It appears that the strong reaction to the original prize fund for this event has resulted in a rethink. The Boardroom cannot help but note that the re connection of Winmau, to the venerable old event, may well have provided a boost to those seeking to restore the tournament to its former glory.
Whilst still a long way short of the prize money expected of such an event we should surely welcome the cautious approach being taken.
Slightly concerning, after recent legal proceedings including ‘reigning champion’ John O’Shea, the BDO and others, is the fact that neither a worthy prize cheque or the classic trophy look likely to be presented to the new champions.
The WDF announced the updates as follows:
The Winmau World Masters prize fund for men and women has been increased to €50,000 as the world’s oldest Darts Major and WDF flagship event welcomes the best players from around the world to Assen in the Netherlands between Thursday 8 and Monday 12 December 2022.
The prize boost comes as a result of the WDF working closely with its commercial partners and because of the commitment of players from all over the world attending the event.
Being crowned a Winmau World Master is a darting dream for so many players across the globe. It’s a tournament that never fails to impress with the quality of matches and has a list of past winners that reads as a who’s who of the worlds darting elite.
The WDF will make the world’s longest running darts major available to view across the globe via Winmau TV, the WDF and Tungsten Tales YouTube channels and through highlights on various TV channels across the world.
Secretary General of the WDF Nick Rolls said, “We are blown away by the support for the Winmau World Masters from so many players and our commercial partners alike and that’s what’s allowed us to release more money directly into the prize fund which adds a real boost to this amazing Major”.
Winmau Marketing Director Simon Hall added; “The Winmau World Masters resonates all over the world with every level of player and we are really happy to see the event with a prize fund that warrants its status in the game. Full credit to the WDF Executive and their team who have made this happen and we at Winmau are happy as ever to be throwing our full support behind this prestigious event”.
Director at the Nederlandse Darts Bond, (NDB), Paul Engelbertink, said “We are really excited to be hosting this massive major event in Holland in conjunction with the WDF.
The NDB team will be doing all that they can to deliver an experience that players will not forget with three fabulous darting tournaments and not forgetting of course the chance to see old friends and make new ones from across the world”.
The additional prize fund is the cherry on top of the cake, and we thank every player and person who has contributed to make this happen”.
The revised prize money structure reads as follows:
Men
Winner €10,000
Runner Up €5,000
Semi-Finalists €2,000
Quarterfinalists €1,000
Last 16 €500
Last 32 €250
Last 64 €125
Women
Winner €5,000
Runner Up €2,000
Semi-Finalists €1,000
Quarterfinalists €500
Last 16 €250
Last 32 €125
Boys
Winner €500
Runner Up €250
Semi-Finalists €125
Quarterfinalists €70
Girls
Winner €250
Runner Up €125
Semi-Finalists €70
—–ENDS—–
Images: WDF
