ENG England | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
| Colin Lloyd | ENG England | 1 | 1 | 2 | 14 | |
| 8 | Robert Thornton | SCO Scotland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Daryl Gurney | NIR Northern Ireland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | |
| Jonny Clayton | WAL Wales | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
| Mike De Decker | BEL Belgium | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| Luke Littler | ENG England | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 13 | Shayne Burgess | ENG England | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| John Part | CAN Canada | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 | |
| Terry Jenkins | ENG England | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | |
| Raymond van Barneveld | NED Netherlands | 0 | 2 | 2 | 16 | |
| Dave Chisnall | ENG England | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 | |
| 18 | Rod Harrington | ENG England | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Roland Scholten | NED Netherlands | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | |
| Adrian Lewis | ENG England | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | |
| Brendan Dolan | NIR Northern Ireland | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 | |
| Mervyn King | ENG England | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 | |
| Gary Anderson | SCO Scotland | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | |
| Simon Whitlock | AUS Australia | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | |
| Peter Wright | SCO Scotland | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | |
| Dirk van Duijvenbode | NED Netherlands | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| Nathan Aspinall | ENG England | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
- Active players are shown in bold
- Only players who reached the final are included
- In the event of identical records, players are sorted by date first achieved
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.
| Player | Year (+ Round) | Method (double-in double-out) | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NIR Brendan Dolan | 2011, Semi-Final | D20, 2 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T17, Bull | ENG James Wade | 5–2 |
| ENG James Wade | 2014, 2nd Round | D20, 2 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T17, Bull | SCO Robert Thornton | 3–2 |
| SCO Robert Thornton | 2014, 2nd Round | D20, 2 x T20; 3 x T20; T20, T17, Bull | ENG James Wade | 2–3 |
High averages
An average over 100 in a match in the World Grand Prix has been achieved 24 times, of which Phil Taylor is responsible for 9.
| Ten highest World Grand Prix one-match averages | Average | Player | Year (+ Round) | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 106.47 | NED Gian van Veen | 2025, 1st Round | ENG Luke Littler | 0–2 | |
| 106.45 | ENG Alan Warriner | 2001, 1st Round | ENG Andy Jenkins | 2–0 | |
| 105.58 | ENG Luke Littler | 2025, 1st Round | NED Gian van Veen | 2–0 | |
| 104.86 | SCO Gary Anderson | 2013, 1st Round | NED Jelle Klaasen | 2–0 | |
| 104.47 | NED Michael van Gerwen | 2013, 1st Round | CAN John Part | 2–0 | |
| 103.09 | NED Michael van Gerwen | 2016, Quarter-Final | AUS Simon Whitlock | 3–1 | |
| 103.02 | ENG Phil Taylor | 2011, Semi-Final | WAL Richie Burnett | 5–2 | |
| 102.85 | ENG Dave Chisnall | 2020, 1st Round | ENG Glen Durrant | 2–0 | |
| 102.48 | ENG Phil Taylor | 2010, 1st Round | NIR Brendan Dolan | 2–0 | |
| 102.26 | ENG Phil Taylor | 2011, 1st Round | SCO Peter Wright | 2–1 |
| Five highest losing averages | Average | Player | Year (+ Round) | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 106.47 | NED Gian van Veen | 2025, 1st Round | ENG Luke Littler | 0–2 | |
| 97.78 | ENG Dave Chisnall | 2018, Quarter-Final | NED Michael van Gerwen | 1–3 | |
| 97.20 | SCO Gary Anderson | 2015, 2nd Round | ENG Ian White | 1–3 | |
| 97.03 | ENG Phil Taylor | 2015, 1st Round | NED Vincent van der Voort | 0–2 | |
| 96.84 | NED Michael van Gerwen | 2020, Quarter-Final | AUS Simon Whitlock | 0–3 |
| Different players with a 100+ match average – updated 07/10/25 | Player | Total | Highest Av. | Year (+ Round) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENG Phil Taylor | 9 | 103.02 | 2011, Semi-Final | |
| NED Michael van Gerwen | 4 | 104.47 | 2013, 1st Round | |
| ENG Dave Chisnall | 2 | 102.85 | 2020, 1st Round | |
| AUS Simon Whitlock | 2 | 101.12 | 2020, 1st Round | |
| NED Gian van Veen | 1 | 106.47 | 2025, 1st Round | |
| ENG Alan Warriner | 1 | 106.45 | 2001, 1st Round | |
| ENG Luke Littler | 1 | 105.58 | 2025, 1st Round | |
| SCO Gary Anderson | 1 | 104.86 | 2013, 1st Round | |
| ENG Ross Smith | 1 | 101.79 | 2024, 1st Round | |
| WAL Gerwyn Price | 1 | 100.82 | 2021, 1st Round | |
| ENG Luke Humphries | 1 | 100.30 | 2024, Semi-Final |
| Five highest tournament averages (min 3 matches) | Average | Player | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 99.46 | NED Michael van Gerwen | 2016 | |
| 99.23 | ENG Phil Taylor | 2010 | |
| 98.62 | ENG Phil Taylor | 2009 | |
| 98.50 | ENG Phil Taylor | 2008 | |
| 98.22 | ENG Phil Taylor | 2012 |
World Team Championship
The World Team Championship event which preceded the introduction of this event was held between 1995 and 1997.
| Year | Winners | Score | Runners up | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | ENG Eric Bristow | |||
| ENG Dennis Priestley | 14–9 (legs) | ENG Keith Deller | ||
| SCO Jamie Harvey | Butlin's Wonder West World, Ayr | |||
| 1996 | ENG Bob Anderson | |||
| ENG Phil Taylor | 18–15 (legs) | ENG Chris Mason | ||
| ENG Steve Raw | Willows Variety Centre, Salford | |||
| 1997 | NED Raymond van Barneveld | |||
| NED Roland Scholten | 18–15 (legs) | WAL Richie Burnett | ||
| ENG 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
References
- Phillips, Josh. (23 April 2025). "BoyleSports extends World Grand Prix sponsorship to 2027".
- Mardle, Wayne. (7 October 2020). "World Grand Prix is different from any other major tournament".
- "World Grand Prix 1998".
- Mirza, Raz. (7 October 2020). "Best nine-dart moments from the World Grand Prix Darts in Dublin".
- (9 September 2009). "New home for Grand Prix".
- Glennon, Michael. (27 August 2020). "Dublin to miss out on World Grand Prix with HSE holding Citywest lease".
- Phillips, Josh. (5 July 2021). "BoyleSports World Grand Prix heading to Leicester in October".
- "BoyleSports World Grand Prix moves to Coventry in 2020". [[Professional Darts Corporation]].
- "PDC World Pairs History". dartsdatabase.co.uk.
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
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