Players Championship 20 - Las Vegas 28th June 2010

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Anderson's Las Vegas Glory
28 Jun 2010

GARY ANDERSON won his third tournament of 2010 with a 6-4 victory over Simon Whitlock in Monday's Las Vegas Players Championship.[wrapimg=right]http://www.pdc.tv/javaImages/28/c0/0,,1 ... 016,00.jpg[/wrapimg]

Anderson followed up a quarter-final appearance in Sunday's PDC US Open Players Championship by taking the £6,000 first prize in the third of five days in the New Tropicana World Series of Darts Festival.

The victory continues a fine month for the Scot - who was the runner-up in the Rileys Darts Zones UK Open and also won a Players Championship in Barnsley.

After needing all 11 legs to defeat Mark Hylton in the first round at the Tropicana Hotel, Anderson then whitewashed fellow Scot Chris Loudon and Wales' Mark Webster in progressing to the last 16.

Steve Maish and Paul Lim were also defeated before a 6-2 win over Colin Lloyd put him into the decider against Australian star Whitlock.

After Whitlock took the opening leg, Anderson won the next three to lead 3-1, including an 11-dart finish to break his opponent's throw.

Whitlock won the fourth, but missed one dart at double top to level in the sixth as Anderson maintained his advantage.

Whitlock took the next two to level, but paid for three more missed doubles in leg nine, at double 18 and double nine, as Anderson took out 68 to lead 5-4 before hitting a 177 score and double eight in the next to seal the win.

"I'm really pleased to win this event," said Anderson. "Simon played well in the final and made it tough for me, but I'm glad I got over the finishing line."

Whitlock had been targeting his fifth Players Championship win of the year, but had been staring down the barrel of defeat in his quarter-final against Canada's Ken MacNeil, who led 5-1 but failed to close out the game.

Whitlock then overcame Chris Thompson 6-2 in the semi-finals, and had earlier seen off Sunday's runner-up Denis Ovens, as well as Sean Smyth, Donny Joe and Colin Monk.

Sunday's PDC US Open champion Phil Taylor was defeated 6-5 in the quarter-finals by York-based Thompson, who avenged a whitewash loss to the 15-time World Champion earlier this year in a Players Championship semi-final with a gritty 6-5 win.

Colin Lloyd followed up Sunday's nine-dart finish with a run to the last four on Monday, including a quarter-final defeat of Ronnie Baxter as well as a win over in-form Steve Brown.

MacNeil and American-based veteran Lim celebrated runs to the last eight with £1,000 prize money, while top US player Darin Young whitewashed Adrian Lewis on his way to the last 16.

Thompson's run saw him close in on a qualification spot for the StanJames.com World Matchplay ahead of a potentially dramatic final Players Championship on Tuesday - after when the 16 Players Championship Order of Merit qualifiers will be confirmed.

Anderson's win provisionally puts him inside the top 16, which would mean that Paul Nicholson could miss out on the World Matchplay, with Nigel Heydon currently ahead of him in the Players Championship Order of Merit.

Las Vegas Players Championship
Preliminary Round
Nigel Heydon 6-0 Matt Clark
Joey Narvades 6-3 Jason Roker
Greg Lewis 6-4 Jeff Noble
Chris Thompson 6-1 Kirk Shepherd
Gerry Convery 6-0 Nick Holmes
Ron Colvard 6-4 Jim Widmayer
Andy Jenkins 6-3 Arron Monk
Joe Cullen 6-4 George Timpone
John Kuczynski 6-4 Tony Randell
William O'Connor 6-0 Richard Hammond Jnr
Colin Monk 6-1 Scott Burnett
Don Campos 6-3 Dan Zimmerman
Stacy Bromberg 6-2 Eddie Lawrence
Frank Hernandez 6-1 Howard Meyers
Adrian Gray 6-0 Brian Jackson
Dan Olson 6-4 Roger Carter
Peter Schaumann 6-2 Shintaro Hirai
Connley Litton 6-0 Jim McKevitt
Mick McGowan 6-0 Scott Henning
Ross Snook 6-1 Andy Fordham
Ian McFarlane 6-1 Doug Meade
Rick Davis 6-4 Mark Blazevich
Clint Clarkson 6-5 Robert Heckman
Gary Mawson 6-0 Andy Relf
Dieter Schutsch 6-4 Chris White

