[2] John Part recorded his first and only televised nine-dart finish, and the third in Matchplay history, in his first-round defeat to Mark Webster.

He was diagnosed with bowel cancer in September 2011, underwent treatment, and made a brief return to the commentary box during the 2012 Premier League Darts.

The top 16 in the PDC Order of Merit qualified automatically and were also seeded players.

Scores after player's names are three-dart averages (total points scored divided by darts thrown and multiplied by 3) In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the tournament was broadcast by Sky Sports for the 18th consecutive time.

In the Netherlands, RTL7 broadcast the tournament for the very first time through an internet livestream, and in highlights on Friday, Saturday and Sunday on television.