Arena MK in Milton Keynes hosted the sixth edition of The Masters from 26-28 January. Michael van Gerwen won the tournament for the fourth time in a row. ‘Mighty Mike’ faced his compatriot Raymond van Barneveld in a stunning final.
Until 8-8 it was Van Barneveld who looked like he was in control, but two 12-dart legs and a 124 checkout brought Van Gerwen the win. Mighty Mike showed his class the whole weekend. The number one seed started his campaign with a 10-6 win over the Belgium ace Kim Huybrechts. In his win (10-2) over James Wade Van Gerwen even averaged a stunning 111.14. Gary Anderson also did not stand a chance against Van Gerwen. The Scotsman lost 11-5 in the semi-final.
Raymond van Barneveld reached the final after wins over Dave Chisnall, Peter Wright and Mensur Suljovic. The man from The Hague showed his class, especially in his match against Wright. Barney won 10-2 and averaged 103.51. After his final against Van Gerwen ‘Barney’ said that although he did not win, he will leave Milton Keynes with a positive feeling. “Strong Tournament with the top 15 in the world and one out of this world, congratulations Michael van Gerwen’’, Van Barneveld stated on Twitter.