# 2018 Grand Slam of Darts

The 2018 bwin Grand Slam of Darts was the twelfth staging of the tournament, organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The event took place from 10–18 November 2018 in Wolverhampton, England, but for the first time in the event's history, it was not at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall, as it is undergoing a two-year renovation. The 2018 tournament was held at Aldersley Leisure Village. Beginning with this tournament, the winner of the title would receive "The Eric Bristow Trophy", named after the legendary player who died in April 2018.
The tournament's defending champion was Michael van Gerwen, who won the tournament in 2017 by defeating Peter Wright 16–12 in the final to win it for a third straight year, but lost in the semi-finals to Gary Anderson by the same scoreline 16–12.
Gerwyn Price won his first PDC major title by defeating Gary Anderson 16–13, in a highly controversial final. Price also became the first Welsh player to win a PDC major title.
The DRA launched an investigation into the behaviour from both players in the final. Price was fined £21,500 for a combination of 'Bringing the sport into disrepute and gamesmanship' in the final and for his Quarter-final clash with Simon Whitlock. Price was also given a three month ban, which was suspended for 6 months. Anderson was given a formal warning for pushing Price on the oche. Price's fine was subsequently reduced on appeal to a total of £11,500.
Dimitri Van den Bergh hit the fourth nine dart leg in Grand Slam of Darts history, in his second round match against Stephen Bunting, and for the first time in the tournament history no Englishman progressed into the quarter-final stage.

## Prize money

The prize fund for the Grand Slam was the same as in 2017, with the winner getting £110,000.
| Position (num. of players) | Position (num. of players) | Prize money (Total: £450,000) |
| Winner | (1) | £110,000 |
| Runner-up | (1) | £55,000 |
| Semi-finalists | (2) | £28,500 |
| Quarter-finalists | (4) | £16,000 |
| Last 16 (second round) | (8) | £10,000 |
| Third in group | (8) | £5,000 |
| Fourth in group | (8) | £3,000 |
| Group winner bonus | (8) | £2,500 |
| Nine-dart finish | (1) | £25,000 |

