Finally we had a night where there were no surprises and order was restored as Phil Taylor saw off Brendan Dolan 6-3 to win his tenth World Grand Prix final and get his hands back on two major trophies.
It was not so long ago that the demise of the Power was being widely forecast, but by winning in Dublin last night and the World Matchplay back in July he has put to rest any fears about his form and reminded all his closest rivals that they have an awful long way to go to usurp him as world number one.
The final ended in a highly predictable outcome but it was still an entertaining affair as Dolan continued to play some excellent stuff and kept the game alive as he won sets to make it 2-1 and 3-2.
The result was never really in doubt though and Taylor didn’t even need to be quite at his ruthless best on the doubles (just 34% on finishing) to win the contest and pick up the £100,000 prize money.
Brenan Dolan will be thrilled with his performance throughout the tournament and will be pleased he gave a good account of himself in the final, he has won a lot of admirers, a lot of money and a significantly improved world ranking this week. Undoubtedly the best seven days of his career.
As the dust settles in Dublin, here are the winners and losers in the Order of Merit…
Win
Predictably the surprise finalist Brendan Dolan has significantly improved on his ranking and crucially as the World Championships approaches, has stormed into the top 32. With the elite 32 in the rankings gaining automatic qualification to the biggest event of the year, his move up from 36th to 25th is huge, and with an over £20,000 buffer, he is very unlikely to lose the prized place.
Lose
The pressure continues to mount on Raymond van Barneveld as his exit in the second round has cost him dearly as he drops from sixth to eighth in the rankings, the lowest he has been for years. Newton and Webster are the two who have overtaken him and they are players on the rise, Barney must stop the rot or find himself dropping further down the standings.
Win
John Henderson is continuing to make an impact in the PDC, after only re-joining the company in January of this year. His run to the quarter-finals and the prize money of £12,500 has seen him jump from 58th to 45th and although the top 32 will be out of his reach this year, if his form continues in the Players Championships he is nailed on for a World Championship slot.
Lose
The luck of the draw really cost Andy Hamilton in Dublin as he was handed the tough task of a first round clash with Mark Webster, which he couldn’t come through. His run to the semis at the Matchplay saw him climb to 12th, but he has dropped back down to 17th thanks to his opening round exit in Ireland.
Win
The £20,000 Richie Burnett pocketed for his sensational run to the semi-finals was the biggest pay day the Welshman has had in a long while and has seen him jump five places in the rankings to 36th, past the likes of Tony Eccles and Michael van Gerwen.
Lose
Burnett only qualified for the Grand Prix with a surprise win in the Players Championship in Nuland which rocketed him up the Players Championship Order of Merit at the last minute. The man unlucky to lose his place in Dublin as a result was Colin “Ozzy” Osbourne. Things got worse for the former Wizard during the tournament as Dennis Ovens’ first round win saw him pick up enough cash to rise two places and knock Ozzy out of the world’s top 20.
Special Mention
Mark Hylton has had a great year and he continued it with a quarter-final appearance in Dublin to match reaching the same stage at the UK Open but due to the success of those around him in the rankings, his £12,500 could not help him improve on his 38th spot. It is only a matter of time before he enters the top 32 you would think though.
The undoubteded highlight of the 2011 World Grand Prix:
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