Post by shitatdarts on Jun 29, 2010 20:18:53 GMT 1
GARY ANDERSON won his third tournament of 2010 with a 6-4 victory over Simon Whitlock in Monday's Las Vegas Players Championship.
Anderson followed up a quarter-final appearance in Sunday's PDC US Open Players Championship by taking the £6,000 first prize in the third of five days in the New Tropicana World Series of Darts Festival.
The victory continues a fine month for the Scot - who was the runner-up in the Rileys Darts Zones UK Open and also won a Players Championship in Barnsley.
After needing all 11 legs to defeat Mark Hylton in the first round at the Tropicana Hotel, Anderson then whitewashed fellow Scot Chris Loudon and Wales' Mark Webster in progressing to the last 16.
Steve Maish and Paul Lim were also defeated before a 6-2 win over Colin Lloyd put him into the decider against Australian star Whitlock.
After Whitlock took the opening leg, Anderson won the next three to lead 3-1, including an 11-dart finish to break his opponent's throw.
Whitlock won the fourth, but missed one dart at double top to level in the sixth as Anderson maintained his advantage.
Whitlock took the next two to level, but paid for three more missed doubles in leg nine, at double 18 and double nine, as Anderson took out 68 to lead 5-4 before hitting a 177 score and double eight in the next to seal the win.
"I'm really pleased to win this event," said Anderson. "Simon played well in the final and made it tough for me, but I'm glad I got over the finishing line."
Whitlock had been targeting his fifth Players Championship win of the year, but had been staring down the barrel of defeat in his quarter-final against Canada's Ken MacNeil, who led 5-1 but failed to close out the game.
Whitlock then overcame Chris Thompson 6-2 in the semi-finals, and had earlier seen off Sunday's runner-up Denis Ovens, as well as Sean Smyth, Donny Joe and Colin Monk.
Sunday's PDC US Open champion Phil Taylor was defeated 6-5 in the quarter-finals by York-based Thompson, who avenged a whitewash loss to the 15-time World Champion earlier this year in a Players Championship semi-final with a gritty 6-5 win.
Colin Lloyd followed up Sunday's nine-dart finish with a run to the last four on Monday, including a quarter-final defeat of Ronnie Baxter as well as a win over in-form Steve Brown.
MacNeil and American-based veteran Lim celebrated runs to the last eight with £1,000 prize money, while top US player Darin Young whitewashed Adrian Lewis on his way to the last 16.
Thompson's run saw him close in on a qualification spot for the StanJames.com World Matchplay ahead of a potentially dramatic final Players Championship on Tuesday - after when the 16 Players Championship Order of Merit qualifiers will be confirmed.
Anderson's win provisionally puts him inside the top 16, which would mean that Paul Nicholson could miss out on the World Matchplay, with Nigel Heydon currently ahead of him in the Players Championship Order of Merit.
Quarter-Finals
Chris Thompson 6-5 Phil Taylor
Simon Whitlock 6-5 Ken MacNeil
Gary Anderson 6-2 Paul Lim
Colin Lloyd 6-2 Ronnie Baxter
Losers £1,000
Semi-Finals
Simon Whitlock 6-2 Chris Thompson
Gary Anderson 6-2 Colin Lloyd
Losers £1,500
Final
Gary Anderson 6-4 Simon Whitlock
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000
Anderson followed up a quarter-final appearance in Sunday's PDC US Open Players Championship by taking the £6,000 first prize in the third of five days in the New Tropicana World Series of Darts Festival.
The victory continues a fine month for the Scot - who was the runner-up in the Rileys Darts Zones UK Open and also won a Players Championship in Barnsley.
After needing all 11 legs to defeat Mark Hylton in the first round at the Tropicana Hotel, Anderson then whitewashed fellow Scot Chris Loudon and Wales' Mark Webster in progressing to the last 16.
Steve Maish and Paul Lim were also defeated before a 6-2 win over Colin Lloyd put him into the decider against Australian star Whitlock.
After Whitlock took the opening leg, Anderson won the next three to lead 3-1, including an 11-dart finish to break his opponent's throw.
Whitlock won the fourth, but missed one dart at double top to level in the sixth as Anderson maintained his advantage.
Whitlock took the next two to level, but paid for three more missed doubles in leg nine, at double 18 and double nine, as Anderson took out 68 to lead 5-4 before hitting a 177 score and double eight in the next to seal the win.
"I'm really pleased to win this event," said Anderson. "Simon played well in the final and made it tough for me, but I'm glad I got over the finishing line."
Whitlock had been targeting his fifth Players Championship win of the year, but had been staring down the barrel of defeat in his quarter-final against Canada's Ken MacNeil, who led 5-1 but failed to close out the game.
Whitlock then overcame Chris Thompson 6-2 in the semi-finals, and had earlier seen off Sunday's runner-up Denis Ovens, as well as Sean Smyth, Donny Joe and Colin Monk.
Sunday's PDC US Open champion Phil Taylor was defeated 6-5 in the quarter-finals by York-based Thompson, who avenged a whitewash loss to the 15-time World Champion earlier this year in a Players Championship semi-final with a gritty 6-5 win.
Colin Lloyd followed up Sunday's nine-dart finish with a run to the last four on Monday, including a quarter-final defeat of Ronnie Baxter as well as a win over in-form Steve Brown.
MacNeil and American-based veteran Lim celebrated runs to the last eight with £1,000 prize money, while top US player Darin Young whitewashed Adrian Lewis on his way to the last 16.
Thompson's run saw him close in on a qualification spot for the StanJames.com World Matchplay ahead of a potentially dramatic final Players Championship on Tuesday - after when the 16 Players Championship Order of Merit qualifiers will be confirmed.
Anderson's win provisionally puts him inside the top 16, which would mean that Paul Nicholson could miss out on the World Matchplay, with Nigel Heydon currently ahead of him in the Players Championship Order of Merit.
Quarter-Finals
Chris Thompson 6-5 Phil Taylor
Simon Whitlock 6-5 Ken MacNeil
Gary Anderson 6-2 Paul Lim
Colin Lloyd 6-2 Ronnie Baxter
Losers £1,000
Semi-Finals
Simon Whitlock 6-2 Chris Thompson
Gary Anderson 6-2 Colin Lloyd
Losers £1,500
Final
Gary Anderson 6-4 Simon Whitlock
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000