“The Mawler” Rolls Back the Years to Take Winmau Championship Title

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North America’s top players gathered in Chicago, IL, for the Winmau Darts Championship – Event #3 on the 2024 Championship Darts Circuit. Sixty-four players started the day vying for the title, but it was “The Mawler” Gary Mawson who turned back the clock, defeating Jeff Springer 7-4 to secure his first CDC title since the 2018 Continental Cup. Both players were making their first finals appearance since 2022.

The tournament saw shocking first-round exits for Jeff Smith, Jules Van Dongen, and Danny Lauby. Second-round defeats for Stowe Buntz, Leonard Gates, and Adam Sevada left the bracket wide open. Top seed Alex Spellman failed to make it past the last 16, while former US number one Daniel Baggish fell in the quarterfinals, along with the Canadian trio of Jacob Taylor, David Cameron, and Jim Long.

Gary Mawson was in commanding form during his early matches, securing a 5-1 victory over Chris Caldwell, a 5-0 win over Jacob Schaeffer, and a 6-1 triumph over Sylvain Bourdeau. He faced a tough test in the quarterfinals, falling behind 4-3 before rallying to win the last three legs to secure victory over David Cameron. In the semifinals, Mawson opened up a 5-2 lead against Jake Womack, eventually holding on for a 7-5 win.

Springer was the giant killer of the day, knocking out Jeff Smith 5-2 in the first round, Alex Spellman 6-5 in the third round, and Daniel Baggish 6-3 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals against Nick Linberg, Springer found himself trailing 5-4 but showcased his resilience by winning three successive legs to take the match 7-5.

Despite his defeat in the last 16, Alex Spellman posted an impressive average of 95.65 on the day. Jeff Springer led the way with twelve 180s, four more than semifinalist Jake Womack, and also hit the highest checkout of the tournament with a 164.

 

Final
Gary Mawson  7-4  Jeff Springer

Semifinals
Jeff Springer  7-5  Nick Linberg
Gary Mawson  7-5  Jake Womack

Quarterfinals
Jeff Springer  6-3  Danny Baggish
Nick Linberg  6-1  Jacob Taylor
Gary Mawson  6-4  David Cameron
Jake Womack  6-2  Jim Long

The full bracket is available at: https://tv.dartconnect.com/event/cdc24dc03/brackets/72784

The CDC continues with Event #4 – the Galaxy Gold Cup – this evening in Chicago.

Article by Brian Fraser

July 13, 2024