Name: Philip Douglas Taylor
Nickname: The Power
Date of birth: August 13, 1960 
Place of birth: Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England
Home town: Crewe, England

Darts information
Playing darts since 1988
Darts 26g Unicorn The Power Phase 5 
Right-handed
Walk-on music The Power by Snap!

Early career
Born to Eileen and Dave Taylor in in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, he left school at the age of 16 and quickly entered work at JF Sale and Co. in Burslem. His early working career consisted of him making ceramic toilet roll handles, earning no more than £52 a week at the time. Between jobs there were spells of unemployment, but Taylor indulged in his favourite hobby, darts. It was his playing in the pubs of Stoke-on-Trent that brought him to the attention of Eric Bristow, one of the most popular and well known figures in the game in the 1980s. Bristow decided to sponsor Phil to the tune of £10,000 on the condition that it had to be repaid. With this money Taylor could practise full-time and enter low-level tournaments.

By 1990, he qualified to play in the World Championships for the first time - and beat Russell Stewart, Dennis Hickling, Ronnie Sharp and Cliff Lazarenko on his way to the final. In the final he met his mentor Bristow and beat him 6 sets to 1 to claim the first of his world titles at odds of 125/1.

The defence of his title in 1991 ended at the quarter-final stage to Dennis Priestley who went on to win his first world title and that would be the first of many clashes between the two players. Taylor went on to win the other major in the game - the Winmau World Masters in 1990 to become only the third player to hold both titles at the same time.

Taylor regained the World Championship in 1992 after a final which Taylor still lists as the favourite of his illustrious career. It was a classic encounter against Mike Gregory which was decided by a tie-break leg in the final set of the match.

Domination of darts
As darts enjoyed a resurgence Taylor's career went from strength to strength and he amassed dozens of titles to thoroughly dominate the game for years. After losing the first final of the PDC World Championship in 1994, he went on to remain unbeaten for the next eight years in the tournament including the 2001 trouncing of John Part. Taylor averaged 107 with each visit to the board and 72.5% checkout rate, statistically one of the best performances ever seen. Part gained revenge in the 2003 final, but Taylor added another four titles to bring his PDC haul to 12, and 14 World Championships in all.

There were still two versions of the World Championship in operation each year, but Taylor has faced the incumbent BDO World Champion in challenge matches on two occasions. In 1999, he beat Raymond van Barneveld by 21 legs to 10 in a one-hour challenge dubbed "The Match of the Century" at the Wembley Conference Centre. In 2004, he beat Andy Fordham having led   5-2 (sets) when the match was abandoned due to Fordham complaining of feeling unwell.

Taylor's overall list of titles is unprecedented. As well as 14 World Championships, he has won nine World Matchplays, eight World Grand Prix, four Las Vegas Desert Classics, two UK Opens, four Premier Leagues (remaining unbeaten for 44 matches during the first 3 tournaments), one World Series Of Darts title and two Grand Slam of Darts titles. He has even won a BDO title in 2006, the World Darts Trophy, when the Dutch organisers invited PDC players for the first time. Away from the television cameras, Taylor has claimed 44 PDC Pro Tour titles (as of April 12 2009) - another record.

Taylor also holds numerous records for high scoring in darts, his three-dart average per match records are higher than anyone else in the history of the game. He has also achieved more televised nine-dart finishes than anyone and the most overall in major events.

Taylor has won a record 38 PDC/BDO Major titles; 4 BDO Majors (though three of these came before the split) and 34 PDC ones

Taylor is the first darts player to win more than £1 million in prize money. In a PDC Pro Tour event in Taunton, The Power averaged an amazing 120.24 which is a world record recorded average. Phil also holds the record for highest average on television with 116.01 against John Part in the 2009 Premier League.

Averages
Highest 3-dart averages on TV in History

Phil Taylor 116,01 PL 2009 vs John Part, 11 legs
Phil Taylor 115,62 UK Open 2009 vs Mark Lawrence, 10 legs
Phil Taylor 115,51 UK Open 2009 vs Ken Mather, 12 legs
Phil Taylor 114,54 UK Open 2008 vs Wes Newton, 12 legs
Darryl Fitton 114,15 IDL 2004 vs Davy Richardson, 6 legs
Phil Taylor 113,92 EDC 2008 vs Mervyn King, 12 legs
Phil Taylor 113,33 EDC 2008 vs Robert Thornton, 18 legs
Phil Taylor 112,68 PL 2008 vs Adrian Lewis, 12 legs
Chris Mason 112,56 UK Open 2005 vs Adrian Lewis 19 legs
Phil Taylor 111,74 PL 2008 vs John Part, 11 legs

On April 23 at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, Aberdeen during round 12 of the Whyte and Mackay Premier League, he recorded the highest ever 3-dart average on television, 116.01.

On June 6, during round 4 of the UK Open, he recorded the 2nd highest ever 3-dart average on televison with 115,51 in his match against Ken Mather.

He followed this up, on June 7, with an average of 115,62 (now second best) in the Quarter-Final against Mark Lawrence.

Nine-dart finishes
Taylor has often talked in interviews and his autobiography about his quests to achieve the perfect leg of darts - a nine dart finish.

He finally made television history by achieving the feat for the first time on live British television in 2002, at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, Lancashire, during his quarter-final match against Chris Mason in the World Matchplay Championship. He hit 7 consecutive treble 20s, followed by treble 19 and double 12.

In 2004, he repeated the feat in Bolton again live on television during a match in the UK Open against Matt Chapman, making him one of only two players (the other being Raymond van Barneveld) in the game's history ever to have achieved the feat more than once on television.

On 12 June 2005 he achieved his third nine-darter on television, during a semi-final clash in the 2005 UK Open against Roland Scholten. He hit seven treble twenties followed by treble 19 and double 12. He went on to win the competition beating Mark Walsh in the final.

