Conan Whitehead beats Graham Usher to win inaugural MODUS Super Series title
Conan Whitehead has been crowned the inaugural MODUS Super Series champion after defeating Graham Usher in the Champions Week final to claim a £20,000 champion’s cheque.
Whitehead was among 12 players to have qualified for last week's MODUS Super Series Champions Week. He went on to reach Saturday's Finals Night along with five others, before ultimately going all the way and seeing off Usher 4-0 in the showpiece event to make history inside a brand-new, purpose-built venue in Portsmouth.
The Barbarian qualified from the six-man group stage on Saturday night along with Usher, Darryl Pilgrim and Josh Payne, edging past Pilgrim 4-3 in the semi-finals.
Usher, who defeated Payne in his semi-final, took home a £10,000 runners-up cheque, with Pilgrim and Payne securing £3,750 apiece for a joint-third finish.
Conan Whitehead said: "When I entered this tournament my baby had just been born, which took the pressure off of me, so I've just been back enjoying the game. My family has been everything to me, without them I wouldn't be here tonight.
"It was my partner that pushed me back into darts, I was ready to give it all up. It's been a hard slog these past 13 weeks, everyone that plays in this competition knows how tough it is. But after winning the final, all that hard work has paid off.
"To become the first ever MODUS Super Series champion is an unbelievable feeling, and to do it here in this great new venue in front of an amazing crowd just adds to the achievement.
"I want to thank MODUS for creating a competition that gives players like me a unique platform. I'm delighted with the win and extremely excited about what my future could now hold in store."
Whitehead's triumph was the climax of MODUS Super Series 01, which saw 12 players compete each week in a series of group matches on Monday to Fridays, with six qualifiers facing off in front of a live audience at Finals Night each Saturday evening.
After 12 weeks, the 12 weekly winners then took part in last week's Champions Week. Whitehead had won Week Eight to qualify for Champions Week.
Following the culmination of the inaugural MODUS Super Series, match week one of MODUS Super Series 02 immediately commences today, ensuring participants benefit from a non-stop cycle of high-quality tournament play all year round.
Conan Whitehead is the Champions Week winner‼️🎉
— MODUS Super Series (@MSSdarts) October 23, 2022
A huge congratulations to @conan_whitehead who has been superb throughout this series.
The Barbarian walks away with the £20,000 winners cheque at the end of an eventful Champions Week Final’s Night! 💰 #MSSDarts pic.twitter.com/IyUDn22FJh
All matches will be broadcast LIVE on Sporty Stuff TV (SKY 437, Freesat 250, Freeview 264), online at sportystuff.tv and the MODUS Super Series YouTube Channel, and will be available across all major sportsbook websites.
The MODUS Super Series is a successor to the Online Darts Live League. Launched in 2020, it grew from a COVID-era, play-at-home darts tournament to a made-for-TV, studio-based competition that ran for two years.
The MODUS Super Series is open to non-PDC (Professional Darts Corporation) Tour Card holders over the age of 18 and legends from the sport.