RTL7 Masters

The RTL7 Masters (also called the RTL7 International Masters) was a professional darts tournament held at the Hotel Zuiderduin in Egmond aan Zee, Netherlands, between 18 to 21 March 2011. It was the second of seven non-ranking Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events of the 2011 season. The competition was created by the Dutch television channel RTL 7 as a new darts tournament to be staged in the Netherlands and was contested by a total of 12 players: six from the Netherlands and six from outside the country in four groups of three.

2011 RTL7 Masters
Tournament information
Dates18–21 March 2011
VenueHotel Zuiderduin
LocationEgmond aan Zee
Country Netherlands
Organisation(s)PDC
FormatLegs
Prize fund€80,000
Winner's share€20,000
High checkout170  Raymond van Barneveld (NED)
Champion(s)
 Phil Taylor (ENG)

Phil Taylor, the 15-time world champion, defeated Raymond van Barneveld by eight legs to three in the final. He achieved the highest average in a televised final of 113.6, bettering his own record from the 2010 Premier League Darts final. Taylor won his group with victories over Adrian Lewis and Terry Jenkins, and then beat James Wade in the quarter-finals and Gary Anderson in the semi-finals. Van Barneveld achieved the tournament's highest checkout, a 170, in the third leg of his quarter-final match against Roland Scholten.

Background and format
Egmond aan Zee, where the tournament was held

The Dutch television channel RTL 7 established the RTL7 Masters as a new darts tournament to be held in the Netherlands after it acquired the television rights of darts from SBS6.[1] On 22 February 2011, the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and RTL 7 publicly announced the tournament would be staged at the Hotel Zuiderduin in Egmond aan Zee, from 18 to 21 March.[2] It was the second of seven non-ranking PDC competitions in the 2011 season,[3] and had a total prize fund of €80,000.[4] The tournament was broadcast live in the Netherlands on RTL 7 with commentary from Albert Mantingh and Jacques Nieuwlaat.[5]

A total of 12 players were in the competition: six from the Netherlands and six from the rest of the world. This was the first televised darts tournament in the Netherlands with non-Dutch players since the 2007 World Darts Trophy.[5] Every match was the best-of-15 legs,[4] and all players were divided into three groups of four.[5] If there was a tie on points in a group, the order would be determined by a game between the tied players.[4] The first two winners of the quarter-finals played each other in the first semi-final with the third and fourth quarter-final victors in the second semi-final.[5] The order of play for the semi-finals was determined after each of the quarter-finals.[4] The final on 21 March was contested by a Dutchman and a rest of the world player.[5]

Prize fund

The breakdown of prize money is shown below:[4]

  • Winner: €20,000
  • Runner-up: €12,000
  • Semi-finalists (×2): €8,000
  • Quarter-finalists (×4): €5,000
  • Group stage (×4): €3,000
  • Total: €80,000

Group stages

Group A took place on 18 March.[4] Co Stompé played the first match against Jelle Klaasen, a former BDO world champion. The game was tied at 2–2 before Stompé clinched five legs in a row as Klaasen failed to finish on a double ring three times.[6] Stompé won the game 8–3 on his fourth try at finishing on a double ring.[7] The next match featured Stompé and the 2004 UK Open winner Roland Scholten.[6] Stompé held a 2–1 lead with finishes on the double 4 and 20 rings and won 8–1 with a 161 checkout in leg seven,[7] to go through into the quarter-finals.[6] The final match of the group was between Klaasen and Scholten. The first ten legs were shared to enter a five-leg shootout before Scholten won 8–5 to qualify for the quarter-finals and knock out Klaasen with finishes on the double 8, 7 and 10 rings in the final three legs.[7]

Group B was played on 19 March.[4] Phil Taylor, the 15-time world champion,[8] was drawn to play Terry Jenkins.[9] Taylor led 3–0 from checkouts of 84 and 124 before Jenkins took leg four on a 100 checkout. Taylor won the next two legs on the double 4 and 20 rings. Jenkins took leg seven with 12 dart throws and the eighth from a 104 checkout completed on the double 12 ring. Taylor won three of the next four legs to win 8–5.[9] Taylor and the 2011 world champion Adrian Lewis played the group's second fixture.[8] The first two legs were shared before Taylor took a 4–1 lead. Checkouts of 124 and 100 gave Lewis legs six and seven before Taylor won entry to the quarter-finals 8–4 on the double 12 ring. Both men each made six maximum scores.[9] The final game between Lewis and Jenkins went to 2–2 before the former won three legs in a row to go 5–2 in front. Jenkins won leg eight after Lewis failed to complete an 103 checkout. Lewis took three more legs to win 8–3 and entry into the quarter-finals.[9]

