 The tournament was broadcast on Sky Sports and was sponsored by the betting company Stan James.The tournament's defending champion Phil Taylor defeated John Part by 18 legs to 16 in the final, winning his third consecutive World Matchplay title and his fifth overall since his first in the 1995 event.He defeated qualifier Shayne Burgess in round one, Kevin Painter in round two Chris Mason in the quarter-finals and John Lowe in the semi-finals en route to the final.