Phil Taylor (darts player)

Phil Taylor
Phil Taylor
	Taylor at the 2018 World Championship
Personal information
Full name	Philip Douglas Taylor
Nickname	"The Power"; "The Crafty Potter";
Born	13 August 1960 (age 64); Stoke-on-Trent, England
Darts information
Darts	26g Target Phil Taylor Gen 11
Laterality	Right-handed
Walk-on music	"The Power" by Snap!
Organisation (see split in darts)
BDO	1987–1993
PDC	1993–2018 (founding member)
WDF major events – best performances
World Ch'ship	Winner (2): 1990, 1992
World Masters	Winner (1): 1990
World Trophy	Winner (1): 2006
Int. Darts League	Quarter-final: 2006
PDC premier events – best performances
World Ch'ship	Winner (14): 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2013
World Matchplay	Winner (16): 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017
World Grand Prix	Winner (11): 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013
UK Open	Winner (5): 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2013
Grand Slam	Winner (6): 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014
European Ch'ship	Winner (4): 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Premier League	Winner (6): 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012
Ch'ship League	Winner (4): 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013
Desert Classic	Winner (5): 2002, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009
US Open/WSoD	Winner (3): 2006, 2007, 2008
PC Finals	Winner (3): 2009, 2011, 2012
Masters	Winner (1): 2013
Champions League	Winner (1): 2016
World Series Finals	Semi-final: 2015, 2016
WSDT major events – best performances
World Ch'ship	Quarter-final: 2022, 2023
World Matchplay	Runner-up: 2022
World Masters	Runner-up: 2022
Champions	Quarter-final: 2023, 2024
Other tournament wins
PDC World Cup of Darts (team event)	2012, 2013, 2015, 2016
German Darts Championship	2012
German Darts Masters	2014
Gibraltar Darts Trophy	2013
Austrian Darts Open	2016
Players Championship (AUS)	2010
Players Championship (BRI)	2008
Players Championship (CRA)	2014, 2015
Players Championship (DER)	2010 (x2)
Players Championship (EIN)	2008 (x2)
Players Championship (GER)	2008 (x2), 2009 (x2)
Players Championship (GIB)	2009 (x2)
Players Championship (HOL)	2005 (x2), 2007 (x2)
Players Championship (IRL)	2005, 2006, 2007,; 2008, 2009, 2011
Players Championship (KIL)	2009
Players Championship (LAV)	2008
Players Championship (MID)	2008
Players Championship (NUL)	2009 (x2)
Players Championship (REA)	2012
Players Championship (SOU)	2008, 2009
Players Championship (WAL)	2005, 2006
Players Championship (WIG)	2010, 2011 (x2)
Bobby Bourn Memorial	2003, 2004, 2005; 2006, 2007, 2008
Antwerp Darts Trophy	2008
US Open Players Championship	2010
UK Open Regional (IRL)	2002, 2004
UK Open Regional (MID)	2008, 2009
UK Open Regional (NWE)	2008
UK Open Regional (SWE)	2009
UK Open Regional (SOU)	2003, 2007, 2009
UK Open Regional (WAL)	2002, 2004, 2006
UK Open Qualifier	2010 (x2), 2011 (x2), 2012 (x2); 2014, 2015, 2016
Sydney Darts Masters	2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Perth Darts Masters	2014, 2015
Japan Darts Masters	2015
Melbourne Darts Masters	2017
Antwerp Open	1997, 1998
Australian Open	2012
Battle of the Champions	1997
Berlin Open	1993
British Pentathlon	1990, 1991
Canadian Open	1988
Center Parcs Masters	1996
Champion Vs Champion	1999, 2004
China Telecom Cup	2004
Dartgala Hengelo	2005, 2005, 2005
Denmark Open	1990
DPA Tournament of Champions	2012
Eastbourne Pro	2002
Finnish Open	1990
German Darts Championship	2007, 2009
Gleneagle Irish Masters	2009
Hemeco Open Rosmalen	2009, 2011
IRL Open Autumn Classic	2004, 2005
Isle of Man Open	1990
Jersey Festival of Darts	1990, 1999
Las Vegas Open	1989
London Masters	2008
Malta Open	1990
Masters of Darts	2005
MDA Face Off	2010
Montreal Open	2001, 2002
Munich Open	2006
News of the World Ch'ship	1997
North American Cup	2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
North American Open	1990, 1991
Northern Ireland Open	1989
Open Lunteren	2011
WDC UK Masters	1994
WDC UK Matchplay	1996
Pontins British Masters	1990
Quebec Open	2001
RTL7 Masters	2011
South African Masters	2007, 2008, 2009
Sunparks Masters	1996, 1997
WDF Europe Cup Singles	1990, 1992
WDF Europe Cup Pairs	1990
WDF Europe Cup Teams	1990, 1992
WDF World Cup Team	1991
World Team Championship	1996
Jocky Wilson Cup	2009
World Cricket Championship	2010
Other achievements
2002	Achieves his first televised nine-dart finish (and the first live televised nine-darter in the UK) at World Matchplay
2004	Becomes first player to hit a second televised nine-dart finish
2005	Hits third televised nine-dart finish at the UK Open
2006	PDC Player of the Year
2007	Fourth televised nine-darter in IDL in the Netherlands
2007	Fifth televised nine-darter in 2007 UK Open at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton
2007	PDC Fans' Player of the Year
2008	Sixth televised nine-darter in 2008 UK Open
2008	Fans' Player of the Year, PDC Player of the Year and PDPA Player's Player of the Year
2009	PDC Player of the Year, PDPA Players' Player of the Year, Fans' Player of the Year and Best PDC Pro Tour Player
2010	Inaugural inductee into Stoke-on-Trent Sporting Hall of Fame
2010	Hit two televised nine-dart finishes in Premier League Final against James Wade
2010	Scored what was then a world record televised average of 118.66 against Kevin Painter in UK Open
2012	Hits ninth televised nine-darter in the Premier League against Kevin Painter.
2014	Hits tenth televised nine-darter in the World Matchplay against Michael Smith.
2015	Becomes the first man to hit a nine-darter in the World Series of darts in the Sydney Masters against Peter Wright. It was his 11th televised nine-darter.
	Updated on 24 December 2016.

