THE WINTER OF CONTENT FOR POWER
GOLDEN grandad Phil Taylor landed the Big One on the Golden Mile by clinching an astonishing 16th BetVictor World Matchplay title.
The Power, 57 next week, beat Peter ‘Snakebite’ Wright 18-8 in a one-sided final at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens – and promised there will be NO curtain calls to defend his title next year. Taylor retires at the end of this year, and said: “That’s it, my work here is done.
“Of course I will miss this place – it’s been good to me and I fell in love with it the first time I walked in the door.
“But I can sympathise with Tiger Woods – I might be running around like a spring chicken on stage, but as soon as the door closes my back’s in half, my leg’s in half and it’s killing me.
“I’m 57 and I’ve had a good run. But it’s time for someone else to create some new memories here.”
Nobody has enjoyed a longerrunning show in Blackpool than Taylor since Ken Dodd’s first gig on the Golden Mile 62 years ago.
Of his 107 games on the Winter Gardens stage, Taylor has won 99 and lost only eight – and incredible record in its own right. But for the Power to win his 84th major title on TV, some 27 years after his first in 1990, is a feat of longevity unrivalled in modern professional sport.
To put Taylor’s achievement into context: Lester Piggott was 47 when he won his last race, Jack Nicklaus was 46 when he won his last US Masters, George Foreman was 45 when he won his last world heavyweight title.
And when Roger Federer won his 19th Grand Slam at Wimbledon earlier this month, he was a mere pup at 35 years and 342 days.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when the legend made his final walk to the stage at his happiest hunting ground – including Wright (above), whose emotions appeared to get the better of him.
Snakebite, dressed in a pineapple shirt, never recovered from 7-3 down after two sessions and for his 16th World Matchplay crown, 16-times world champion Taylor sank double 16 – what else? – to raise the roof.