Anyone who has ever come into contact with darts has, sooner or later, come across the name Phil Taylor. Phil Taylor is the reason why darts has undergone a development that few in Germany ever thought possible. Therefore, we would like to introduce you to Phil "The Power" Taylor in more detail. Even though the game has changed in some ways and, above all, improved, Phil Taylor remains the figurehead of "his" sport – probably forever.
The Beginnings of Phil “The Power” Taylor
The most successful darts player of all time was born in Stoke-on-Trent in 1960. Taylor first came into contact with darts in a local pub. Taylor picked up the darts and started throwing – until he was finally discovered by Eric Bristow, five-time world champion. In the 1980s, Bristow was considered, along with John Lowe, the most successful darts player of his time. Above all, however, he seemed convinced of Taylor's abilities. Bristow sponsored his new protégé with a whopping 10,000 pounds. The condition was that Taylor would pay him back the money with the prize money he had earned. Thanks to the financial injection, Taylor trained more and participated in significantly more tournaments.
The first participation in a World Championship
In 1990, after winning the Canadian Open, Phil Taylor was allowed to take part in a BDO (British Darts Organisation) World Championship for the first time. As an underdog, Taylor promptly reached the final and impressively defeated his mentor Eric Bristow 6-1 in sets. From then on, Taylor reigned supreme in darts and between 1995 and 2006 only lost one World Championship final, 7-6 to John Part in 2003. In the final of the 2007 World Championship, Phil Taylor lost what is arguably the best match of all time to his arch-rival Raymond van Barneveld in a sudden death leg. This World Championship also marked the end of Phil Taylor's long reign of dominance, even though The Power went on to win numerous titles in the years that followed. Due to the increasing competition, he was unable to consolidate his supremacy in the long term.
Several titles make him unique
Phil Taylor is the reason why darts has developed in a way that few people in Germany ever thought possible.
Phil Taylor's CV reads better than that of any other professional athlete. No individual athlete in the world has done so much for his sport. Phil Taylor achieved an impressive 16 World Championship victories in his career. He also won 16 times at his favorite tournament, the World Matchplay . He has 11 World Grand Prix victories, and Taylor has also won the Premier League six times. There are also numerous other titles that would probably take a bit longer to describe in this section. However, if you want to watch the official PDC tournaments live on TV, it's worth trying out the free one-month trial with DAZN !
Phil Taylor and the 9-darter
The 9-darter is considered the perfect move for completing a 501-point leg in double-out mode as quickly as possible. The statistics demonstrate how difficult this is. Phil Taylor is by far the player who has achieved this feat most often in front of live television cameras. If you ask professional players, you'll repeatedly hear that it's less of a problem to play such a leg in practice or without TV cameras. But in front of live TV cameras and the immense pressure of a spectator, the endeavor becomes a rarity.
Phil Taylor played his first perfect leg on television in 2002 against Chris Mason. It was only the fourth nine-darter ever broadcast. To date, Taylor has played a whopping eleven 9-darters in front of the television cameras - no other player has achieved more. A match from 2010 is still particularly well remembered by viewers and darts fans. Phil Taylor faced James Wade in the Premier League final. Taylor hit two 9-darters in one match in front of the television cameras, something that remains unique to this day. Also incredible: Taylor played another seven perfect darts in this match and only just missed his third 9-darter.
Even today it is still possible to meet him – for example at an exhibition
Even though Phil Taylor has retired from professional darts, it's still possible to see him in action. All well-known professional players can be booked for so-called "exhibitions." At an exhibition, it's essentially open to anyone to play a round against the darts legend. However, it should be noted that very few of us have the cash to book Phil Taylor for such an exhibition.
At an exhibition, the pros often perform small tricks or use unusual ways to end a leg. It's more of a show competition than a serious tournament. The setting of such an exhibition is ultimately irrelevant. While major event organizers use this to fill entire arenas, it's also possible to book players more privately. Depending on which player you want to book, you can easily lose between a few hundred or, to use Phil Taylor's example, a few thousand euros.
The Phil Taylor brand and his darts
As already mentioned, Phil Taylor does not only live off tournament victories. Taylor also knew how to market himself through good management. For a long time, Taylor was the figurehead of the company Unicorn , but towards the end of his career he switched to equipment supplier Target. However, Phil Taylor was most successful with his famous "Phase 5" darts from Unicorn. Even today, these have a hefty price tag of between 80 and 150 euros, depending on the model. Towards the end of his career, Taylor also brought a limited version of his darts onto the market - the so-called Legacy Darts, of which only 5,000 were produced and sold. Taylor used these darts at his last World Championship in 2018. Each model was given a corresponding number and signed by Taylor. On the black market, these darts fetch between 400 and 1,000 euros.
Phil Taylor's path to becoming a darts millionaire
Phil Taylor ultimately became a darts millionaire not only through his prize money, but also through his product marketing and the many exhibitions for which he is still booked today. Even though Michael van Gerwen, for example, has already broken many of Taylor's records, Phil Taylor remains the true number one for darts fans – ultimately also due to his 16 world championship titles. MvG is still 13 short of winning a World Championship.
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- Learn more about the Darts Premier League . Get an overview of the game format, schedule, and participants of the PDC Premier League
- The PDC Q-School is the first step toward a darts career. No talented player can avoid participating in the PDC Q-School.
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