Philip Douglas Taylor (born 13 August 1960) is an English former professional darts player. Nicknamed "The Power",^[5] he dominated darts across three decades and is widely considered the greatest darts player of all time, having won 214 professional tournaments, including a record 85 major titles and a record 16 World Championships.^[6] In 2015, the BBC rated Taylor among the ten greatest British sportsmen of the last 35 years.^[7]

Taylor won eight consecutive World Championships from 1995 to 2002, reached 14 consecutive finals from 1994 to 2007 and reached 21 world finals overall, all of which are records. He held the world number one ranking for thirteen years in total, including eight in a row from 2006 to 2013. He won 70 PDC Pro Tour events, which was a record until Michael van Gerwen passed it in February 2019. Taylor hit a record 11 televised nine-dart finishes (and 22 overall). He was also the first person to hit two nine-dart finishes in the same match.^[8]

Taylor played in competitions organised by the British Darts Organisation (BDO) until 1993. Amidst growing disenchantment with the BDO, he was among 16 top players who broke away to form their own organisation, the World Darts Council, now known as the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). He won the PDC Player of the Year award six times (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012) and was twice nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, in 2006 and 2010; in the latter event he finished as runner-up, making him the only darts player ever to finish in the top two.^[9]^[10] He was inducted into the PDC Hall of Fame in 2011.^[11] Taylor retired from professional darts after the 2018 World Championship. In 2022 he entered the inaugural 2022 World Seniors Darts Championship, and lost to Kevin Painter in the quarter-finals.

^ Cite error: The named reference PDC Profile was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Wade scoops PDC Player of the Year award". Matchroomsport. 10 January 2008. Archived from the original on 12 March 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
^ Cite error: The named reference stokehall was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Taylor on Fire, Whitewashes Kevin Painter and sets new Record with 118.66 AVG". The Oche. 5 June 2010. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
^ "Part relishes Taylor triumph". BBC Sport. 6 January 2003. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
^ "Phil Taylor player profile". Dartsdatabase. Archived from the original on 18 January 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
^ "Top 10: Best of British sportsmen of the last 35 years". BBC. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
^ "Historic Taylor nails TWO 9 darters in Premier League triumph!". Unicorn: The Big Name in Darts. Unicorn. 24 May 2010. pp. "Unicorn Darts News" section. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
^ BBC Press Office (4 December 2006). "BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2006 shortlist unveiled". Unicorn: The Big Name in Darts. BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
^ "Sports Personality of the Year 2010: Phil Taylor". Unicorn: The Big Name in Darts. BBC Sport. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
^ "PDC Hall of Fame". pdc.tv. Retrieved 13 December 2019.

[PDC_Profile-1] Cite error: The named reference PDC Profile was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[2] "Wade scoops PDC Player of the Year award". Matchroomsport. 10 January 2008. Archived from the original on 12 March 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2010.

[stokehall-3] Cite error: The named reference stokehall was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[4] "Taylor on Fire, Whitewashes Kevin Painter and sets new Record with 118.66 AVG". The Oche. 5 June 2010. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2010.

[5] "Part relishes Taylor triumph". BBC Sport. 6 January 2003. Retrieved 18 January 2010.

[6] "Phil Taylor player profile". Dartsdatabase. Archived from the original on 18 January 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2010.

[7] "Top 10: Best of British sportsmen of the last 35 years". BBC. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2019.

[2_nine_darts-8] "Historic Taylor nails TWO 9 darters in Premier League triumph!". Unicorn: The Big Name in Darts. Unicorn. 24 May 2010. pp. "Unicorn Darts News" section. Retrieved 27 July 2010.

[SPOTY_2006-9] BBC Press Office (4 December 2006). "BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2006 shortlist unveiled". Unicorn: The Big Name in Darts. BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 November 2010.

[SPOTY_2010-10] "Sports Personality of the Year 2010: Phil Taylor". Unicorn: The Big Name in Darts. BBC Sport. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2010.

[11] "PDC Hall of Fame". pdc.tv. Retrieved 13 December 2019.

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