Phil Taylor went into the event as defending champion having won it for the previous two years - and seven times in all, but suffered a surprise first round defeat to Adrian Gray.

He beat World Champion Raymond van Barneveld in the semi-final and Terry Jenkins in the final.

Jenkins suffered his fifth televised final defeat in twelve months as his search for his first major title continued.

The top six players in the world rankings after this tournament will seal automatic qualification for the lucrative event.

Phil Taylor, Raymond van Barneveld, James Wade, Terry Jenkins and Peter Manley all looked assured of a place - but a good run at this tournament for any number of players could have stolen the last guaranteed place in the league.