The UK Open are a PDC tournament which took place since 2003 at the beginning of June in the Reebok stadium in Bolton
(the home of the Bolton Wanderes). In 2014 both the Venue and the date changed: the UK Open Finals were moved to the Butlin's Resort in Minehead and take place at the
beginning of March.
The main sponsor changed several times. 2003 it was Sky Sports, 2004 - 2006 Budweiser, 2007 - 2009 Blue Square, 2010 Rileys Dart Zone, 2011 - 2013 Speedy Hire and since 2014 Coral.
2024 Ladbrokes is the new main sponsor
The PDC players donīt qualify through the PDC Order of Merit but through a special UK Open Order of Merit by a series of qualifiers. The ranking is
decided by the price money the players earn playing the qualifiers and the players have to play at least two of
them to be able to take part in the finals. Up to 2009 those qualifiers were regional qualifiers which took place in different
parts of the UK but that changed in 2010 when the PDC decided
to reduce the number of venues to four: Barnsley, Wigan, Crawley and Derby, which all are quite easy to get to
for the players. The UK Open always are organised as Pro Tour weekends with a qualifier on Saturday and a qualifier on Sunday.
In 2014 there was another change and the number of qualifiers was reduced to six which take place at two weekends from Friday to Sunday in February.
Originally the Top 128 of the UK Open Order of Merit took part in the finals. By now the number is reduced to the Top 96.
Added to those 96 are 32 amateur qualifiers qualified by the pub qualifiers which are open to all players who are not
members of the PDPA. Often BDO players qualified via pub qualifying for the tournament such as Scott Waites or Anastasia
Dorbomyslova in the year she switched to the PDC.
The pub qualifiers are organised from changing pub chains and a lot of players enter them-2010 there were 3500 players
taking part fighting for the 32 places.
In 2010 there were 10 additional places for those counties who had voted for a takeover from the BDO by the PDC
In 2011 32 amateurs could qualify from a special qualification organised by the main sponsor Speedy Hire for the first round.
Since 2014 the 32 amateur qualifiers come from 32 Riley's sports bars qualifiers.
From 2019 no longer UK Open Qualifiers were played. Instead all 128 Tour Card Holders will qualify for the tournament.
The number of amateur qualifiers will be reduced to 16 and the top 8 of the Challenge Tour Order of Merit and the Development Tour order of Merit who will
not have a Tour Card after Qualifying School in January will qualify as well for the tournament.
The UK Open is a mixture of floor and stage tournament. The early rounds are played as a floor tournament with several
matches played at the same time and a few selected stage matches. The Top 32 of the UK Open Order of Merit enter the
tournament in the fourth round, the players between 33 and 64 in third round and the ranks 65 - 96 start in second round.
All other players will begin the tournament in the first round. During the last two rounds only stage matches are played, first at the
main stage and the second stage, then only on the main stage.
The format is legs throughout with the number of legs increasing till the final.
The special of the UK Open is that the top players enter the tournament later but they are not seeded. Before every round
there is a new draw and it happens often enough that amateur players end up with the tops on stage in front of the
cameras and have a surprise in store.
The tournament from the beginning was televised by sky sports and is televised from the preliminary round on.
Phil Taylor didnīt win it as often as other tournaments but he managed to throw a Nine-Dart almost every year.
Till 2013 the tournament was televised by Sky Sports. Since 2014 ITV televises the tournament.
UK Open Winners
2003 | Phil Taylor | 18:8 | Shayne Burgess |
2004 | Roland Scholten | 11:6 | John Part |
2005 | Phil Taylor | 13:17 | Mark Walsh |
2006 | Raymond van Barneveld | 13:17 | Barrie Bates |
2007 | Raymond van Barneveld | 16:8 | Vincent van der Voort |
2008 | James Wade | 11:7 | Gary Mawson |
2009 | Phil Taylor | 11:6 | Colin Osborne |
2010 | Phil Taylor | 11:5 | Gary Anderson |
2011 | James Wade | 11:8 | Wes Newton |
2012 | Robert Thornton | 11:5 | Phil Taylor |
2013 | Phil Taylor | 11:4 | Andy Hamilton |
2014 | Adrian Lewis | 11:1 | Terry Jenkins |
2015 | Michael van Gerwen | 11:5 | Peter Wright |
2016 | Michael van Gerwen | 11:4 | Peter Wright |
2017 | Peter Wright | 11:6 | Gerwyn Price |
2018 | Gary Anderson | 11:7 | Corey Cadby |
2019 | Nathan Aspinall | 11:5 | Rob Cross |
2020 | Michael van Gerwen | 11:9 | Gerwyn Price |
2021 | James Wade | 11:5 | Luke Humphries |
2022 | Danny Noppert | 11:10 | Michael Smith |
2023 | Andrew Gilding | 11:10 | Michael van Gerwen |
Price Money
| Winner | Runner-Up | Semifinals | Quarterfinals | Last 16 | Last 32 | Last 64 | Last 96 | Last 128 |
2012 | 40 000 Pound | 20 000 Pound | 10 000 Pound | 6000 Pound | 4000 Pound | 2000 Pound | 1000 Pound | - | - |
2014 | 50 000 Pound | 25 000 Pound | 12 500 Pound | 7500 Pound | 5000 Pound | 3000 Pound | 1000 Pound | - | - |
2015/16 | 60 000 Pound | 30 000 Pound | 17 000 Pound | 10 000 Pound | 5000 Pound | 3000 Pound | 1500 Pound | - | - |
2017/18 | 70 000 Pound | 35 000 Pound | 17 500 Pound | 11 500 Pound | 6500 Pound | 3500 Pound | 1750 Pound | - | - |
2019/20/21 | 100 000 Pound | 40 000 Pound | 20 000 Pound | 12 500 Pound | 7500 Pound | 4000 Pound | 2000 Pound | 1000 Pound | - |
2023 | 110 000 Pound | 50 000 Pound | 30 000 Pound | 15 000 Pound | 10 000 Pound | 5000 Pound | 2500 Pound | 1500 Pound | 1000 Pound |
UK Open 2012