Haupai Puha

Last updated

Haupai Puha
Personal information
Nickname"Hopes"
Born (1985-02-12) 12 February 1985 (age 40) [1]
Gisborne, New Zealand
Home town Wellington, New Zealand
Darts information
Playing darts since2017
Darts24g Shot Signature
Laterality Right-handed
Walk-on music"35" by Ka Hao ft. Rob Ruha
Organisation (see split in darts)
PDC 2017–
(Tour Card: 2024–)
WDF 2021–2023
Current world ranking ( PDC ) 90 Steady2.svg (23 March 2025) [2]
WDF major events – best performances
World Championship Last 48: 2022
PDC premier events – best performances
World Championship Last 96: 2021, 2024
UK Open Last 64: 2025
World Series Finals Last 16: 2023
Other tournament wins
Alan King Memorial 2018
Canterbury Classic 2023
Oceanic Masters 2023
Canterbury Open 2022, 2023
New Zealand Masters 2022
New Zealand Open 2021, 2023

DPA Pro Tour

DPA Pro Tour (Barooga) 2019
DPA Pro Tour (Dubbo) 2019 (x2)

DPNZ Pro Tour

DPNZ Pro Tour (Auckland) 2023
DPNZ Pro Tour (Christchurch) 2023
DPNZ Pro Tour (Dunedin) 2022
DPNZ Pro Tour (Hamilton) 2024
DPNZ Pro Tour (Wellington) 2024
Medal record
Men's Darts
Representing Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
WDF World Cup
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2023 Esbjerg Men's pairs

Haupai Puha (born 12 February 1985) is a New Zealand professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won a PDC Tour Card on 14 January 2024, making him the first New Zealand player to gain a card. [3]

Contents

He has won titles on both the affiliated Darts Players Australia and Darts Players New Zealand tours.

He has represented New Zealand at both the PDC World Cup of Darts and the WDF World Cup.

Darts career

In 2018, Puha qualified for two World Series events as the number two ranked player in the DPNZ rankings. He would lose in the first round of both events; to Kyle Anderson in Auckland and to Rob Cross in Melbourne.

In 2019, he made his first appearance at the World Cup of Darts, partnering Cody Harris. They beat Lithuania and South Africa to reach the quarter-finals, eventually losing to Japan.

Puha also qualified for all three World Series events in Australia and New Zealand in 2019. He lost to Raymond van Barneveld in the first round of both the Brisbane Masters and the Melbourne Masters, and to Gary Anderson in the first round of the New Zealand Masters.

Puha has played once in the WDF World Championship and twice in the PDC World Championship, losing in the first round on all three occasions.

Having won his PDC Tour Card in January 2024,, Puha competed at the 2024 UK Open. He beat Jelle Klaasen in the first round before losing to Wesley Plaisier in the second round. [4] On 8 May 2024, Puha qualified for a European Tour event for the first time. [5] He lost to Niels Zonneveld in the opening round of the 2024 Dutch Darts Championship. [6]

Puha credits his experience with golf in making the transition to darts. [7]

World Championship results

PDC

WDF

Performance timeline

WDF

Tournament20222023
WDF Ranked televised events
World Championship 1R PDC
Australian Open F QF

PDC

Tournament2019202020212022202320242025
PDC Ranked televised events
World Championship DNQ 1R DNQ 1R DNQ
World Masters DNQ Prel.
UK Open DNQ 2R 4R
PDC Non-ranked televised events
World Series Finals DNQ 1R 2R 1R
World Cup 1R 1R DNQ RR
Career statistics
Season-end ranking (PDC)NR125NR149133

PDC European Tour

Season12345678910111213
2024 DNQ BSD
1R
DDC
1R
Did not qualify

PDC Players Championships

Season12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334
2024 WIG
1R
WIG
1R
LEI
1R
LEI
3R
HIL
1R
HIL
1R
LEI
1R
LEI
1R
HIL
2R
HIL
1R
HIL
1R
HIL
4R
MIL
1R
MIL
2R
DNP WIG
3R
WIG
3R
LEI
1R
LEI
1R
DNP
2025 WIG
2R
WIG
3R
ROS
1R
ROS
1R
LEI
1R
LEI
2R
HIL
1R
HIL
1R
LEI
4R
LEI
LEI
LEI
ROS
ROS
HIL
HIL
LEI
LEI
LEI
HIL
HIL
MIL
MIL
MIL
HIL
HIL
LEI
LEI
LEI
WIG
WIG
WIG
WIG
WIG
Performance Table Legend
WWon the tournamentFFinalistSFSemifinalistQFQuarterfinalist#R
RR
Prel.
Lost in # round
Round-robin
Preliminary round
DQDisqualified
DNQDid not qualifyDNPDid not participateWDWithdrewNHTournament not heldNYFNot yet founded

References

  1. "Haupai Puha player profile". Mastercaller.
  2. "PDC Order of Merit". PDPA. 23 March 2025. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
  3. "Haupai Puha becomes first ever New Zealander to win PDC Tour Card at Q-School". Darts News. 14 January 2024.
  4. "Darts results: Dimitri van den Bergh survives last-leg decider to beat Luke Humphries in the UK Open final". Sporting Life.
  5. "De Graaf, Taylor & Bates complete ET7-8 qualification double". 8 May 2024.
  6. "Magnificent Menzies breezes past Barney in Rosmalen". 24 May 2024.
  7. "Darts: Fearless Haupai Puha ready to face world's best at Auckland Masters". Newshub . Archived from the original on 9 June 2019.