First Round
Phil Taylor (1) 6-0 Dennis Smith
Stuart Brown 6-2 Dave Switzer
Steve Evans 6-3 John Part (32)
Nigel Heydon 6-3 Larry Butler
Andy Smith (16) 6-0 Joe Custer
Sean Downs 6-5 Dave Ladley
Richie Burnett 6-1 Paul Nicholson (17)
Greg Lewis 6-0 Joey Narvades
Mark Walsh (8) 6-1 Justin Pipe
Peter Manley 6-3 Joe Swick
Terry Jenkins (25) 6-4 Ian White
Chris Thompson 6-1 Gerry Convery
Andy Hamilton (9) 6-0 Damien McKenna
Daz Mawer 6-3 Akihiro Nagakawa
Brendan Dolan (24) 6-4 Aodhagan O'Neill
Andy Jenkins 6-3 Ron Colvard
Vincent van der Voort (5) 6-4 Jayson Barlow
Bill Davis 6-2 Steve Barlock
Jelle Klaasen (28) 6-0 Gregory Coburn
Joe Cullen 6-4 Nick Fullwell
Steve Beaton (12) 6-2 Hiromasa Mochizuki
Ken MacNeil 6-2 Nick Rivera
Kevin Painter (21) 6-3 Par Riihonen
William O'Connor 6-3 John Kuczynski
Simon Whitlock (4) 6-1 Sean Smyth
Donny Joe 6-0 Masahiko Sano
Tony Eccles (29) 6-3 David Flowers
Colin Monk 6-0 Robert Race
Denis Ovens (13) 6-5 Darren Johnson
Roland Scholten 6-0 Drazen Severin
Barrie Bates (20) 6-1 Stephen Panuncialman
Stacy Bromberg 6-5 Don Campos
Wes Newton (2) 6-3 Scott Kirchner
Kevin McDine 6-0 Andrew Bennett
Steve Hine (31) 6-0 Bobby Peters
Paul Lim 6-0 Frank Hernandez
Scott Rand 6-5 Colin Osborne (15)
David Kendall 6-4 Danny Wood
Alan Tabern (18) 6-0 Josh Daynes
Dan Olson 6-3 Adrian Gray
Gary Anderson (7) 6-5 Mark Hylton
Chris Loudon 6-5 Nico Depaynos
Mark Webster (26) 6-5 Bob Sinnaeve
Peter Schaumann 6-3 Dan Lauby
James Wade (10) 6-1 David Fatum
Steve Maish 6-4 Jim Newman
Robert Thornton (23) 6-1 Alex Roy
Mick McGowan 6-5 Connley Litton
Colin Lloyd (6) 6-1 Dan Lauby II
Isen Veljic 6-2 Al Moskwyn
Peter Wright (27) 6-3 Wayne Mardle
Ross Snook 6-0 Edwin Martin
Jamie Caven (11) 6-0 Paul DiCecca
Dave Honey 6-1 Ryan vander Wiet
Steve Brown (22) 6-5 Steve Grubb
Ian McFarlane 6-0 Rick Davis
Darin Young 6-0 Adrian Lewis (3)
Shawn Brenneman 6-1 Dave Ahmet
Co Stompe (30) 6-3 Ray Carver
Clint Clarkson 6-5 Andrew Penney
Ronnie Baxter (14) 6-0 Martin Hulme
Martyn Turner 6-0 Wayne Smith
Mark Dudbridge (19) 6-1 Mark Nielsen
Gary Mawson 6-5 Dieter Schutsch

