2015 PDC World Championship

Posted: 21.10.14 in Darts Performance Centre Blog category

The 2015 World Championship is looming on the horizon but who will go home with the trophy?

The 2015 PDC World Championship will get under way on the 18^th December of this year, with the final due to take place on January 4^th 2015. This will be the 22^nd PDC World Championship and it is currently sponsored by bookmaker William Hill. London’s prestigious  Alexandra Palace will play host to the tournament as has been the case since 2008.

Holland’s Michael van Gerwen will arrive as the defending champion following his impressive performances throughout last year’s tournament and the bookies have put the title holder in as their 5/2 joint favourite to make a successful defence this time around. Van Gerwen has quickly established himself as a serious threat to the dominance of Phil The Power Taylor and he became the youngest player to win a PDC World Championship last year, at the age of just 24 years.

The current world number one has been on the PDC roster since 2007, and actually became a pro in 2005. Van Gerwin struggled for consistency in the early part of his career, but made a real breakthrough in 2012, working his way into the top five in the world rankings, before winning the Grand Prix in the October of that year.

The Dutchman hasn’t looked back since and partly due to the fact that Phil Taylor only play selectively on the tour, Van Gerwin has now managed to make the number one position in the PDC his very own.

Having won 14 of the 21 PDC World Championships that have taken place so far, it would be foolish to underestimate the chances of Phil The Power Taylor at the 2015 renewal. One three of the occasions he has failed to win the world title, Taylor has finished runner-up, which means that he has contested 17 of the 21 PDC World Championship finals, which is a quite incredible record. There have been a number of periods over the last decade where various pundits have tried to write off Phil Taylor and intimate that this legend of the game is now a spent force. Time and time again, The Power has come back with a bang to prove these doubters wrong.

Phil is now 54 years of age, and exactly how long he will be able to continue at the very highest level is open to question, but he can definitely mix it with the very best in the game, and is arguably still the best player in the world as things stand. Phil Taylor has been priced up at odds of 5/2 to win a 15^th PDC World Championship, and I for one can’t wait to see how he performs at the Ally Pally.

As a two time winner of the tournament, Adrian Lewis must enter calculations once again where the 2015 championship is concerned. Champion in both 2011 and 2012, Lewis has struggle for consistency since those two successes but things have improved over the last season or so and Adrian Lewis is currently up to the number three position in the world and will be a danger to all at the 2015 PDC World Championship in his current mood. Now at 29 years of age, I feel Lewis is showing a new level of maturity in recent times, something he was lacking in the early part of his career.

Adrian Lewis has a history of getting involved in minor spats with opponents which have arguably affected his chances in some tournaments. At the 2008 Holland Masters, Lewis received a six month ban and £400 fine for an altercation with Kevin Painter in the quarter finals of that competition. At odds of 10/1, Adrian Lewis could be an excellent each way alternative to the front two in the ante post betting market.

Going on current form as well as recent history, it’s difficult to see a player outside of the big three winning the 2015 PDC World Championship, but Gary Anderson, James Wade, Peter Wright and Raymond van Barneveld will all have their supporters come December.

Peter Wright caused a shock by reaching last year’s final, and maybe one of the lesser lights can reach the latter stages of the tournament once again. To do so, they will need to get past one of Michael van Gerwin or Phil Taylor, and those two champions could well meet in what would be a fitting final on January 4^th.

...................................................................................................................... 

The Darts Performance Centre is a resource to assist dart players of all standards play better darts. The site is arranged as an online coaching manual. There is advice on technique, nerves, psychology, goal setting, practice games, an area to log your statistics and an interactive area where your darting questions are answered by two sports scientists, one with 30 years dart playing experience. You also get an invite to our free but exclusive members only events and acess to our members only darts coaching app! Membership is £25 per year!