Owen Bates

Owen Bates
Personal information
Born	(2002-12-12) 12 December 2002 (age 22) [1]
Home town	Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
Darts information
Darts	25g Loxley
Laterality	Right-handed
Walk-on music	"Can't Stop" by Red Hot Chili Peppers [2]
Organisation (see split in darts)
PDC	2021– (Tour Card: 2024–)
Current world ranking	( PDC ) 80 (30 October 2025) [3]
PDC premier events – best performances
World Championship	Last 96: 2024
UK Open	Last 128: 2024, 2025
Other tournament wins
PDC Challenge Tour 2023 PDC Development Tour (x2) 2025 (x2)

Owen Bates (born 12 December 2002) is an English professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He is a current PDC Tour Card holder, having gained a Tour Card through his placement on the 2023 PDC Challenge Tour Order of Merit ranking. He won two PDC Development Tour titles during the 2025 season and a PDC Challenge Tour title in 2023. Ahead of his PDC World Championship debut at the 2024 event, he garnered mainstream media attention for his former nickname, "the Master", which he was barred from using.

Career

2021–2023

Bates began playing on the PDC Development Tour in 2021. ^[4] His results started to improve in the 2022 season as he reached the final of event 15, losing 5–3 to Keane Barry. ^[5]

After an unsuccessful campaign at 2023 PDC Q-School, Bates competed on the 2023 PDC Challenge Tour. He won his first Challenge Tour title at the 19th event by defeating Wesley Plaisier 5–4 in the final. ^[6] At the end of the season, he reached back-to-back finals in the last two events, events 23 and 24. A 5–4 win against Mike Warburton in the latter event, in which he came back from 4–1 down and survived multiple missed match darts from Warburton, resulted in Bates finishing second place on the 2023 Challenge Tour Order of Merit ranking ahead of John Henderson. This secured him a PDC Tour Card for the next two years and qualification for the 2024 PDC World Darts Championship. ^{[7] [8]}

Bates reached the quarter-finals of the 2023 PDC World Youth Championship, where he lost 6–2 to Wessel Nijman. ^[9] Outside of PDC darts, he competed in the MODUS Super Series, a weekly 12-player tournament for non-Tour Card holders. He won a weekly title in February 2023, defeating Leonard Gates 4–3 for the £5,000 top prize. ^[10]

2024–present

Bates made his PDC World Championship debut at the 2024 event. Ahead of the tournament, he garnered mainstream media attention for his nickname at the time, "the Master", due to its sexual innuendo and the fact the PDC had barred him from using it going forward. ^{[7] [11] [12]} Bates faced Steve Lennon in the first round of the tournament and took a two-set lead, but would ultimately lose 3–2 in sets. ^{[13] [14]}

In his first year on the PDC Pro Tour, Bates made his European Tour debut at the 2024 International Darts Open, where he narrowly lost 6–5 to Nathan Aspinall in the first round. ^[15] He reached the third round of the 2024 European Darts Open following wins over Joe Cullen and Danny Noppert, before being eliminated by Stephen Bunting. ^[16] He competed on the 2025 Development Tour in addition to the Pro Tour, winning two titles and finishing third on the Order of Merit ranking, ensuring a second PDC World Championship appearance at the 2026 event and another two-year Tour Card. ^[17]

World Championship results

PDC

• 2024: First round (lost to Steve Lennon 2–3)

Performance timeline

PDC

Tournament	2022	2023	2024	2025	2026
PDC Ranked televised events
PDC World Championship	DNQ		1R	DNQ
PDC World Masters	Did not qualify			Prel.
UK Open	DNQ		2R	2R
PDC Non-ranked televised events
PDC World Youth Championship	RR	QF	RR	2R
Career statistics
PDC Season-end ranking	–	109	125

PDC European Tour

Season	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14
2024	DNQ		IDO 1R	DNQ			DDC 1R	EDO 3R	Did not qualify
2025	BDO 1R	Did not qualify											SDT 1R	GDC DNQ

PDC Players Championships

Season	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34
2023 [nb 1]	BAR DNP			BAR 1R	BAR 1R	BAR 1R	HIL 1R	HIL 3R	WIG 1R	WIG 1R	LEI 1R	LEI 2R	HIL 1R	HIL 1R	LEI 4R	LEI 2R	HIL 1R	HIL 3R	BAR 4R	BAR 3R	BAR 1R	BAR 2R	BAR 2R	BAR 1R	BAR 1R	BAR 1R	BAR 1R	BAR 3R	BAR 2R	BAR 3R
2024	WIG 1R	WIG 1R	LEI 2R	LEI 1R	HIL 1R	HIL 1R	LEI 2R	LEI 1R	HIL 1R	HIL 1R	HIL 1R	HIL 1R	MIL 3R	MIL 1R	MIL 1R	MIL 1R	MIL 2R	MIL 1R	MIL 1R	WIG 1R	WIG 1R	LEI 1R	LEI 1R	WIG 1R	WIG 2R	WIG 1R	WIG 2R	WIG 1R	LEI 1R	LEI 1R
2025	WIG 2R	WIG 1R	ROS 3R	ROS 3R	LEI 2R	LEI 3R	HIL 1R	HIL 1R	LEI 3R	LEI 1R	LEI 1R	LEI 3R	ROS 1R	ROS 1R	HIL 2R	HIL 1R	LEI 1R	LEI 2R	LEI 3R	LEI 4R	LEI 2R	HIL 3R	HIL 4R	MIL 1R	MIL 1R	HIL 1R	HIL 2R	LEI 1R	LEI 1R	LEI 1R	WIG 1R	WIG 1R	WIG 2R	WIG 3R

1. Not a Tour card holder

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

References

1. "Owen Bates". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
2. "Owen Bates". Mastercaller. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
3. "PDC Order of Merit". PDPA. 30 October 2025. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
4. "Owen Bates player profile". Darts Database. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
5. Williams, Joe (5 June 2022). "Barry edges out Bates for Development Tour win". Darts World. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
6. Gorton, Josh (13 August 2023). "Emerging star Bates claims landmark Winmau Challenge Tour title". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
7. Herbert, Tim (16 November 2023). "Owen Bates qualifies for the PDC World Darts Championships". Exmouth Journal. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
8. Shaw, Jamie (30 October 2023). "Owen Bates dramatically seals World Championship spot and PDC Tour Card via Challenge Tour". Live Darts. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
9. Gorton, Josh (20 August 2023). "Van Veen & Littler to contest 2023 Winmau World Youth Championship final". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
10. Williams, Joe (19 February 2023). "Bates claims weekly win". Darts World. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
11. Andrews, Connor (7 November 2023). "PDC bans Owen Bates from using rude nickname at World Championship". Talksport .
12. "Warum Bates' Spitzname „Master" beim Darts verboten wurde" [Why Bates' nickname "Master" was banned in darts]. Rheinische Post (in German). 20 December 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
13. "Steve Lennon and William O'Connor book round two spots at Ally Pally". RTÉ Sport. Press Association. 20 December 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
14. Herbert, Tim (22 December 2023). "Owen Bates beaten by Steve Lennon at PDC World Darts". Midweek Herald. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
15. Gorton, Josh (12 April 2024). "Clemens' comeback stuns Wright in Riesa". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
16. "Results of European Darts Open 2024". Mastercaller. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
17. Gorton, Josh (12 October 2025). "Crabtree tops Winmau Development Tour rankings as duo share final titles". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 28 October 2025.

External links

• Owen Bates player profile at Darts Orakel