Keegan Brown

Keegan Brown
Brown in 2019
Personal information
Nickname	"The Needle"
Born	(1992-11-05) 5 November 1992 (age 32) Durham, England
Home town	Newport, Isle of Wight, England
Darts information
Playing darts since	2009
Darts	22 Grams Unicorn Keegan Brown Contender
Laterality	Right Handed
Walk-on music	"Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen
Organisation (see split in darts)
PDC	2011– (Tour Card: 2012–2024)
Current world ranking	78 1 (24 November 2024) [1]
PDC premier events – best performances
World Ch'ship	Last 16: 2018
World Matchplay	Last 16: 2015, 2019
World Grand Prix	Last 32: 2015, 2019
UK Open	Last 32: 2018, 2019
Grand Slam	Quarter Final: 2014
European Ch'ship	Last 32: 2019
PC Finals	Last 32: 2015, 2018, 2019
World Series Finals	Quarter Final: 2023
Other tournament wins
PDC World Youth Championship 2014 PDC Youth Tour England 2012, 2014 Players Championships Players Championship (BAR) 2022 Players Championship (COV) 2015
Other achievements
2014 PDC Young Player of the Year 2015 Breaks into the top 64 on the PDC Order of Merit for the first time 2019 Breaks into the top 32 on the Order of Merit for the first time

Keegan Brown (born 5 November 1992) is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He won the 2014 PDC World Youth Championship.

Career

Early career

Brown began playing darts at the age of nine and was playing in men's county league games for the Isle of Wight at the age of 13. ^[2] He qualified for the 2011 PDC Under-21 World Championship but lost to Michael van Gerwen 2–4 in the last 64. ^[3]

In January 2012, Brown entered the Professional Darts Corporation's Q-School event in an attempt to earn a two-year tour card. He achieved this by finishing seventh on the Order of Merit after the four days of play, comfortably inside the top 24 who won their places. ^[4] He mainly concentrated his 2012 season around Youth Tour tournaments, winning the 14th event in September. ^[5] However, he also posted some impressive results out of the handful of main tour events he did play, most notably in the fifth and sixth Players Championships. ^[6] In the former he lost to Justin Pipe 2–6 in the last 16, and in the latter he defeated the likes of James Wade, Andy Hamilton and Terry Jenkins, before losing in the semi-finals 1–6 to Dave Chisnall. ^{[7] [8]}

Brown entered 2013 ranked world number 86. ^[9] He lost 3–5 to Joey Palfreyman in the second round of the UK Open having beaten Keith Rooney and Shaun Griffiths in prior rounds. ^[10] Brown played a combination of Challenge Tour and ProTour events during the year with his deepest run on the main tour coming at the ninth Players Championship in October, which was highlighted by a second round 6–1 victory over Phil Taylor, before he was beaten 2–6 in last 16 by Mark Dudbridge. ^{[11] [12]}

2014

Brown's tour card expired at the start of 2014 and with him being ranked 102nd in the world, well outside of the top 64 who retain their places, he once again entered Q School. ^{[13] [14]} Brown lost in the final round on the first day 3–5 to Kyle Anderson, but a further defeat in the last 16 on the third day saw him finish tied second on the Q School Order of Merit to earn a fresh two-year tour card. ^{[15] [16]} Brown was beaten 3–5 by Austria's Mensur Suljović in the second round of the 2014 UK Open. ^[17] In the quarter-finals of the seventh Players Championship event, Brown averaged an incredible 112.32 to beat Ben Ward 6–1, sealing his win with a 10-darter. He then defeated Peter Wright 6–5 to make his first PDC final and missed four darts for the title against Robert Thornton in a 5–6 loss. ^[18]

