PartyPoker.net Las Vegas Desert Classic
The PartyPoker.net Las Vegas Desert Classic sees the cream of the darts world head to the entertainment capital of the world for a £200,000 tournament.
Las Vegas Desert Classic Video
Comprising five days of televised action live on Sky Sports and preceded by two days of qualifiers open to any player from around the world, the Desert Classic features the likes of Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, James Wade and Raymond van Barneveld battling for the £30,000 first prize.
The top 16 players from the PDC Order of Merit are joined by four top North Americans and 12 qualifiers in the televised knockout stages, which are played from 1st 5th July in 2009.
Taylor claimed his fourth Desert Classic win in 2008, defeating Wade 13-7 in the final at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
He was also the inaugural winner in 2002, and defeated Wayne Mardle in successive finals in 2004 and 2005 to claim further Desert Classic victories.
Peter Manley was the 2003 champion, while John Part (2006) and Raymond van Barneveld (2007) are the other previous winners of the tournament.
Other players expected to challenge for the title in 2009 include Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts finalist Mervyn King, recent UK Open runner-up Colin Osborne and the 2007 Desert Classic finalist Terry Jenkins.
Having dropped out of the world’s top 16, Manley will be forced to win through the qualifying heats, which will feature over 150 players from travelling to Vegas from as far away as Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Holland, Germany, Austria and the UK.
