it’s no secret that his masterplan
would have been a much harder
sell without its household name.
Present to oversee the launch of
his client’s deal with Target, Hearn
was quick to put perspective on
Taylor’s stance and achievements.
“I don’t think we’ll see any other
sportsman in our lifetime who
wins tournaments as consistently
as Phil does, he’s the essence
of professionalism in how he
prepares.
“There isn’t another sportsman
who can arguably have the same
record as Phil. You can forget Tiger
Woods, Roger Federer and Rafael
Nadal. None of them have got
anywhere near the consistency of
winning majors as Phil has,” he
added.
Photo: PDC/Lawrence Lustig
isosceles. He looked lost and
desolate. He was whitewashed
7-0.
regaining the winning feeling in
progressing to the Semi-Finals the
next day.
Queue the critics, all too quick to
write off Taylor’s chances, albeit
with 15 weeks of the league
remaining. But if there’s one vital
lesson to be learned, it is to never
write Philip Taylor off.
But then came a fanfare finish.
A string of ton-plus averages and
notably a rip-roaring nine-darter
en route to a final show-down
with protégé Adrian Lewis on day
three.
So just over 12 hours later, from
a 10,000-seater Echo Arena to an
empty sports hall in Wigan, Taylor
was back in competitive action
in the first UK Open qualifying
weekend.
The shackles were off for Taylor
as he recorded a 107.7 average
in a 6-2 win to take the title,
confirming the triumph with a
further nine-darter in the last leg.
He was back, but in reality, he had
never been away.
The hangover seemingly refused
to vanish as he was subjected to
a second round defeat to 21-yearold Keegan Brown on day one,
before finding his feet and slowly
Barry Hearn is a man who takes
much credit for the transformation
of darts from a pub pastime to a
global sporting phenomenon, but
Taylor’s lack of match practice
with the new arrows of desire
in the build up to the start of
the Premier League may have
contributed heavily towards the
red-faced thrashing from van
Gerwen, but even for the sport’s
greatest seasoned professional,
the remedy of winning matches
provides the ultimate confidence
boost.
And so with the first of
undoubtedly many successes in
2014 and beyond under his belt,
Taylor marks the start of a new
chapter in his illustrious career
and remains the force to be
reckoned with on planet darts.
Taylor is not resting on his laurels.
He is hungrier than ever before.
A tungsten machine built not to
last, but to outlast.
By Jamie Shaw