Phil Taylor to quit professional darts after PDC world championships
Phil Taylor said 2017 will be his last year on the professional circuit. The 16-times world champion and the undisputed greatest player in history confirmed his decision before the Masters event in Milton Keynes that started on Friday night.
The 56-year-old stands alone as the man to have done more than anyone to make darts the force it is today.
Michael van Gerwen beats Anderson to win PDC World Darts Championship
Read moreThe Professional Darts Corporation tweeted Taylor’s decision, saying: “Phil Taylor confirms that 2017 will be his final year on the PDC Circuit.”
Taylor will embark on what is likely to be a celebratory farewell tour which will wind up at the world championships at Alexandra Palace at the end of the year.
The Burslem man, who won the first of his world titles in 1990, had made little secret of his desperation to win a 17th crown there earlier this month. A crushing quarter-final defeat to his long-time foe Raymond van Barneveld put paid to that ambition and he had to watch as Michael van Gerwen – the heir to his throne – beat Gary Anderson in the final.
Taylor, so accustomed to holding the No1 ranking, is sixth in the world and remains one of the sport’s leading forces.
“It’s the last year for me, this will probably be my last Masters so at the end of the year, that’s me done,” he told ITV Sport. “The world championship will be my last one and I’m looking forward to it now, I’m really looking forward to it. Last one, January, that’s it, no more.”
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/jan/27/phil-taylor-darts-2017-final-year
The 56-year-old stands alone as the man to have done more than anyone to make darts the force it is today.
Michael van Gerwen beats Anderson to win PDC World Darts Championship
Read moreThe Professional Darts Corporation tweeted Taylor’s decision, saying: “Phil Taylor confirms that 2017 will be his final year on the PDC Circuit.”
Taylor will embark on what is likely to be a celebratory farewell tour which will wind up at the world championships at Alexandra Palace at the end of the year.
The Burslem man, who won the first of his world titles in 1990, had made little secret of his desperation to win a 17th crown there earlier this month. A crushing quarter-final defeat to his long-time foe Raymond van Barneveld put paid to that ambition and he had to watch as Michael van Gerwen – the heir to his throne – beat Gary Anderson in the final.
Taylor, so accustomed to holding the No1 ranking, is sixth in the world and remains one of the sport’s leading forces.
“It’s the last year for me, this will probably be my last Masters so at the end of the year, that’s me done,” he told ITV Sport. “The world championship will be my last one and I’m looking forward to it now, I’m really looking forward to it. Last one, January, that’s it, no more.”
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/jan/27/phil-taylor-darts-2017-final-year