Murschell gets another win at U.S. Masters

By Sean Rooney on July 7, 2018.

Medicine Hat News

For the second year in a row, Dawson Murschell took down a big-named pro at the U.S. Darts Masters in Las Vegas.

This time around, however, it wasn’t a stunning upset.

Murschell, a 22-year-old from Medicine Hat who earned his pro tour card in January, beat Gerwyn Price of Wales 6-2 on the big stage at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Friday, hitting a double-four on his fourth chance to claim the match.

“I was feeling good today,” Murschell said in a post-match interview posted by the Professional Darts Corporation. “When it comes to darts your mindset’s everything. That was important for me.”

Last year it was considered a major upset when Murschell beat James Wade at the same event. Wade could meet up with the Canadian again in Saturday’s semifinal.

First, however, is the quarter-finals — where Murschell faces two-time world champion Gary Anderson.

Murschell had lost in Thursday’s North American Darts Championship semifinal to fellow Canadian John Norman, Jr., with Norman, Jr. celebrating by screaming at Murschell from about a foot away. Murschell tweeted that he considered the display disrespectful but on Friday posted a photo of himself and Norman, Jr. smiling, noting in the post-match interview that they’d talked about the incident.

Norman, Jr. lost in the Masters’ opening round Friday, as did North American champion Jeff Smith. Murschell was the only player who qualified for the Masters via the North American championship to win his first-round match Friday.

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