PDC World Darts Championship 2017: Sunday Scores, Results and Updated Schedule
Phil Taylor kicked off his first showing at the 2017 PDC World Darts Championship with a convincing 3-0 victory over David Platt on Sunday evening to advance to the second round of the tournament at Alexandra Palace in London.
Platt exited the competition after beating Ian Bowles in a preliminary, while Daryl Gurney and Alan Norris progressed through the first round following wins over Jermaine Wattimena and John Michael, respectively.
Earlier on Sunday, Mark Webster became the third Welshman to take his spot in the second round after devastating Joe Murnan 3-0 in his first fixture of the competition.
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Chris Dobey enjoyed an underdog victory over No. 26 seed Justin Pipe on his PDC World Darts Championship debut. He is now just one win from matching his career-best finish at a major tournament.
Kevin Simm defeated Gilbert Ulang of the Philippines 2-0 in their preliminary meeting, but the qualifier came undone against 14th seed Ian White, who thrashed his opponent 3-0 in their first-round encounter later on Day 4.
Read on for a recap of Sunday's drama in north London, complete with a breakdown of the day's results and a look to Monday's schedule.
| Sun Qiang vs. Corey Cadby | 7 p.m. GMT/2 p.m. ET |
| Mervyn King (22) vs. Steve West | 7 p.m. GMT/2 p.m. ET |
| Adrian Lewis (5) vs. Magnus Caris | 7 p.m. GMT/2 p.m. ET |
| Kevin Simm def. Gilbert Ulang | 2-0 |
| David Platt def. John Bowles | 2-0 |
| Chris Dobey def. Justin Pipe (26) | 3-1 |
| Mark Webster (25) def. Joe Murnan | 3-0 |
| Ian White (14) def. Kevin Simm | 3-0 |
| Daryl Gurney (24) vs. Jermaine Wattimena | 3-1 |
| Alan Norris (21) vs. John Michael | 3-2 |
| Phil Taylor (4) vs. David Platt | 3-0 |
Recap
Taylor returned to Alexandra Palace with a boom on Sunday, as Platt fell at the hands of the 16-time world champion in swift fashion just hours after defeating Bowles to make his way into the running order.
Platt's stay in the tournament was a short one, as Taylor whizzed past his foe with a highest finish of 80 and an 11-darter to boot, and PDC Darts showed The Power was in imperious form as his average climb was above 100:
"WINNER! Phil Taylor with a 101 average and 50% on the doubles to beat David Platt. He is into the second round. 17? #WHDarts #LoveTheDarts pic.twitter.com/VECQZ4YE0p
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 18, 2016"
Greek representative Michael fell out of the competition after Norris made a sensational comeback from two sets down to emerge a 3-2 victor in their meeting, where he completed his resurgence with a sweet double 10.
Norris had a lesson for the underdogs out there following his first-round victory and told the official PDC website of what it meant to recover from such a steep deficit:
"That's why you should never give up.
"
In set play you have to hang in there because a run of three or four legs can change everything. I struggled early on but credit where it is due to John, he played well.
I had a good year last year. I love it here but I thought I was going home so I'm really happy.
It was fair to say Norris' accuracy in the clutch moments were lacking in the opening two sets, but the No. 21 seed gathered enough nerves in the third to finally find his rhythm and steer his campaign back on course.
Gurney's 3-1 thrashing of Wattimena was a far more dominant display complete with five maximums, and the Northern Irishman took to Twitter to express his glee at qualifying for the competition's second round:
"Thanks for all the messages feels great to win @Winmau @totalhire pic.twitter.com/taj87BRYBO
— Daryl Gurney (@DarylGurney180) December 18, 2016"
Webster laid on a finishing masterclass at Alexandra Palace on Sunday, ousting Murnan from the tournament's running with a seamless opening display.
A terrific performance in front of the doubles saw Webster finish all but two of his checkout opportunities across the three sets. PDC Results illustrated how the victory came despite his posting a lower average than his opponent:
Murnan's profligacy was a defining factor in that regard, as Shaggy failed to clean up the same chances, and a final checkout of 84 was sufficient to book Webster's place in the next stage of the contest.
Elsewhere, Dobey surprised Pipe 3-1 in spite of a mid-match wobble. Dutch broadcaster RTL7 Darts provided a glimpse at the moment Dobey sealed his triumph over Pipe and hit top to take out the 26th overall seed and move into the second round of the tournament:
"Debutant Chris Dobey verslaat Justin Pipe met 3-1! #rtl7darts pic.twitter.com/amctbLoMhA
— RTL7Darts (@rtl7darts) December 18, 2016"
A brilliant 101 checkout sent Dobey into a two-set lead before Pipe swept home on 78 to reduce the deficit. But successive 100 and 105 finishes in the third set put the former en route to a decisive win to advance.
Simm's victory over Ulang on Sunday morning was a convincing one, but he couldn't maintain the same standards against White. As a result, he was handed a 3-0 defeat, as the No. 14 seed proceeded to the second round, where he'll face Jonny Clayton.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