In May, Brown won the World Youth Championship 6–4 against Rowby-John Rodriguez at the O2 Arena in London as part of the Premier League finals night. ^[19] The title secured Brown's place in the 2014 Grand Slam of Darts and 2015 World Championship. ^[2] At the Grand Slam he lost 1–5 to Dave Chisnall in his opening group game, but then averaged 100.60 in eliminating two-time world champion Adrian Lewis 5–1, and defeated Rodriguez 5–3 to reach the last 16. ^[20] He faced five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld and raced into a 9–3 lead to stand just one leg away from the quarter-finals in his first televised event. However, Brown missed a total of five match darts as Van Barneveld closed the gap to 9–7, before he missed three darts in the next leg to allow Brown in to take out 122 on the bull to seal a 10–7 win. ^[21] He also started well in the last eight against Dave Chisnall, as he held 8–2 and 12–6 leads. However, Brown could not hold on when his opponent began fighting back as Chisnall levelled at 14–14 and ended Brown's tournament with a 14–16 win. ^{[22] [23]}

2015

Brown was drawn to face John Part in the first round of the 2015 World Championship, with the match going into a final set after Brown had led 2–0. He took it without reply to win 3–2 and advance to the second round. ^[24] There, five of the six sets against Adrian Lewis went to deciding legs, with Lewis getting the better of Brown in a 4–2 win. ^[25] He entered the top 64 on the Order of Merit for the first time afterwards, as the world number 52. ^[26] Brown was named the PDC's Young Player of the Year at the annual awards dinner. ^[27] He lost 2–9 to Nathan Derry in the third round of the UK Open. ^[28] Brown reached the final of the eighth Players Championship and took out a pair of 130 finishes as he averaged 111.72 in defeating Lewis 6–3 to claim his first professional title. ^[29]

Brown made his debut in the World Matchplay and he started very well to be 5–1 ahead of Robert Thornton and went on to win 10–7. ^[30] He relinquished an 8–5 advantage over Dave Chisnall in the second round as he was beaten 11–13. ^[31] Brown also qualified for the World Grand Prix for the first time and lost 1–2 in sets to Michael van Gerwen in the opening round. ^[32] He needed a win over James Wade in his final group game at the Grand Slam to advance to the second round but lost 2–5, and from 4–4 in the first round of the Players Championship Finals he lost 4–6 to Michael van Gerwen, having missed deciding darts in both of the last two games. ^{[33] [34]}

2016

Brown could only win two legs in the first round of the 2016 World Championship during a 0–3 defeat to Peter Wright. ^[35] He could not win enough matches to qualify for the UK Open. His only quarter-final on the Pro Tour in 2016 was at the fifth Players Championship and he lost 3–6 to Michael van Gerwen. ^[36] Brown was defeated 3−4 by Aden Kirk in the final of the 11th Development Tour event. ^[37] He qualified for the Players Championship Finals and lost 5–6 to Ian White in the first round, missing three match darts in the process. ^[38] Brown could not play in his third successive World Championship as he was knocked out in the fourth round of the qualifier 4–5 by Mark Frost. ^[39]

2018

Brown made it through to the last 16 of the 2018 PDC World Darts Championship, defeating James Wade on route, where he faced Phil Taylor. Brown stated he intended on ending Taylor's career in the match. ^[40] Taylor won the match comprehensively, 0–4.

2019

Brown during the 2019 European Darts Matchplay

Brown lost 4–3 to James Wade in the third round of the 2019 PDC World Darts Championship despite leading 3–1 in sets. Brown's first major of 2019 was the UK Open, where he entered at the last 96 because of his ranking. He defeated Nathan Derry 6–5, before beating William O'Connor 10–4 to move into the last 32. In a tight game all the way, Keegan was eventually defeated 8–10 by Steve Beaton.

In Players Championship 8 in March, Brown saw off Dave Chisnall, Christian Kist, Benito van de Pas, Cristo Reyes and Andy Boulton, before he was defeated 6–7 by Raymond van Barneveld in his first semi-final since September 2018.