## Qualifying
### PDC Qualifying Tournaments

PDC Main Tournaments :
| Tournament | Year | Position | Player | Qualifiers |
| PDC World Darts Championship | 2018 | Winner | Rob Cross | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| Grand Slam of Darts | 2017 | Winner | Michael van Gerwen | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| Premier League Darts | 2018 | Winner | Michael van Gerwen | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| World Matchplay | 2018 | Winner | Gary Anderson | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| World Grand Prix | 2018 | Winner | Michael van Gerwen | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| PDC World Youth Championship | 2017 | Winner | Dimitri Van den Bergh | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| Masters | 2018 | Winner | Michael van Gerwen | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| UK Open | 2018 | Winner | Gary Anderson | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| European Championship | 2018 | Winner | James Wade | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| Players Championship Finals | 2017 | Winner | Michael van Gerwen | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| Champions League of Darts | 2018 | Winner | Gary Anderson | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| World Series of Darts Finals | 2018 | Winner | James Wade | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| PDC World Cup of Darts | 2018 | Winners | Michael van Gerwen Raymond van Barneveld | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| PDC World Darts Championship | 2018 | Runner-up | Phil Taylor | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| Grand Slam of Darts | 2017 | Runner-up | Peter Wright | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| Premier League Darts | 2018 | Runner-up | Michael Smith | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| World Matchplay | 2018 | Runner-up | Mensur Suljović | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| World Grand Prix | 2018 | Runner-up | Peter Wright | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| PDC World Youth Championship | 2017 | Runner-up | Josh Payne | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| Masters | 2018 | Runner-up | Raymond van Barneveld | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| UK Open | 2018 | Runner-up | Corey Cadby | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| European Championship | 2018 | Runner-up | Simon Whitlock | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| Players Championship Finals | 2017 | Runner-up | Jonny Clayton | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| Champions League of Darts | 2018 | Runner-up | Peter Wright | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| World Series of Darts Finals | 2018 | Runner-up | Michael Smith | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| PDC World Cup of Darts | 2018 | Runners-Up | Peter Wright Gary Anderson | Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton |
| Rob Cross Michael van Gerwen Gary Anderson Dimitri Van den Bergh James Wade Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright Michael Smith Mensur Suljović Josh Payne Simon Whitlock Jonny Clayton ||||
At most sixteen players could qualify through this method, where the position in the list depicts the priority of the qualification.
As the list of qualifiers from the main tournaments produced fewer than sixteen players, the field of sixteen players is filled from the reserve lists. The first list consists of the winners from 2018 European Tour events, in which the winners are ordered by number of event wins then in Order of Merit position order at the cut-off date.
PDC European Tour :
| Tournament | Event | Position | Player | Qualifiers |
| 2018 European Tour | | | |
| 2018 European Tour | European Darts Open | Winner | Michael van Gerwen | Gerwyn Price Ian White Max Hopp |
| 2018 European Tour | German Darts Grand Prix | Winner | Michael van Gerwen | Gerwyn Price Ian White Max Hopp |
| 2018 European Tour | German Darts Open | Winner | Max Hopp | Gerwyn Price Ian White Max Hopp |
| 2018 European Tour | Austrian Darts Open | Winner | Jonny Clayton | Gerwyn Price Ian White Max Hopp |
| 2018 European Tour | European Darts Grand Prix | Winner | Michael van Gerwen | Gerwyn Price Ian White Max Hopp |
| 2018 European Tour | Dutch Darts Masters | Winner | Michael van Gerwen | Gerwyn Price Ian White Max Hopp |
| 2018 European Tour | Gibraltar Darts Trophy | Winner | Michael van Gerwen | Gerwyn Price Ian White Max Hopp |
| 2018 European Tour | Danish Darts Open | Winner | Mensur Suljović | Gerwyn Price Ian White Max Hopp |
| 2018 European Tour | European Darts Matchplay | Winner | Michael van Gerwen | Gerwyn Price Ian White Max Hopp |
| 2018 European Tour | German Darts Championship | Winner | Michael van Gerwen | Gerwyn Price Ian White Max Hopp |
| 2018 European Tour | Dutch Darts Championship | Winner | Ian White | Gerwyn Price Ian White Max Hopp |
| 2018 European Tour | International Darts Open | Winner | Gerwyn Price | Gerwyn Price Ian White Max Hopp |
| 2018 European Tour | European Darts Trophy | Winner | Michael van Gerwen | Gerwyn Price Ian White Max Hopp |
| Gerwyn Price Ian White Max Hopp ||||
If there are still less than sixteen qualified players after the winners of European Tour events are added, the winners of 2018 Players Championships events will be added, firstly by winners of multiple events followed by Order of Merit order.
PDC Pro Tour :
| Tournament | Event | Position | Player | Qualifiers |
| 2018 PDC Pro Tour | | | |
| 2018 PDC Pro Tour | Players Championship 1 | Winner | Michael van Gerwen | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| 2018 PDC Pro Tour | Players Championship 2 | Winner | Michael van Gerwen | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| 2018 PDC Pro Tour | Players Championship 3 | Winner | Gary Anderson | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| 2018 PDC Pro Tour | Players Championship 4 | Winner | Gary Anderson | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| 2018 PDC Pro Tour | Players Championship 5 | Winner | Michael van Gerwen | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| 2018 PDC Pro Tour | Players Championship 6 | Winner | Ian White | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| 2018 PDC Pro Tour | Players Championship 7 | Winner | Michael Smith | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| 2018 PDC Pro Tour | Players Championship 8 | Winner | Mickey Mansell | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| 2018 PDC Pro Tour | Players Championship 9 | Winner | Michael van Gerwen | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| 2018 PDC Pro Tour | Players Championship 10 | Winner | Jeffrey de Zwaan | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| 2018 PDC Pro Tour | Players Championship 11 | Winner | Gary Anderson | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| 2018 PDC Pro Tour | Players Championship 12 | Winner | Josh Payne | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| 2018 PDC Pro Tour | Players Championship 13 | Winner | Rob Cross | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| 2018 PDC Pro Tour | Players Championship 14 | Winner | Peter Wright | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| 2018 PDC Pro Tour | Players Championship 15 | Winner | Mervyn King | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| 2018 PDC Pro Tour | Players Championship 16 | Winner | Ian White | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| 2018 PDC Pro Tour | Players Championship 17 | Winner | Peter Wright | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| 2018 PDC Pro Tour | Players Championship 18 | Winner | Nathan Aspinall | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| 2018 PDC Pro Tour | Players Championship 19 | Winner | Max Hopp | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| 2018 PDC Pro Tour | Players Championship 20 | Winner | Danny Noppert | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| 2018 PDC Pro Tour | Players Championship 21 | Winner | Krzysztof Ratajski | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| 2018 PDC Pro Tour | Players Championship 22 | Winner | Krzysztof Ratajski | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| Krzysztof Ratajski ||||
* ↑ Phil Taylor retired following the 2018 PDC World Darts Championship.
* ↑ Corey Cadby withdrew from the Grand Slam, due to an arm injury.

### PDC Qualifying Event

A further eight places in the Grand Slam of Darts were filled by qualifiers from a PDC qualifier that took place in Wigan on 5 November. These are the qualifiers:
* Martin Schindler
* Stephen Bunting
* Andrew Gilding
* Steve Hine
* Mark Webster
* Joe Murnan
* Keegan Brown
* Ryan Searle

### BDO Qualifying Tournaments

| Tournament | Year | Position | Player |
| BDO World Darts Championship | 2018 | Winner | Glen Durrant |
| BDO World Darts Championship | 2018 | Runner-up | Mark McGeeney |
| World Masters | 2018 | Winner | Adam Smith-Neale |
| BDO World Trophy | 2018 | Winner | Glen Durrant |

### BDO Ranking qualifiers

The remaining 5 BDO places were determined via the BDO Invitational Rankings at the end of September 2018.
* Jim Williams
* Wesley Harms
* Michael Unterbuchner
* Scott Mitchell
* Gary Robson

