The Masters: Price out to claim Clayton’s crown in Milton Keynes

The best in the world are back for this year’s renewal of the Masters, an event that Jonny Clayton won for the first time 12 months ago.

This year’s Masters is special. Last year’s final was a shoot-out for the remaining Premier League spot. Now, it has not been confirmed whether this is still the case, but with the Premier League line-up not yet being announced, players will be looking at this as the last chance saloon. The Premier League has recently been revamped with a whole new format and all players want to be a part of it.

In this blog, we take a look at the top of the market for this year’s Masters, as well as those that could make an impact.

The Iceman a cool favourite

Gerwyn Price is still clinging onto the world number one spot but reigning World Champion Peter Wright is hot on his heels. Price was knocked out of the World Championships in the quarter-finals after a nine-set thriller against Michael Smith. Never one to settle for second best, Price will likely be raring to go here, especially now that his top spot on the darting ladder is under threat.

Price came close in this event last year, reaching the semi-finals before losing a deciding leg to Mervyn King. He had performed to a typically high standard throughout, averaging over 100 in the two games leading up to that and averaging 99 in defeat to The King. Never one to rule out, and on his day unplayable, it’s understandable that Gerwyn Price is the current tournament favourite (7/2).

MVG looking for more

2021 was a year to forget for Mighty Mike. He was left without a major title for over 12 months – his longest drought since his breakthrough year in 2012 – and then had to withdraw from the World Championship.

However, it’s not been all doom and gloom for Van Gerwen. He won the Nordic Masters in September, which was his first televised ranking victory of the year and followed this up with success in the penultimate floor event of the season.

He’s by no means at full throttle, but these small glimpses of his former self shone through in the final few months of the year. Whether he can carry this into the Masters is yet to be seen, but one thing for sure is his old ability is still there.

He is currently the second-favourite for Masters glory (4/1), a tournament he knows oh so well. MVG is the most successful player in the tournament, having won the event a staggering five times (the only multi-time champion), winning every final he’s appeared in, and has recorded the highest average the tournament has seen (112.49). If he was going to bounce back anywhere, it would be here.

Snakebite on a roll

You simply can’t rule out Peter Wright. He’s the world number two and the reigning champion of the world. He finds a way to win matches even when he’s having a bad day and that’s what champions do best. He looked phenomenal in the latter stages of the World Championships and if he’s playing at that standard again, he has every chance of taking home his second Masters title.

Snakebite won the event in 2020, beating Michael Smith, who he also conquered in the final of this year’s World Championship. This will be Wright’s 10th appearance in the event but has only been able to reach the final on one occasion. Last year he was knocked out by eventual winner Jonny Clayton in the semi-final.

Wright is currently 5/1 for Masters success this time around.

Clayton looking to go back-to-back

Jonny Clayton enjoyed such a fruitful 2021 that it was rightly dubbed the ‘Year of the Ferret’. The way he burst into the limelight was exceptional, winning four televised titles along the way. He won last year’s Masters which secured his place in the Premier League, an event he went on to win in his debut season. He had dreams of following up that success with a World Championship run but was edged out in a fourth-round thriller against eventual finalist Michael Smith.

Johnny has a tough draw, playing the winner of Dimitri van den Bergh and Ian White, but would be the likely favourite against either of those. He’s priced at 7/1 to become the first back-to-back Masters champion since Michael van Gerwen. 

Ones to watch

Michael Smith (9/1) created waves in the World Championships, coming ever so close to his first ‘big one’. He had the nation behind him for that incredible run which saw him beat Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price on his way to becoming runner-up. If he can keep the ball rolling here, he could see himself in another high-profile final.

It’s statistically hard to overlook Mervyn King (80/1) in this tournament. Although he may not be at his polished best, he’s an experienced head who knows how to reach finals. He’s participated in the tournament four times and has reached the final twice, most recently in 2021. He came very close to winning last year and will be eyeing up a strong return here. A first-round draw against Ryan Searle may prove tough though.