Group C was staged on the same day.[4] Raymond van Barneveld and the 2007 UK Open runner-up Vincent van der Voort played the group's first game. The match was tied 1–1 early on and later went to 5–5 before Van Barneveld won the 11th and 12th legs for a two-leg lead. The 13th leg was won by Van Der Voort after Van Barneveld missed three chances to win the game. Van Barneveld completed a 8–6 victory on the double 20 ring after Van Der Voort failed to hit the bullseye ring.[9] The next group match was between Michael van Gerwen and Van Barneveld. Tied at 2–2, checkouts of 64 and 88 gave Van Barneveld a clear 5–2 lead. The next three legs were shared before Van Barneveld made a 113 checkout and a 13-dart finish to win 8–5 and progress to the quarter-finals.[9] Van Der Voort began the final third group match against Van Gerwen by leading 3–1 until the latter won three legs in a row to tie at 4–4. Van Der Voort took four consecutive legs to win 8–4 and reach the quarter-finals.[9]

Group B was held on 20 March.[4] Gary Anderson and James Wade played the group's first match, which was tied at 3–3 after six legs. Anderson moved two legs ahead with 12 and 14-dart finishes respectively before Wade finished on the double ten ring. Anderson used two misses from Wade on the bullseye ring to win 8–4 on 15 dart throws in leg 12.[10] Simon Whitlock began the group's second game against Anderson with victories in the opening three legs from checkouts of 161 and 165. Anderson then tied the match with checkouts of 104 and 140 and later took a 7–3 lead. Whitlock won one further leg and Anderson took an 8–4 victory for qualification into the quarter-finals with a finish on the double 10 ring.[10] The final group game between Wade and Whitlock included three checkouts over 100 and went to a final leg decider that Wade won 8–7 on the double 14 ring to become the last player to qualify for the quarter-finals.[10]

Knockout rounds

Quarter-finals

The four quarter-finals took place on 20 March.[4] Stompé played Van Der Voort in the first quarter-final, which was tied at 5–5 from checkouts of 116 and 132 by the latter after the opening ten legs. Van Der Voort made a maximum score and won the 11th leg on a 36 checkout after Stompé was unable to finish on a double ring. He used errors from Stompé in legs 12 and 14 to win 8–6 and earn the first semi-final berth.[10] The second quarter-final was between Taylor and Wade. Taylor clinched the first three legs before Wade took two legs in a row to go 3–2 behind. Taylor then claimed four more legs to be within one of victory but Wade delayed it with an 83 checkout on a 14-dart finish. A missed opportunity for Wade to attain a 116 checkout allowed Taylor to achieve a 108 checkout and win the game 8–4.[10] Taylor said post-match while he appeared serious he was enjoying the competition, adding: "My finishing was superb against James and it had to be because he was coming off the back of a great win against Simon."[11]

Scholten and Van Barneveld contested the third quarter-final match. The first four legs were shared, which included a tournament-high 170 checkout from Van Barneveld in the third leg. Van Barneveld produced a checkout of 156 and finishes on the double 16, 18, 6, 8 and 19 rings to be within one leg of winning. Scholten achieved a 13-dart finish in leg ten for a third leg before a finish on the double 8 ring for Van Barneveld gave him an 8–3 victory.[10] Van Barneveld observed his performance and said it was important to maintain his finishing against Van Der Voort.[11] The last quarter-final was played between Anderson and Lewis. The first four legs were won by Lewis from checkouts of 77, 61 and 167 and Anderson the next four to equal at 4–4. Lewis took leg nine to return to the lead until Anderson produced an 80 checkout to tie the score for the second time. Anderson took the next three legs to earn the final semi-final spot with an 8–5 victory.[10] He won for the first time against Lewis since 2009 and requited losses to his opponent in the 2011 World Championship final and the Glasgow round of the 2011 Premier League Darts.[12]

Semi-finals and final

Both of the semi-finals were held on 21 March.[4] The first semi-final pitted Van Barneveld against Van Der Voort. Van Barneveld won the first four legs from checkouts of 89 and 86. Van Der Voort ended the streak in leg five with a finish on the double 16 ring after Van Barneveld twice failed to finish on the double 12 ring. The sixth leg was won by Van Barneveld on the double 20 ring after 13 throws and the seventh by Van Der Voort with a finish on the double 10 ring. Van Barneveld took three legs in a row for a 8–2 win and the first spot in the final; he failed at achieving a nine-dart finish in the ninth leg.[13] The second semi-final was between Anderson and Taylor. The first six legs were shared between both players until Taylor took leg seven with a checkout 107 after Anderson failed to hit the bullseye ring for a 130 checkout; Taylor failed to achieve a nine-dart finish when he missed the triple 19 ring. Taylor took a three-leg lead and won the match 8–4 and the second final berth on the double 9 ring at his fourth try.[13]

