On-Song Scotsman looks a great 12/1 shot at the Minehead event
The Players Championship Finals have a reputation for throwing up unusual winners and it could be time for Gary Anderson to pick up a rare television title this week at the event in Somerset.
Former winners of this tournament include Paul Nicholson and Kevin Painter; both cracking players, but neither are accustomed to grasping silverware in the PDC. The dynamic duo of Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen may have prospered in the last two years, but the relatively short format still lends itself to upsets and every player involved will fancy their chances.
Enter Anderson who, thanks to his superb form on the Pro Tour this year, comes into the event as the number one seed. Unlike most other tournaments on the calendar, this is seeded on the Pro Tour Order of Merit rather than the regular one. Having clocked up a whopping £113,250 this year just in the Players Championship, European Tour events and UK open qualifiers, Anderson is sitting pretty at the top of that list.
It is often a mystery why the Flying Scotsman cannot translate his prodigious talent into the big televised tournaments, but he has performed with such consistency in floor events this year, it is surely only a matter of time. Having won, yet again, at a Pro Tour event last weekend and coming into one of the more unpredictable competitions of the year, this could well be his time to prosper.
The rarely-used seeding system can throw up some strange early match-ups (Phil Taylor is seeded ninth for example) but Anderson should not have a problem early on against Christian Kist. The former BDO world champion is improving in the PDC but is still not at the level of the top players, of which Anderson is certainly one.
The former Premier League champ reached the final of this event back in 2011 and came within a whisker of getting his hands on the trophy, losing out to Taylor in a deciding leg. In great form, there is no reason to believe that he cannot go one better this time around and trouser the increased winner’s prize of £65,000.
If you are looking for one more intangible to throw in the direction of Anderson, then he should have some decent crowd support in Minehead as he is an adopted Somersetian. He may proudly fly the flag of Scotland, but resides in Somerset and will certainly curry the favour of the locals as a result.
12/1 – Gary Anderson to win the Players’ Championship
