Michael van Gerwen | |
---|---|
Personal information | |
Nickname | Mighty Mike |
Born | Boxtel, Netherlands |
25 April 1989
Home town | Boxtel Netherlands |
Darts information | |
Playing darts since | 2003 |
Darts | 25.3g Michael van Gerwen darts |
Laterality | Right-handed |
Walk-on music | "Breathe" by The Prodigy |
Organisation (see split in darts) | |
BDO | 2003–2007 |
PDC | 2007– |
Current world ranking | 29 |
BDO majors - best performances | |
World Ch'ship | 1st Round: 2007 |
World Masters | Winner: 2006 |
World Darts Trophy | Semi-final: 2006 |
Int. Darts League | Quarter-final: 2006 |
PDC premier events - best performances | |
World Ch'ship | Last 16: 2012 |
World Matchplay | Quarter-final: 2012 |
Grand Slam | Last 16: 2011 |
European Ch'ship | Second round: 2009, 2010 |
UK Open | Last 16: 2012 |
Players Ch'ship Finals | Second round: 2010 |
Other tournament wins | |
Tournament | Years |
Gleneagle Irish Masters Jagermeister Open Northern Ireland Open Norway Open Open Holland Open Nederhemert PDC Youth Tour England PDC Youth Tour Ireland Players Championship (BIR) Players Championship (SWE) UK Open Qualifier WDF Europe Youth Cup Welsh Open World Darts Event |
2008 2011 2005 2005 2006, 2007 2011 2011, 2011, 2011 2011 2012 2009 2012 2006 2006 2006 |
Other achievements | |
2006 Youngest ever winner of the Winmau World Masters |
Michael van Gerwen (born 25 April 1989 in Boxtel, Netherlands) is a Dutch professional darts player, nicknamed Mighty Mike. He is the youngest player in history to win a major televised tournament in either the BDO or the PDC, winning the 2006 Winmau World Masters at the age of 17. He is also the youngest player ever to compete at the BDO version of the World Professional Darts Championship, competing in the 2007 tournament at the age of 17 years, 257 days.
Contents |
Youth career
Van Gerwen reached the final of the Primus Masters Youth event at the age of just 14 in 2003. He then started to amass youth titles in 2005 including the German Open, German Gold Cup, Norway Open, Northern Ireland Open, Swedish Open and the Dutch National Youth Championship which he also defended in 2006. He also won the Men's events in the Norway and Northern Ireland Opens in the same year that he took the youth titles.
BDO career
He picked up several Open titles and rose up the BDO/WDF World Rankings having climbed as high as third, even before he reached his 18th birthday.
Van Gerwen reached the semi-finals of the Bavaria World Darts Trophy in 2006. Despite losing to Martin Adams, the Dutch youngster came within one dart of the perfect nine dart finish, just missing double twelve. He did manage the highest possible checkout of 170 during the tournament.
He managed to eclipse that performance at the 2006 Winmau World Masters by becoming the youngest ever champion. Having trailed 1–4 and 2–5 to Adams, he came back to win the title and take Eric Bristow's record as the youngest ever winner at the age of 17 years 174 days.
His early career success led to inevitable speculation that he may join the other professional circuit of darts, the Professional Darts Corporation. However, during the 2006 World Darts Trophy, van Gerwen held a press conference to make it clear that he wanted to stay with the BDO/WDF. [1] He also finished top of the DDF (Dutch Darts Federation) Rankings – which would have secured him a place at the PDC World Championship if he chose to accept. He had already committed to playing at Lakeside, so the place went to Rico Vonck who finished second in the rankings.
Van Gerwen was the bookmakers pre-tournament favourite to win the 2007 Lakeside World title, but his hopes were ended in the first round by Gary Robson.
On the night of the 2007 BDO World Championship Final it was announced on Dutch television that van Gerwen, along with Jelle Klaasen and Vincent van der Voort would be switching to the Professional Darts Corporation.
PDC career
Van Gerwen started at 88 in the PDC World Rankings. Although he was a BDO player he was eligible for certain PDC events in his home country even before he switched to the PDC. This included the Open Holland in 2006, in which he took the title.[3]
He made his PDC debut on 20 January at the Stan James Players Championships in Gibraltar and beat Andy Hamilton before losing in the last 16 to fellow countryman Roland Scholten. In the second Players Championship the following day, he beat Raymond van Barneveld in the early rounds only to lose to Alan Warriner-Little in the quarter finals.