Taylor also managed to achieve a nine-darter on Dutch television on May 8, 2007 at the International Darts League against van Barneveld. His prize for this achievement was an Opel Tigra Twin Top valued at €26,000. Taylor donated the prize to a friend, Raymond Penninkhof from Pendon Darts who had been involved in an accident the previous weekend and had his van written off.

On 9 June 2007 at the UK Open, Taylor achieved a nine dart finish in his fifth round match against Wes Newton. It was his fifth televised perfect game and the third time he had achieved it at the UK Open in Bolton. He hit seven treble twenties followed by treble 19 and double 12. He earned a £20,000 bonus for his achievement, which was given to him by the PDC. Taylor went on to win the game 11-5.

On 20 March 2008 in the Premier League at the Brighton Centre, Taylor hit his 6th televised 9-dart finish. This was televised on Sky Sports as a replay on the latter stages of the live show. This was because the 9-darter he hit was not during his match with James Wade, but was hit during his 9-dart warm up. He successfully hit a maximum of 180 (3 x T20), a 174 (T20, 2 x T19), and to finish he hit 147 (T20, T17, D18). Although it is his 6th televised 9-darter it was only truly seen live by the people surrounding the playing area, and as previously stated, was only seen publicly live on television as a replay later in the show. It was declared as an unofficial 9-dart finish. Taylor won the match 8-4.

On 7 June 2008, Taylor hit his fourth nine-dart finish at the UK Open at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton against Jamie Harvey, his sixth live televised nine-darter in all. Taylor achieved the feat by hitting a 180, followed by a 177 (2 x T20, T19) and then finishing with a checkout of 144 (2 x T20, D12). He earned £25,000 for his achievement, given by the PDC and tournament sponsors Blue Square refunded all losing bets, paying out around £50,000 in the process. Taylor went on to win the match by 9 legs to 1.

Recent Form 2009

Taylor won back the World Championship title for the first time in three years by beating van Barneveld 7-1 in the final on 4 January. His 110.94 three-dart average is the highest ever recorded in a PDC final. His average over the course of the tournament was also above 105.

He won his third UK Open title on June 7. This is his first win at this tournament since 2005. In the final he beat Colin Osborne 11-6. His tournament average was 106,66.

Taylor has won thirteen tournaments (out of 15) as of June 7: the World Championship, ten PDC Pro Tour events – in Gibraltar (x2), Gladbeck (x2), Brentwood (2x), Coventry, Nuland (2x) and Taunton –, the UK Open and also the inaugural Players Championship Finals.

His match record this year, as of June 7, is 99-4-3, with prize money of £321,000. He has won 25 of his last 29 tournaments.

Since March 2008 Phil has won 36 tournaments out of 45.

Form 2008
Taylor went out of the 2008 World Championships at the quarter-final stage to Mardle, which is the first time since the inauguration of the PDC World Darts Championship that he had not reached the final stage.

Throughout the tournament he was taken to the final set in each of his first three rounds before losing to Mardle 5 sets to 4, even though at one stage he was 3-0 up in sets. Following his defeat, Taylor repeated a similar vow after his 2007 final loss to van Barneveld that he would have to improve his fitness, saying that his energy levels dipped during the end of the match.

He enlisted the help of a new set of darts to begin his "comeback". Despite a poor start to his Premier League Darts camapign, with 3 defeats in his first four matches, Taylor finished top of the Premier League table with a string of some of the finest play of his career. He set a Premier League record by beating Adrian Lewis 11-1 with a 112.68 average in the semi-final and went on to take his fourth consecutive title with a 16-8 victory over Wade (average 108.36).

During the year to-date, has won a record thirteen non-televised PDC Pro Tour events and his second US Open title in May 2008, defeating Colin Lloyd in the final. However, he was defeated (10-9) in the quarter-finals of the UK Open by rival Raymond van Barneveld, despite having recorded the highest ever 3-dart average on television, 114.53. in his previous match against Newton (along with a 9 dart leg earlier in the tournament).

In July, Taylor claimed a major televised tournament victory for the first time since the World Grand Prix in 2006, winning his fourth Las Vegas Desert Classic title. Taylor advanced through the semi-finals, taking out 11 out of 13 doubles in defeating Scholten 11-2. He then prevailed against Wade in the final, winning 13 legs to 7 with a 105.53 three-dart average.

On 26 July, Taylor claimed his 9th World Matchplay title, defeating Wade 18-9, and averaging 109.47 in the final. During the 25th leg of the match, both players set themselves up for 9 dart finish, although Wade missed the T19 and Taylor failed to hit the T20. Taylor ended the match with a 132 checkout, hitting the bull even though it was covered by another dart, by moving to the far side of the oche. Commentator Sid Waddell later claimed it was the best shot he had ever seen.

In October 2008, he retained his Emperors Palace South African Masters darts title by defeating Part in the final by 5 legs to 2. Taylor also won his eighth World Grand Prix final in October with a 6-2 victory over van Barneveld.

On 1 November, in a second round match of the 2008 European Darts Championship, Taylor recorded the second-highest three-dart average in the history of televised darts. In the 9-3 win over Mervyn King, Taylor recorded an average of 113.92 with fifteen 100s, ten 140s and five maximums. Taylor went on to record a similar average of 113.33 against Robert Thornton in the semi-finals of the tournament, before defeating Lewis in the final by 11 legs to 5, to become the inaugural winner of the European Darts Championship. Later that month he successfully defended his Grand Slam of Darts title. Despite an early setback with a group stage defeat to Andy Jenkins, Taylor progressed to the final, where he defeated Terry Jenkins by 18 legs to 9.