Reigning champion James Wade has a tough draw with Peter Manley in his first match. He starts well, but after that One Dart takes control over the match. In the seventeenth and last leg, Manley eliminates The Machine. Wade is now the first-ever reigning champion who loses his first match at the UK Open.
Gary Anderson, who switched the BDO for the PDC, makes his PDC TV-debut in Bolton. He loses to Paul Nicholson in the first round. Mervyn King, Wayne Mardle and Vincent van der Voort all leave the tournament early.
Colin Osborne defeats the last Dutchman in the tournament, Raymond van Barneveld, in the last 16. Osborne would eventually reach the final to face Phil Taylor. An 11-6 victory for the Power brings him his third UK Open title.