A nine-dart finish, also known as a nine-darter, is a perfect leg or single game in the sport of darts. The object of the game is to score a set number of points, most commonly 501; in order to win, a player must reach the target total exactly and hit a double scoring area with their last dart. When the target is 501, the minimum number of darts needed to reach it is nine. For example, one way to achieve a nine-dart finish is to score 60 on each of the first seven throws, then a 57 on the eighth, and lastly a 24 on the ninth. It is regarded as an extremely difficult feat to achieve even for the sport's top players, and is considered the highest single-game achievement in the sport, similar to a maximum 147 break in snooker or a 300-point game in bowling.
Raymond van Barneveld is a Dutch professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. Nicknamed "Barney", although originally known as "The Man", he is one of the most successful darts players in history. Van Barneveld is a five-time World Darts Champion, a two-time UK Open Champion and a former winner of the Las Vegas Desert Classic, the Grand Slam of Darts and the Premier League. He is also a twice-winner of the World Masters and the World Darts Trophy, and a three-time winner of the International Darts League, the Dutch Open and the WDF World Cup Singles event.
Premier League Darts, known for sponsorship purposes in 2024 as BetMGM Premier League Darts, is a darts tournament which launched on 20 January 2005 on Sky Sports. Now played weekly from February to May, the event originally started as a fortnightly fixture in small venues around the United Kingdom. The tournament originally featured seven players, gradually expanded to ten by 2013, before reduced again from 2022 to eight players from the Professional Darts Corporation circuit competing in a knockout style format, with nights also hosted in Europe at different venues. The top four players in the PDC Order of Merit are joined by four wildcard selections to make up the eight-person field. Alongside the World Championship and the World Matchplay, it is considered part of the sport's Triple Crown.
Michael van Gerwen is a Dutch professional darts player. He is currently ranked No. 2 in the world, having been No. 1 from 2014 to 2021. He is also a three-time PDC World Champion, having won the title in 2014, 2017 and 2019. Van Gerwen is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.
Stephen Bunting is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation events. Nicknamed The Bullet, Bunting is the reigning Masters champion. He also won the 2014 BDO World Darts Championship and is a twice former BDO World Masters champion.
Michael Smith is an English professional darts player. Nicknamed "Bully Boy", he plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked No. 3 in the world. He is a former world champion, having won the 2023 World Championship.
Richard Veenstra is a Dutch professional darts player who currently plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He is a Dutch Open champion, BDO World Trophy and Finder Darts Masters finalist and a medalist of the WDF World Cup and WDF Europe Cup.
Robert Cross is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is currently ranked No. 6 in the world. Nicknamed "Voltage", he became the 2018 PDC World Darts Champion following his victory over Phil Taylor. Cross won the World Championship on his debut, having turned professional just 11 months prior to the event.
Ryan Searle is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events.
Luke Humphries is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is the current World No. 1 and World Champion. Nicknamed "Cool Hand Luke" in reference to the 1967 film, he is also the reigning World Grand Prix champion, Grand Slam champion, and Players Championship Finals champion. He also won the 2019 PDC World Youth Championship.
The 2019 Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals was the twelfth edition of the PDC darts tournament, which sees the top 64 players from the 30 Players Championship events of 2019 taking part. The tournament took place from 22–24 November 2019 at Butlin's Resort in Minehead.
The 2022 PDC World Darts Championship was the 29th World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the now-defunct British Darts Organisation. It took place at the Alexandra Palace in London from 15 December 2021 to 3 January 2022.
The 2022 PDC Players Championship consisted of 30 darts tournaments on the 2022 PDC Pro Tour.
The 2022 Cazoo UK Open was a darts tournament staged by the Professional Darts Corporation. It was the twentieth year of the tournament where players compete in a single elimination tournament to be crowned champion. The tournament returned to Butlin's Minehead, England, between 4–6 March 2022, having been held behind closed doors at the Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes in 2021 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Luke Littler is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He is the current PDC World Youth Champion, the current Bahrain Masters Champion, and the current Belgian Darts Open champion.
The 2022 Cazoo Players Championship Finals was the fifteenth edition of the PDC darts tournament, which saw the top 64 players from the 2022 PDC Players Championship series take part. The tournament took place from 25–27 November 2022 at the Butlin's Resort, Minehead.
The 2023 PDC World Darts Championship was a professional darts event that took place at Alexandra Palace in London, England, from 15 December 2022 to 3 January 2023. It was the 30th World Darts Championship to be organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the now-defunct British Darts Organisation.
The 2023 Cazoo Masters was the eleventh staging of the non-ranking Masters darts tournament, held by the Professional Darts Corporation. It was held from 27–29 January 2023 at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, England.
The 2024 PDC World Darts Championship was a professional darts event that took place at Alexandra Palace in London, England, from 15 December 2023 to 3 January 2024. It was the 31st World Darts Championship to be organised by the Professional Darts Corporation.
The 2023 Cazoo Players Championship Finals was the fifteenth edition of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) darts tournament, which sees the top 64 players from the 2023 PDC Players Championship series taking part. The tournament took place from 24 to 26 November 2023 at the Butlin's Resort, Minehead.
