| 2016 BetVictor World Matchplay | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tournament information | |||
| Dates | 16–24 July 2016 | ||
| Venue | Winter Gardens | ||
| Location | Blackpool, England | ||
| Organisation(s) | Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) | ||
| Format | Legs | ||
| Prize fund | £450,000 | ||
| Winner's share | £100,000 | ||
| High checkout | 160 Justin Pipe Kyle AndersonSteve Beaton | ||
| Champion(s) | |||
 Michael van Gerwen | |||
| |||
The2016BetVictor World Matchplay was the 23rd annual staging of theWorld Matchplay, organised by theProfessional Darts Corporation. The tournament took place at theWinter Gardens,Blackpool, from 16–24 July 2016.
Michael van Gerwen successfully defended his World Matchplay title by defeatingPhil 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 andRod 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 theWorld 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 thatRobert Thornton won a match at the event. It was also the first time thatJames Wade was defeated before the World Matchplay quarter finals, after losing toMervyn King in the first round.
The prize fund remained at £450,000 as it has been since the2014 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 |
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 broadcasterSky 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.
PDC Order of Merit Top 16[edit]
| PDC ProTour qualifiers[edit]
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