Brown qualified for the German Darts Championship by defeating Peter Hudson 6–1 and Bradley Brooks 6–5 in the UK Qualifier. In the first round, he opened up a 5–2 lead against Madars Razma, but was pegged back to 5–5. However, Brown pinned a 116 checkout in the decider to set up a tie with world number 1 Michael van Gerwen. Brown, then world number 36, produced the performance of a lifetime to defy a 108 average from van Gerwen, and defeat him 6–4 with 100% on doubles. Keegan defeated James Wilson 6–0 in the last 16 with a 98 average, before defeating Gerwyn Price 6–5 in a thriller to qualify for his first Euro Tour semi-final; his opponent was fellow unseeded player, Ricky Evans. This game was one step too far for Brown as he lost 3–7, but his run to the semi-finals caused him to make the top 32 in the PDC Order of Merit for the first time.

2020

At the 2020 PDC World Darts Championship, Brown lost 3–2 to Seigo Asada in the second round.

2021

At the 2021 PDC World Darts Championship, Brown lost 3–1 to Dave Chisnall in the second round.

In November, Brown returned to County Darts to join Essex after an 11-year absence. He made his Essex debut away at Cheshire on 29 November, where he lost 4-3 to Stuart Kellett. On 12 December, he earned his first victory in an Essex County shirt, beating Aaron Turner of Hampshire with a 4–0 win, recording a 29.91 average.

2022

Brown won his first Players Championship title in seven years, defeating Nathan Aspinall 8–7 in the final of Players Championship 23. ^[41]

He appeared on Eggheads with Glen Durrant on 1 November 2022. ^[42]

2023

At the 2023 PDC World Darts Championship, Brown lost 3–2 in the first round to Florian Hempel. This defeat meant he dropped out of the world's top 64 and lost his Tour Card but regained it at 2023 Q-School. ^[43]

Brown qualified for the 2023 World Series of Darts Finals through the Tour Card Holder qualifier. He defeated Simon Whitlock in the first round before a surprise victory over defending champion Gerwyn Price, where Brown produced a 164 checkout to win the match 6–4. ^[44] He was eliminated by Nathan Aspinall in the quarter-finals.

Personal life

Brown is named after the footballer Kevin Keegan. ^[45] He works as a medical lab assistant in blood services on the Isle of Wight. ^[21] Brown increased his number of shifts at work in 2020 in order to help the National Health Service during the COVID-19 pandemic. ^{[46] [47]}

Brown has previously opened up about his battles with anxiety and depression. ^[48]

World Championship results

PDC

• 2015: Second round (lost to Adrian Lewis 2–4)
• 2016: First round (lost to Peter Wright 0–3)
• 2018: Third round (lost to Phil Taylor 0–4)
• 2019: Third round (lost to James Wade 3–4)
• 2020: Second round (lost to Seigo Asada 2–3)
• 2021: Second round (lost to Dave Chisnall 1–3)
• 2023: First round (lost to Florian Hempel 2–3)
• 2024: First round (lost to Boris Krcmar 1–3)

Performance timeline

Tournament	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
PDC Ranked televised events
PDC World Championship	DNP				2R	1R	DNQ	3R	3R	2R	2R	DNQ	1R	1R
UK Open	DNQ		2R	2R	3R	DNQ	1R	4R	5R	4R	4R	3R	2R	2R
World Matchplay	DNP				2R	DNQ		1R	2R	1R	DNQ
World Grand Prix	DNP				1R	DNQ			1R	DNQ
European Championship	DNQ								1R	DNQ
Grand Slam of Darts	DNP			QF	1R	DNQ		1R	DNQ
Players Championship Finals	DNP				1R	1R	1R	2R	2R	1R	DNQ	1R	DNQ
PDC Non-ranked televised events
World Series of Darts Finals	Not held				2R	DNQ		1R	DNQ				QF	DNQ
PDC World Youth Championship	1R	DNP	1R	W	1R	2R	Did not participate
Year-end ranking	NR	NR	109	66	35	44	48	37	30	35	57	66	94