He followed up his victory over van Barneveld by beating 13 times World Champion Phil Taylor by 3 sets to 0 on the opening night of the Masters of Darts tournament. All three sets went to a deciding leg which van Gerwen clinched with 14, 12 and 12 darts. He went on to reach the semi-final of the tournament and achieved a perfect nine dart finish against van Barneveld, but lost the match.[4]
Van Gerwen has yet to deliver any success on in UK-televised tournaments, having made his debut at the 2007 UK Open falling in the last 32 to Colin Osborne. He failed to qualify for the 2007 Las Vegas Desert Classic and was defeated in round two of the World Matchplay in Blackpool by Ronnie Baxter 12–14, having been one leg from victory at 12–10. One of the Dutchman's more impressive achievements on Sky however came in a 2008 PDC World Darts Championship first round defeat to Taylor; notably he had one dart at double 12 to win the match and knock out the 13 time world champion, to end a phenomenal record of Taylor reaching every PDC World Championship Final. However, Taylor's record was later ended in the Quarter Final losing 5–4 in sets to Wayne Mardle.
Van Gerwen ended his long wait for a tournament victory by beating his Dutch compatriot Vincent van der Voort 6–3 in the final of the Players Championship in Taunton on 11 April 2009 and earned him £6,000 towards the Order of Merit.
Van Gerwen was defeated 6–4 by Arron Monk in the final of the inaugural PDC Under-21 World Championship during the 2011 PDC World Championship.
He made it to the last 16 of the PDC World Championship for the first time in 2012 by beating Colin Osborne and Mervyn King.[5] Van Gerwen lost nine out of the first ten legs in his last 16 game to trail 0-3 to Simon Whitlock, but produced an incredible comeback to level the match at 3-3. He couldn't maintain his form, however, as he lost all three legs in the deciding set to exit the tournament 3-4.[6]
van Gerwen was named Young Player of the Year at the PDC annual awards ceremony on 3 January 2012, for winning four PDC Unicorn Youth Tour events during 2011 and his World Championship run.[1]
In 2012, he won the second UK Open qualifier of the season, defeating Dave Chisnall in the final 6–1. In the UK Open itself he lost in the last 16 to Terry Jenkins.[7] van Gerwen won the eighth Players Championship event in June after beating Simon Whitlock 6–1 in the final.[8] At the World Matchplay he won 5 legs in a row to record a 10–6 victory over Simon Whitlock in the first round,[9] and then faced a last 16 encounter with Steve Beaton, which he won 13–9 whilst throwing the fourth nine-dart finish in the tournament's history in the tenth leg.[2] van Gerwen was 5–11 down in his quarter-final against James Wade, but produced a fightback to only trail 11–12 and then missed one dart to level the game. He went on to lose 13–16 [10]
Majors titles
Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
2006 | Winmau World Masters | Martin Adams | 7–5 |
References
- ^ a b "Taylor Named Player Of The Year". PDC. http://www.pdc.tv/page/NewsdeskDetail/0,,10180~2565367,00.html. Retrieved January 05, 2012.
- ^ a b "Betfair World Matchplay - Night Five". PDC. http://www.pdc.tv/page/NewsdeskDetail/0,,10180~2859832,00.html. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ^ Open Holland 2006 Report
- ^ van Gerwen's 9-dart finish at 2007 Masters of Darts
- ^ "2012 PDC World Championship Results". Darts Database. http://www.dartsdatabase.co.uk/FixtureList.aspx?EventKey=3069. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
- ^ "World Championship - Day 12". PDC. http://www.pdc.tv/page/NewsdeskDetail/0,,10180~2560198,00.html. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
- ^ "Speedy Services UK Open RD5". PDC. http://www.pdc.tv/page/NewsdeskDetail/0,,10180~2807023,00.html. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
- ^ "Mighty Mike's Birmingham Joy". PDC. http://www.pdc.tv/page/NewsdeskDetail/0,,10180~2814179,00.html. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
- ^ "Betfair World Matchplay - Night Two". PDC. http://www.pdc.tv/page/NewsdeskDetail/0,,10180~2856601,00.html. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
- ^ "Betfair World Matchplay - Quarter Finals". PDC. http://www.pdc.tv/page/NewsdeskDetail/0,,10180~2862225,00.html. Retrieved 28 July 2012.