## Pools

| Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D |
| (PDC Seeded Players) | (PDC Qualifiers) | (PDC Qualifiers) | (BDO Qualifiers) |
| Michael van Gerwen (1) Peter Wright (2) Rob Cross (3) Gary Anderson (4) James Wade (5) Mensur Suljović (6) Simon Whitlock (7) Michael Smith (8) | Dimitri Van den Bergh Raymond van Barneveld Jonny Clayton Gerwyn Price Ian White Max Hopp Stephen Bunting Keegan Brown | Josh Payne Krzysztof Ratajski Martin Schindler Andrew Gilding Steve Hine Mark Webster Joe Murnan Ryan Searle | Glen Durrant Mark McGeeney Adam Smith-Neale Jim Williams Wesley Harms Michael Unterbuchner Scott Mitchell Gary Robson |

## Draw
### Group stage

All group matches are best of nine legs After three games, the top two in each group qualify for the knock-out stage
NB: P = Played; W = Won; L = Lost; LF = Legs for; LA = Legs against; +/− = Plus/minus record, in relation to legs; Pts = Points; Status = Qualified to knockout stage

### Knockout stage

| Second round (best of 19 legs) 14–15 November | Second round (best of 19 legs) 14–15 November | Second round (best of 19 legs) 14–15 November | Quarter-finals (best of 31 legs) 16–17 November | Quarter-finals (best of 31 legs) 16–17 November | Quarter-finals (best of 31 legs) 16–17 November | Semi-finals (best of 31 legs) 18 November | Semi-finals (best of 31 legs) 18 November | Semi-finals (best of 31 legs) 18 November | | Final (best of 31 legs) 18 November | Final (best of 31 legs) 18 November | Final (best of 31 legs) 18 November |
| A1 | Jonny Clayton 103.65 | 10 | | | | | | | | | | |
| B2 | Krzysztof Ratajski 94.08 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| B2 | Krzysztof Ratajski 94.08 | 3 | A1 | Jonny Clayton 95.88 | 12 | | | | | | | |
| | | | A2 | Michael van Gerwen (1) 101.65 | 16 | | | | | | | |
| B1 | Michael Smith (8) 100.69 | 8 | A2 | Michael van Gerwen (1) 101.65 | 16 | | | | | | | |
| A2 | Michael van Gerwen (1) 108.32 | 10 | | | | | | | | | | |
| A2 | Michael van Gerwen (1) 108.32 | 10 | | | | A2 | Michael van Gerwen (1) 99.05 | 12 | | | | |
| | | | | | | D1 | Gary Anderson (4) 102.97 | 16 | | | | |
| C1 | James Wade (5) 93.76 | 6 | | | | | | | D1 | Gary Anderson (4) 102.97 | 16 | | | | |
| D2 | Michael Unterbuchner (BDO) 93.57 | 10 | | | | | | | | | | |
| D2 | Michael Unterbuchner (BDO) 93.57 | 10 | D2 | Michael Unterbuchner (BDO) 88.52 | 6 | | | | | | | |
| | | | D1 | Gary Anderson (4) 100.48 | 16 | | | | | | | |
| D1 | Gary Anderson (4) 101.22 | 10 | D1 | Gary Anderson (4) 100.48 | 16 | | | | | | | |
| C2 | Wesley Harms (BDO) 87.97 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| C2 | Wesley Harms (BDO) 87.97 | 2 | | | | | | | | D1 | Gary Anderson (4) 97.25 | 13 |
| | | | | | | | | | | F1 | Gerwyn Price 96.70 | 16 |
| E1 | Peter Wright (2) 93.86 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | F1 | Gerwyn Price 96.70 | 16 |
| F2 | Simon Whitlock (7) 94.95 | 10 | | | | | | | | | | |
| F2 | Simon Whitlock (7) 94.95 | 10 | F2 | Simon Whitlock (7) 95.03 | 15 | | | | | | | |
| | | | F1 | Gerwyn Price 95.86 | 16 | | | | | | | |
| F1 | Gerwyn Price 93.37 | 10 | F1 | Gerwyn Price 95.86 | 16 | | | | | | | |
| E2 | Josh Payne 84.10 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | |
| E2 | Josh Payne 84.10 | 5 | | | | F1 | Gerwyn Price 97.06 | 16 | | | | |
| | | | | | | G2 | Mensur Suljović (6) 98.08 | 12 | | | | |
| G1 | Stephen Bunting 88.14 | 6 | | | | | | | G2 | Mensur Suljović (6) 98.08 | 12 | | | | |
| H2 | Dimitri Van den Bergh 90.16 | 10 | | | | | | | | | | |
| H2 | Dimitri Van den Bergh 90.16 | 10 | H2 | Dimitri Van den Bergh 94.28 | 9 | | | | | | | |
| | | | G2 | Mensur Suljović (6) 98.58 | 16 | | | | | | | |
| H1 | Rob Cross (3) 92.23 | 7 | G2 | Mensur Suljović (6) 98.58 | 16 | | | | | | | |
| G2 | Mensur Suljović (6) 93.63 | 10 | | | | | | | | | | |