PDC European Tour

Season	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
2012	Did not participate
2013	UKM DNP	EDT DNQ	EDO DNP	ADO DNP	GDT DNP	GDC DNP	GDM DNP	DDM DNP
2014	GDC DNQ	DDM DNQ	GDM DNQ	ADO DNQ	GDT DNQ	EDO 1R	EDG DNQ	EDT DNQ
2015	GDC DNQ	GDT DNQ	GDM 2R	DDM DNQ	IDO DNQ	EDO WD	EDT DNQ	EDM DNQ	EDG DNQ
2016	DDM DNQ	GDM DNQ	GDT DNQ	EDM DNQ	ADO DNQ	EDO DNQ	IDO DNQ	EDT 2R	EDG DNQ	GDC DNQ
2017	GDC DNQ	GDM DNQ	GDO DNQ	EDG 2R	GDT DNQ	EDM DNQ	ADO DNQ	EDO DNQ	DDM DNQ	GDG 2R	IDO 2R	EDT 3R
2018	EDO DNQ	GDG QF	GDO 1R	ADO DNQ	EDG DNQ	DDM DNQ	GDT DNQ	DDO DNQ	EDM 1R	GDC DNQ	DDC DNQ	IDO DNQ	EDT 1R
2019	EDO DNQ	GDC SF	GDG 2R	GDO DNQ	ADO 3R	EDG 3R	DDM 1R	DDO DNQ	CDO SF	ADC 3R	EDM 2R	IDO DNQ	GDT 1R
2020	BDC DNQ	GDC DNQ	EDG DNQ	IDO DNQ
2021	HDT 1R	GDT DNQ
2022	IDO DNQ	GDC DNQ	GDG QF	ADO DNQ	EDO DNQ	CDO DNQ	EDG DNQ	DDC DNQ	EDM DNQ	HDT DNQ	GDO DNQ	BDO DNQ	GDT 1R
2023	BSD QF	EDO DNQ	IDO 1R	GDG DNQ	ADO DNQ	DDC DNQ	BDO DNQ	CDO DNQ	EDG 2R	EDM DNQ	GDO DNQ	HDT DNQ	GDC DNQ

Performance Table Legend
W	Won the tournament	F	Finalist	SF	Semifinalist	QF	Quarterfinalist	#R RR L#	Lost in # round Round-robin Last # stage	DQ	Disqualified
DNQ	Did not qualify	DNP	Did not participate	WD	Withdrew	NH	Tournament not held			NYF	Not yet founded

References

1. "PDC Order of Merit". PDPA. 24 November 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
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3. "2011 PDC Under 21 World Championship Results". Darts Database. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
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31. "BetVictor World Matchplay Day Five". PDC. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
32. "Michael van Gerwen beats Keegan Brown at World Grand Prix". Sky Sports . Retrieved 5 October 2015.
33. "2015 Grand Slam Of Darts Results". Darts Database. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
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39. "World Championship PDPA Qualifier". PDC. Archived from the original on 28 November 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
40. "World Darts Championship: Phil Taylor reveals secret to beating Keegan Brown". 28 December 2017.
41. "Darts results: Keegan Brown wins Players Championship 23 in Barnsley". Sporting Life. 4 August 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
42. "Series 24, Episode 17". Eggheads . 1 November 2022. Channel 5.
43. Phillips, Josh (15 January 2023). "Brown & Huybrechts headline Tour Card winners as 2023 Q Schools conclude". PDC . Retrieved 14 December 2024.
44. Toogood, Darren (16 September 2023). "BROWN KNOCKS OUT DEFENDING CHAMPION GERWYN PRICE WITH 6-4 VICTORY IN AMSTERDAM". Island Echo. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
45. Jacob, Gary (25 December 2014). "Keegan Brown aiming to get under skin of Adrian Lewis". The Times. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
46. Keogh, Frank (24 April 2020). "Keegan Brown: Former world youth champion ditches darts to double hours for NHS". BBC . Retrieved 14 December 2024.
47. Murphy, Matt (27 March 2020). "Darts player Keegan Brown on helping the NHS during coronavirus crisis". Sky Sports News . Retrieved 14 December 2024.
48. Gorton, Josh (23 December 2017). "Darts player Keegan Brown reveals depression battle". Sky Sports News . Retrieved 14 December 2024.

External links

• Keegan Brown player profile at Darts Orakel