PHIL TAYLOR defeated John Part 5-2 to retain the Emperors Palace South African Masters title.
Taylor repeated his semi-final performance against Wayne Mardle to pull clear from 2-2 to win 5-2 in the decider and maintain his unbeaten record at the Johannesburg resort.
After surviving some nervous moments in the quarter-finals against Shawn Hogan, who missed two darts to level at two-all before succumbing to a 4-1 loss, Taylor found some of his best darts in the next two matches.
A crucial 108 finish in the fifth leg of his semi-final broke Mardle's resistance, and he landed two more maximums in sealing the win.
He took a 2-0 lead against World Champion Part in the final, only for the Canadian to pull back level with two maximums in as many legs.
A 12-darter put Taylor 3-2 up, before he survived a bout of nervous doubles to take leg six against the throw and then sealed the win on double ten.
"I was nervous against Shawn in the first round," said Taylor. "The players are getting better every year and he did well, so I was relieved to get through that.
"The final was very enjoyable and it's a fantastic feeling to keep the title."
Part was at his heavy-scoring best to defeat South African Mark Jackson 4-0 in the quarter-finals and James Wade 5-1 in the semis.
PDC South African Open champion Charles Losper went down 4-1 to Wayne Mardle, while Wade defeated Pretoria's Les Francis by the same scoreline.
Losper's win in Saturday's South African Open for a second successive year earned him a spot in the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship in December.
Emperors Palace South African Masters
Quarter-Finals
John Part 4-0 Mark Jackson
James Wade 4-1 Les Francis
Wayne Mardle 4-1 Charles Losper
Phil Taylor 4-1 Shawn Hogan
Semi-Finals
John Part 5-1 James Wade
Phil Taylor 5-2 Wayne Mardle
Final
Phil Taylor 5-2 John Part
Quarter-Finals
John Part 4-0 Mark Jackson
John Part overcame the challenge of Pietermaritzburg's Mark Jackson to move into the semi-finals with a 4-0 win. Jackson, the runner-up in Saturday's PDC South African Open, had his chances to win the first leg, with the players exchanging 180s before two missed darts at double top from the South African allowed Part to land double four to lead. He took the second on double eight and leg three on double top, before a miscount from Jackson gave the World Champion the chance to seal victory on double top.
James Wade 4-1 Les Francis
James Wade defied a nervy start to defeat Pretoria's Les Francis 4-1 and set up a semi-final with John Part. Wade missed four darts at a double in the game's opening leg, and returned to land double two after Francis missed the bullseye. Double eight earned Wade the second leg, but he missed ten darts at a double before the South African took out double eight to win the leg. A bullseye finish from Wade gave him the fourth leg, and the duo traded maximums in the next - although Francis' were his final three darts of the game as Wade hit double top for the win.
Wayne Mardle 4-1 Charles Losper
Wayne Mardle defeated PDC South African Open winner Charles Losper to book his semi-final place in the Emperors Palace South African Masters. Both players missed doubles in the opener before Mardle took out double two to lead, and he doubled his advantage on double nine after landing a maximum in leg two. He also hit a 180 in the third, taking out a sparkling 11-darter to move a leg away from the win before seven missed doubles in the next gave Losper his chance to get off the mark on double 16. But Mardle kicked off the next leg with a 177 score, and landed double 18 to secure the win.
Phil Taylor 4-1 Shawn Hogan
Defending champion Phil Taylor moved into the semi-finals of the Emperors Palace South African Masters with a 4-1 win over local favourite Shawn Hogan. Taylor landed a maximum on his way to winning the game's first leg, before Hogan levelled thanks to a two-dart 86 finish, where the 13-time World Champion was waiting on double top. Taylor replied in 13 darts, including two more 180s in the leg, only for four missed doubles to give Hogan a chance in the fourth. But the South African mimssed two darts at double 18 to level the game, and Taylor moved 3-1 up on double four before hitting the same bed to wrap up victory.
Semi-Finals
John Part 5-1 James Wade
John Part powered into the final of the Emperors Palace South African Masters with a commanding win over James Wade. The World Champion hit four 180s in a fine display, including two in the opening leg of the game. Wade took the second, despite six missed darts at a double, but paid for misses in the next as Part moved 2-1 up. The Canadian kicked off the fourth with a 180 to pull away from Wade, and took the next three legs without reply to book his place in the final.
Phil Taylor 5-2 Wayne Mardle
Phil Taylor found an extra gear to accelerate to a 5-2 win over Wayne Mardle and remain on course to defend his Emperors Palace South African Masters title. The game's first four legs were shared, with Mardle hitting a bullseye finish in preventing a break of throw in leg four. But a 108 finish from Taylor in the next was a hammer blow, and he landed a maximum on his way to breaking throw for a 4-2 lead, before hitting two 140s and a 180 to set up a double 16 finish which completed the win.