2007 US Open (darts)
The 2007 US Open was a darts tournament, organised by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). It was the inaugural event and played in Connecticut between May 18 and May 20. The tournament replaced the World Series of Darts which ran for one year and was cancelled as a result of poor television ratings on ESPN. The first US Open was held at the Mohegan Sun Casino Resort, Connecticut, USA – which was the venue used for the 2006 World Series of Darts. Phil Taylor added to his list of titles by winning the event – beating Raymond van  Barneveld in the final. Television coverage and format. The tournament was broadcast live in the UK on satellite station Challenge. The coverage was hosted by Sarah Cawood and Tony Green, who was broadcasting from a PDC tournament for the first time. Limited coverage of the event was shown on US sport channel Versus. The format saw 32 boards in action on Friday Night, for "Friday Night Madness" where a minimum of 16 American players progressed to the final stages. On Saturday, the 16 US qualifiers join the top 64 in the PDC Order of Merit (who have entered). Matches were  the best of five sets, with three legs per set. The players were whittled down to sixteen for the final stages on Sunday. Results. The first four rounds were played on Saturday May 19 over the best of five sets (best of three legs per set). Prize fund. Total Prize Fund £126,000