Second Round
Phil Taylor 6-0 Stuart Brown
Nigel Heydon 6-2 Steve Evans
Andy Smith 6-2 Sean Downs
Richie Burnett 6-0 Greg Lewis
Mark Walsh 6-0 Peter Manley
Chris Thompson 6-5 Terry Jenkins
Andy Hamilton 6-1 Daz Mawer
Brendan Dolan 6-1 Andy Jenkins
Vincent van der Voort 6-1 Bill Davis
Jelle Klaasen 6-1 Joe Cullen
Ken MacNeil 6-4 Steve Beaton
Kevin Painter 6-5 William O'Connor
Simon Whitlock 6-1 Donny Joe
Colin Monk 6-2 Tony Eccles
Denis Ovens 6-5 Roland Scholten
Barrie Bates 6-3 Stacy Bromberg
Kevin McDine 6-3 Wes Newton
Paul Lim 6-2 Steve Hine
Scott Rand 6-5 David Kendall
Alan Tabern 6-2 Dan Olson
Gary Anderson 6-0 Chris Loudon
Mark Webster 6-0 Peter Schaumann
Steve Maish 6-5 James Wade
Robert Thornton 6-2 Mick McGowan
Colin Lloyd 6-0 Isen Veljic
Peter Wright 6-2 Ross Snook
Jamie Caven 6-1 Dave Honey
Steve Brown 6-1 Ian McFarlane
Darin Young 6-3 Shawn Brenneman
Co Stompe 6-1 Clint Clarkson
Ronnie Baxter 6-1 Martyn Turner
Mark Dudbridge 6-2 Gary Mawson
Losers £200

Third Round
Phil Taylor 6-2 Nigel Heydon
Andy Smith 6-3 Richie Burnett
Chris Thompson 6-5 Mark Walsh
Andy Hamilton 6-3 Brendan Dolan
Vincent van der Voort 6-4 Jelle Klaasen
Ken MacNeil 6-3 Kevin Painter
Simon Whitlock 6-2 Colin Monk
Denis Ovens 6-4 Barrie Bates
Paul Lim 6-4 Kevin McDine
Alan Tabern 6-5 Scott Rand
Gary Anderson 6-0 Mark Webster
Steve Maish 6-5 Robert Thornton
Colin Lloyd 6-2 Peter Wright
Steve Brown 6-4 Jamie Caven
Darin Young 6-4 Co Stompe
Ronnie Baxter 6-5 Mark Dudbridge
Losers £300

Fourth Round
Phil Taylor 6-5 Andy Smith
Chris Thompson 6-4 Andy Hamilton
Ken MacNeil 6-3 Vincent van der Voort
Simon Whitlock 6-3 Denis Ovens
Paul Lim 6-5 Alan Tabern
Gary Anderson 6-4 Steve Maish
Colin Lloyd 6-3 Steve Brown
Ronnie Baxter 6-4 Darin Young
Losers £500

Quarter-Finals
Chris Thompson 6-5 Phil Taylor
Simon Whitlock 6-5 Ken MacNeil
Gary Anderson 6-2 Paul Lim
Colin Lloyd 6-2 Ronnie Baxter
Losers £1,000

Semi-Finals
Simon Whitlock 6-2 Chris Thompson
Gary Anderson 6-2 Colin Lloyd
Losers £1,500

Final
Gary Anderson 6-4 Simon Whitlock
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000

Final - Leg by Leg
1-0 - Double ten gives Whitlock the early advantage
1-1 - Anderson levels with double top
1-2 - The pair trade 180s but a missed double top from Whitlock gives Anderson the chance to break, which he does with a two-dart 86 finish
1-3 - Anderson moves two legs clear on double top
2-3 - Whitlock misses the bull for a 170 finish but returns to land double four to hit back
2-4 - Double ten from Anderson makes Whitlock pay for a miss at double top for a 120 finish that would have squared the game
3-4 - Whitlock lands double eight under little pressure from Anderson to win a third leg
4-4 - Anderson is punished for missing single 18 to leave 40, with Whitlock taking out 105 against the throw to level
4-5 - Whitlock hits a 180 but misses three darts at double 18 and nine and Anderson finishes 68 on double top
4-6 - Anderson hits a 177 and then lands double eight for the match

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