The final between Taylor and Van Barneveld was staged on the same day.[4] Taylor achieved a maximum score before Van Barneveld won the first leg with an 80 checkout he completed in two throws after the latter failed to finish on the double 20 ring. Taylor tied the match with a 11-dart finish made on the double 20 ring and took the lead with a finish on the double 16 ring after 14 throws. He achieved an 89 checkout in 11 throws to increase his lead before Van Barneveld clinched leg five on the double 16 ring. Taylor won the next three legs and Van Barneveld the ninth on the double 17 ring in 14 throws after Taylor failed to complete a 167 checkout on the bullseye ring. He later made an 84 checkout in leg 10 and finished on the double 18 ring in the 11th to win the game 8–3 and the competition.[13]

Taylor earned €20,000 prize money for winning the tournament, and achieved an average of 113.6, the highest for the final of a televised tournament.[14] He bettered his own record of 111.67 against Wade in the 2010 Premier League Darts final.[15] It was Van Barneveld's seventh loss in a row to Taylor in the final of a competition.[14] Taylor said he was delighted to have won the event and enjoyed the final with Van Barneveld because it projected his best qualities, adding: "The key leg was the sixth when Raymond missed two darts to take out 98, and after that I dug in and got the job done. I've really enjoyed the tournament and it's a great way to finish."[14]

Draw and results

The players highlighted in bold text in the table indicate who progressed to the quarter-finals. Players in bold to the right of the tables denote match winners.[16]

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Knockout rounds

Figures given to the left of player's names state their finishing position in a group. The figures in brackets to the right of a competitor's name state their three-dart averages in a match. Players in bold denote match winners.[16]

Quarter-finals
(best of 15 legs)
20 March 		Semi-finals
(best of 15 legs)
21 March 		Final
(best of 15 legs)
21 March
         
A1  Co Stompé (NED) 85.82 6
C2  Vincent van der Voort (NED) 90.13 8
C2 Vincent van der Voort 92.98 2
C1 Raymond van Barneveld 101.92 8
C1  Raymond van Barneveld (NED) 99.53 8
A2  Roland Scholten (NED) 88.78 3
C1 Raymond van Barneveld 94.38 3
B1 Phil Taylor 113.60 8
B1  Phil Taylor (ENG) 107.65 8
D2  James Wade (ENG) 98.93 3
B1 Phil Taylor 95.56 8
D1 Gary Anderson 96.12 4
D1  Gary Anderson (SCO) 100.57 8
B2  Adrian Lewis (ENG) 100.22 5

References
  1. "International Masters 2011". Mastercaller. Archived from the original on 21 July 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  2. "RTL 7 organiseert eigen dartstoernooi" [RTL 7 organizes its own darts tournament] (in Dutch). MediaCourant. 22 February 2011. Archived from the original on 21 July 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  3. "2011 PDC Darts Event Calendar". Darts Database. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  4. "RTL7 International Masters NetZone". Professional Darts Corporation. 18 March 2011. Archived from the original on 22 March 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  5. "Voorbeschouwing RTL7 Darts International Masters" [Preview RTL7 Darts International Masters] (in Dutch). RTL 7. 14 March 2011. Archived from the original on 22 March 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  6. Higham, Paul (19 March 2011). "Stompe storms through; Stompe and Scholten progress from opening Dutch group of Masters". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 27 March 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  7. "RTL7 International Masters – Friday". Professional Darts Corporation. 18 March 2011. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  8. Higham, Paul (20 March 2011). "Barney and Taylor unbeaten; Barney and The Power both unbeaten in making quarter-finals". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 23 March 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  9. "RTL7 International Masters – Saturday". Professional Darts Corporation. 19 March 2011. Archived from the original on 22 March 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  10. "RTL7 International Masters – Sunday". Professional Darts Corporation. 19 March 2011. Archived from the original on 22 March 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  11. Higham, Paul (21 March 2011). "Anderson turns the tables; Scotsman beats world champion in Dutch tournament, now faces Taylor". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 23 March 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  12. "Anderson gets revenge over Lewis in Holland". Berwickshire News. 23 March 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2020 – via Gale OneFile: News.
  13. "Taylor Wins RTL7 International Masters". Professional Darts Corporation. 21 March 2011. Archived from the original on 24 March 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  14. Higham, Paul (22 March 2011). "Taylor still has the Power; Taylor still in dominant form when capturing new title in Holland". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 25 March 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  15. "Phil Taylor – vítězí na RTL7 International Masters s rekordním průměrem" [Phil Taylor – wins the RTL7 International Masters with a record average] (in Czech). Czech Darts Organisation. 23 March 2011. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  16. "2011 RTL7 Masters Results". Darts Database. Archived from the original on 23 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  17. "International Masters 2011 – Groupstage". Mastercaller. Archived from the original on 21 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
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