Buntz Reclaims the Spotlight as Sevada Streak Ends in Chicago

Stowe Buntz returned to the CDC winner’s circle on Sunday afternoon in Chicago, winning the DartConnect Challenge – capping a dominant day of darts with a 7–3 victory over Gary Mawson in the final.

Buntz was in top form from the first dart to the last, posting a tournament-leading 87.51 average (closely followed by Adam Sevada’s 86.11) and dropping just 12 legs across six matches. After whitewashing Doug Boehm in the quarterfinals and surviving a deciding leg in a tense semifinal against Danny Young, Buntz found another gear in the final, averaging 92.70 to cruise past Mawson, with a 144 checkout in the 6th leg serving as a springboard to his seventh career CDC title.

For Mawson, the run to the final was highlighted by a gritty 7–6 semifinal victory over Adam Sevada, halting the top American’s remarkable 28-match winning streak and ending his dream of a fifth consecutive CDC title. Earlier in the day, Mawson took out Rory Hansen—who was making his first career quarterfinal appearance—and now moves to 4–5 all-time in CDC finals.

Sevada, who was vying for his second consecutive weekend sweep, fell just short but still impressed, finishing second in average (87.51) and leading the field in 180s with 8. Buntz and Hansen were right behind with 7 apiece.

Danny Young made his presence felt once again, reaching his third semifinal of the season with a win over another quarterfinal debutant, Shane Rattigan. His 96.97 average in the last 16 was one of the highest single-match marks of the day.

With seven events now in the books, the race to Ally Pally is heating up as the Tour prepares for its next stop in Indianapolis August 1-3.

QUARTERFINALS
Stowe Buntz (1) 6-0 Doug Boehm (8)
Danny Young 6-3 Shane Rattigan
Gary Mawson (7) 6-4 Rory Hansen
Adam Sevada (6) 6-3 Ross Snook

SEMIFINALS
Stowe Buntz 7-6 Danny Young
Gary Mawson 7-6 Adam Sevada

FINAL
Stowe Buntz 7-3 Gary Mawson