Michael van Gerwen successfully defended his World Matchplay title by defeating Phil Taylor 18–10 in the final. It was the first (and would turn out to be, only) time that Taylor has been defeated in a World Matchplay final. Van Gerwen also became only the third player to successfully defend the Matchplay trophy after Taylor and Rod Harrington.
The second round was also reduced in length from best of 25 legs to best of 21 legs. This still remains the current format for the World Matchplay.
This tournament was the first time in the event's history that no matches went into 'extra legs', the first time that Taylor had been defeated in the final after winning his previous 15, and the first time that Robert Thornton won a match at the event. It was also the first time that James Wade was defeated before the World Matchplay quarter finals, after losing to Mervyn King in the first round.
Prize money
The prize fund remained at £450,000 as it has been since the 2014 event.
Position (no. of players)
Prize money (Total: £450,000)
Winner
(1)
£100,000
Runner-Up
(1)
£50,000
Semi-finalists
(2)
£27,000
Quarter-finalists
(4)
£17,500
Second round
(8)
£10,000
First round
(16)
£6,000
Format
In previous stagings of the event all games had to be won by two clear legs with no sudden-death legs. However, in 2013 after consulting the host broadcaster Sky Sports, the PDC decided that games will now only proceed for a maximum of six extra legs before a tie-break leg is required. For example, in a best of 19 legs first round match, if the score reaches 12–12 then the 25th leg will be the decider.
