Finder Darts Masters

The competition began in 1995,[2] known as the Dutch Grand Masters with Raymond van Barneveld and Francis Hoenselaar winning their first major tournament. The tournament ceased between 1997 and 1999.

Following a growth in popularity in darts in the Netherlands because of the great success of players such as Raymond van Barneveld the event returned in 2000.[3] It returned as the "European Grand Masters" in 2000.

The tournament became the "Doeland Grand Masters" from 2001 to 2004.

In 2005 the tournament was named the "Leendesk Masters".

The 2006 Masters was postponed,[3] and was to be held in March 2007, reverting to its original title "Dutch Grand Masters".[4]

The event was later cancelled, due to lack of sponsorship, but was revived later that year when the tournament venue, the Hotel Zuidenduin, stepped in to sponsor the tournament signing a five-year contract until 2012, and it was branded the Zuiderduin Masters.[3][5] Following sponsorship from the Hotel Zuiderduin, a women's competition was added in 2008 and after a demonstration tournament for juniors in 2010, a juniors competition was added in 2011.[3] A new three-year contract was agreed in 2011 for it to remain the Zuiderduin Masters up to 2014.[6]

The first nine-dart finish at the tournament was recorded by Darryl Fitton in 2009.[2]

Finder, an international operating company, took over the naming rights to the tournament from the 2015 edition onwards. It was branded the Finder Darts Masters.[7]

The field is made up of 24 players. Qualification is determined from the top 16 players from the Zuiderduin Masters ranking table, which is separate from the BDO/WDF World Rankings, as well four players from the International Darts Tour of the Lowlands (IDTL) before its collapse in 2010/2011, and the winner of the Netherlands Champions League of Darts, plus 3 wild cards. If an IDTL qualifier is already qualified through his ranking, an extra wild card becomes available.

From 2011, the men's winner at the MariFlex Open, a Zuiderduin Masters ranking event,[8] gained automatic entry in to that years Zuiderduin Masters tournament.[9][10][11] It was replaced with the Hal Open in 2014,[12] but retained the same stipulations the MariFlex Open had.[13] Since the 2013 Zuiderduin Masters tournament, the men's champion from the previous year was invited back to the following year's tournament.[14]

The 24 players are split into 8 groups, with each player playing 2 matches, best of 9 legs. The top player from each group advance to the quarter-finals, which is played in set format through to the final.[2][5]

Following the tournament's inception as a ranking event in 2008, a women's competition was installed with an eight-player field, made up from the top five players in the Zuiderduin Masters rankings, an IDTL qualifier before its collapse, the NDB Champions League of Darts winner and a wildcard. Likewise with the men's event, an extra wildcard can also be awarded. The competition was played in a straight knockout format.[15]

The women's competition was played in a straight knockout format up to and including the 2010 tournament before a new format was introduced in 2011. The field was shortened to six players. Two groups consist of three players playing one another once, with both group winners advancing to the final.[16] The group stage matches are played over a legs format before the final in played in a sets format.

From 2011, the six-player field has been made up from the top two players in the Zuiderduin Masters rankings, the NDB Champions League of Darts winner, two wildcards and the MariFlex Open winner.[17] From 2011, the women's winner at the MariFlex Open, a Zuiderduin Masters ranking event,[8] gained automatic entry into that years Zuiderduin Masters tournament.[9][10][11] It was replaced with the Hal Open in 2014,[12] but retained the same stipulations the MariFlex Open had.[13] Since the 2013 Zuiderduin Masters tournament, the women's champion from the previous year has been invited back to the following year's tournament.[14]

The youth tournament was instigated in 2011 with the first winner being Jimmy Hendriks who in the same year also won the WDF World Youth Cup and World Youth Masters.