World Matchplay

The 2002 edition is a great edition in terms of historical value. Phil Taylor hits his first nine darter on TV and does so in the quarterfinals against Chris Mason. Taylor makes history as the first player to get it done in a televised tournament of the PDC. It earns him a cheque of 100,000 pounds. For a long time there is talk about the fact that Taylor has hit the first ever nine-darter live on TV, but that honour goes to Shaun Greatbatch. In the final of the Dutch Open a few months earlier Greatbatch throws a nine darter, also broadcasted live on TV.

In 2002, for the first time there are no longer eight seeded players, but sixteen. Probably because the organization wants to avoid too many of the senior players flying out in the first rounds. The new system works nicely because from the top eight players only the number six seed Peter Manley (17-15 vs Bob Anderson) and number eight seed Richie Burnett (1-10 vs Chris Mason) lose their first match.

For the only Dutchman; Roland Scholten the tournament ends after two rounds. He beats Paul Williams in the first round with 10-8, but one round later his great friend Colin Lloyd defeats him 13-5. Phil Taylor finds it difficult to complete his trilogy of wins. In the first three games he is indeed supreme. With averages of well over one hundred and of course the nine darter, but in the semi-finals good old John Lowe comes very close to a sensation. Lowe keeps the gap between him and Taylor very small and a surprise is in the air. Yet in the end Taylor proves just a little too strong,15-13. In the final it is the Canadian John Part who forces Taylor to a supreme effort. Only at 18-16 Part surrenders and therefore Taylor is the first player to win the World Matchplay title three times in a row. The tournament would be the prelude to the World Championship of 2003 in which Part did beat Taylor in a thrilling final.